When poke cravings strike, they strike hard. The folks at Lettuce Entertain You have identified a budding culinary itch that Chicagoans need scratched with their latest opening. Aptly named ASAP Poke is a delivery-only restaurant that will offer poke bowls and rolls to lunch and dinner crowds starting Tuesday, July 11. According to the release, "ASAP Poke was born out of a single idea: to bring Chicago the freshest, sushi-quality fish coupled with seasonal ingredients, as fast as possible."
The on-demand joint is a collaboration between chefs Tim Hockett (M Burger, Nacional 27 and Tallboy Taco), Naoki Nakashima (Naoki) and Hisanobu Osaka (Intro). The raw goodies will be available for delivery via asappokechicago.com Tuesday through Saturday for lunch and dinner, and the menu includes four signature bowls and a build-your-own option, both of which can be made into rolls. Diners choose between two sizes: regular (24 ounces, $12.95) or shortie (16 ounces, $9.95), and bases include sushi rice, brown rice, quinoa tabouli or greens. Here's a look at the four signature options.
Classic Avocado Poke: ginger, scallions, classic poke marinade, rice, sliced cucumbers, avocado, soy beans, shredded lettuce, watermelon radish, seaweed, pickled ginger, sesame seeds
Big Island Spicy Poke: ginger, scallions, rice, spicy mayo, pickled mushrooms, diced avocado, watermelon radish, sliced jalapeños, shredded lettuce, pickled ginger, sesame seeds
Maui Crunch Poke: ginger, scallions, ponzu sauce, rice, shredded lettuce, pickled mushrooms, pickled ginger, watermelon radish, seaweed, crunchy shallots
Yuzu Poke: yuzu dressing, ginger, rice, sliced cucumber, seaweed, tomato salsa, pickled ginger, tobiko, furikake
ASAP certainly has stiff competition in a poke-obsessed city, but we see two big advantages here: There's no line and anything with Nakashima's seal of approval is bound to be fantastic.
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