Ask most people what comes to mind when they think about Hawaiian food and the likely answer is Spam®. No matter how much the Aloha State’s tourism department does to showcase the state’s diverse and exciting culinary culture, the stereotype that Hawaiians eat Spam® for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks in between meals is engrained in many of us. Because Hawaiians do consume seven-million cans of Spam® per year (with a population of 1.42 million residents in the Islands), it begs the question “Is it really a stereotype if facts bear out the fact that Spam® is so immensely popular in Hawaii.”
Not everyone who spends time on the sandy beaches is as svelte as portrayed by media. Widespread obesity plagues the Islands. Some of that may be attributable to the quintessential canned ham product proudly made in Minnesota, a processed food replete with salt and other “bad for you” things. Spam® became a vital part of the Hawaiian diet during World War II when rationing was a fat of life for its citizenry. Hawiians figured out how to incorporate Spam® into their diet and figured out it’s a pretty versatile product. Note: If you’re from Northern New Mexico and from my generation, your family did too.
In recent years, another Hawaiian staple has been supplanting Spam® as the dish many of us think of when contemplating Hawaiian cuisine. That dish is poké (pronounced (poh-keh), a term which means to “slice or cut crosswise into pieces.” Although the popularity of poké has exploded across the world in the past few years, poké has been around since long before Hawaii become the 50th state in the nation. Fishermen in ancient Hawaii would take fish caught near the shore and massage them with such simple ingredients from the sea as sea salt, seaweed or limu, a type of algae. Salting the fish was done both for flavor and more importantly, to preserve the fish.
Pokemoto, a wonderful guide to all things Hawaiian poké explains that “At its heart, Hawaiian poké is nutritious and healthy. However, as with anything else, it is easy to turn a once-healthy meal into something slightly less nutritious.” Most complicit in the transformation from healthy to not healthy is rice, the primary base for many a tasty poké bowl. Pokemoto recommends piling up the veggies instead of that nasty culprit rice. Pokemoto also cautions against some of the sauces used on poké. Many are high in calories, saturated fat, sugar, and sodium. Darn, Pokemoto is taking some of the fun out of eating poké.
We can thank restaurant impressario Robert Punya for introducing poké to landlubbers in the Albuquerque metropolitan area. In 2016, Robert launched the first instantiation of Poki Poki Cevicheria in the Duke City. Both locations (3517 Wyoming, N.E. and 3422 Central, N.E.) are still going strong, winning over converts and continuing to make regulars happy. New to Punya’s poké restaurant empire is Poké Serrano which opened its doors on 27 December 2023. Poké Serrano resides at 3755 Southern Blvd., S.E. in a site which previously housed 1933 Brewing Company, Fat Squirrel Pub & Grill and before them the Turtle Mountain Brewing Company.
None of the former tenants resemble one another much, but Poké Serrano probably had the most significant make-over. Instead of one yawning space, the restaurant has been transformed into separate and distinct areas. To your left as you walk in is a bar, to your right a dining room. Beyond that is a long counter where you place your order. Options include composed poke bowls or a make-your-own option. Only a glass sneeze guard is between you and the ingredients used to build your bowl. At the end of this serpentine counter is where you settle your fare. Another dining area occupies the remainder of the space.
Denizens of the City of Vision are just thrilled the restaurant finally opened. Since the Cabrona Virus ravaged the world, we’ve been driving past the site without seeing much progress. Much of that was due to lack of continuity among the various contractors who worked on the space. No doubt city mandated inspections and red tape contributed. Poké Serrano is unlike any concept Rio Rancheros have seen. Part of the larger space is dedicated to another concept called Sweet Cup. It’s got a separate entrance or you can enter from the restaurant. Sweet Cup offers self-serve frozen yogurt with toppings, pastries, scratch-made desserts, espresso, boba, cheesecakes and macarons.
Poké Serrano isn’t strictly a pantheon dedicated to poké. That’s given away in the second part of the restaurant’s name. “Serano” indicates it’s an elevated Latin-Asian fusion concept much like Poki Poki Cevicheria. The melding of familiar Latin elements with fish should prove popular with diners. In addition to poké, the restaurant serves ramen, stir fry, tacos and much more. The website explains it all: “Whether you like fresh, Hawaiian poke bowls and seafood options or cooked items such as steak, chicken or carnitas tacos, there’s something for everyone!”
Whether you want to compose your own poké bowl (build your own) of you order one of the eight bowls on the menu, you have plenty of options. For example, you can select the base for your bowl from among that aforementioned unhealthy white rice, brown rice, corn chips and more. You can also choose how large your bowl should be: regular, large or ultimate. The seafood portion of your bowl can be seared or raw. Frankly, whether you build your own bowl or you order one of the composed bowls, your options are virtually unlimited.
My Kim, who’s admittedly a huge fan of Panda Express’s teriyaki chicken plate (which she loves almost as much as she loves Olive Garden’s spaghetti) wanted to start our meal off with an appetizer order of popcorn chicken served with teriyaki sauce. She didn’t appreciate it as much as she did Panda Express’s version. The chicken was overly breaded, desiccated and tough, obviously the product of being fried for too long. The Dude, our debonair dachshund (who loves chicken as much as Henery Hawk did on the old Foghorn Leghorn cartoons) didn’t like it either.
For her entree, my Kim proved more audacious. No, she didn’t have any of the raw bowls. Noodle-lover that she is, she ordered the tonkatsu ramen with two toppings (hard-boiled eggs and corn). “Tonkatsu” translates from Japanese to “pork bones.” Traditional tonkatsu ramen is prepared by boiling pork bones in water for up to eighteen hours, giving the broth a somewhat “murky” appearance. Poke Serrano’s version has that telltale appearance backed up by lots of tender pork. It’s quite good with lots of that porcine flavor ramen lovers crave.
One of the more popular appetizers at Mexican restaurants is ceviche tostadas. Predictably it’s usually made the same way with shrimp or fish piled atop a single tostada. Vegetables the colors of the Mexican flag–red (chopped tomatoes), green (cilantro) and white (onion)–intermix with the seafood. All elements are given a bath in citrus juice. We were curious to see if Poké Serrano’s would add any Asian fusion elements. Alas, the only difference in this ceviche and that of many Mexican restaurants is that instead of a single tostada shell flattened like a disk, the shell is formed into a bowl (much as is done when composing taco salads). Red, green and white veggies weren’t quite as plentiful as Mexican ceviche nor was the amount of citrus (though sliced limes were provided for a “squeeze your own citrus” experience). There were no Asian fusion elements to the ceviche.
As a bona fide fire-eater, my cravings lean toward dishes that are piquant. No, not to the extent that they obfuscate other taste elements. I still like to taste every element of every dish and am blessed with the taste buds to discern variety. There could only be one choice for my inaugural poké dish experience at Poké Serrano. That’s the spicy bowl (white rice and chips, spicy tuna and salmon, passionfruit sauce, krab, avocado, pico de gallo, cucumber, jalapeño, lime, green onion, onion crisps, furikake, chipotle mayo and Sriracha). With so much variety, it’s a challenge to discern each individual flavor. Instead, my enjoyment came in the beautiful blending of ingredients, each lending something different to the bowl. This is an artistic creation with lots of deliciousness and just enough heat.
The City of Vision continues to expand its culinary offerings. Poké Serrano is a very welcome addition whose menu we hope to explore further.
Poké Serrano
3755 Southern Blvd S..E,
Rio Rancho, New Mexico
(505)
Website |
LATEST VISIT: 13 January 2024
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$
BEST BET: Ceviche, Teriyaki Chicken, Spicy Bowl, Ramen
REVIEW #1376