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Amaze bowls

How Southfin Southern Poké assembles its colorful Luau bowl


Eighteen months of planning went into creating the new eatery Southfin Southern Poké, a concept by the City Pork Restaurant Group that riffs on the beloved raw fish salad of Hawaii and other Pacific islands. Poke restaurants that reinterpret the indigenous dish first started popping up in large cities around five years ago and have since made their way across the country.

“Baton Rouge’s response has completely blown our minds,” says partner Stephen Hightower. “We came at this really wanting to create a healthy lifestyle concept rooted in fresh ingredients, and people are getting it.”

Speculating that the majority of local diners were initially unfamiliar with poke, Southfin’s team, which includes executive chef Eusebio Gongora, created six original poke bowls with set ingredients to make ordering easier. There’s also a make-your-own option that allows patrons to pick and choose a base, a protein, several toppings, a sauce and various garnishes. Gluten-free noodles are available, and so is tempeh. A staff member serving as a brand ambassador is there to help explain ingredients and how best to put them together.

One of the menu’s rising stars, says Hightower, is the Luau, a tropical-themed bowl anchored by fresh Gulf tuna and shrimp. The bowl’s 11 ingredients aren’t there by accident. “We really took time to make sure the profiles in all the bowls work well together,” Hightower says. “It’s easy to get it wrong.” southfinpoke.com


Vocabulary lesson

The Southfin Southern Poké menu features a variety of ingredients that might be unfamiliar to some. Here is a cheat sheet:

Yuzu: A tart citrus fruit, sort of like a lemon, commonly used to season sauces or dressings

Shoyu: A traditional poke dressing made of ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil

Togarashi: A spice blend that can include chili pepper, black pepper, seaweed flakes, sesame seeds and other spices

Furikake: A seasoning blend that can include dried or ground fish, seaweed flakes, sugar and other ingredients. It adds a sweet/briny seafood flavor.

Tobiko: Small fish roe often used as a sushi topping


This article was originally published in the June 2017 issue of 225 Magazine.