In the vast world of food fusion ideas, the combination of Japanese, Hawaiian and Mexican food is not one that most people would likely expect. A new restaurant, however, is doing just that, bringing the interesting food trend to Tuscaloosa for students to try.
Pokeritto68, a restaurant that specializes in sushi bowls and burritos, has been open for three weeks now and has been serving both students and Tuscaloosa locals who are eager to try their distinct approach to food. Located on 15th Street, the restaurant is conveniently close to campus for students who want to try the new sushi craze they most likely have been hearing about from their friends.
The name Pokeritto itself actually describes the kind of food served at the restaurant. Poke is a Hawaiian word that means sushi bowl, and the “ritto” suffix added to the name highlights the different burrito and taco options that the restaurant incorporates into the sushi. The restaurant is similar to Chipotle or Subway, in the sense that customers get to choose from a variety of meats, toppings and sauces to customize their own sushi bowl or burrito.
An Nguyen, the owner of Pokeritto68, said he wanted to incorporate fresh ingredients and fast casual service in the creation of his new restaurant.
“Quality is what we focus on here.” Nguyen said. “This is a fast food place, in a modern style. We wanted to come up with a new style of fast food, but still be high end, using great fish and ingredients, all while staying reasonably priced. That’s especially important in a college town.”
Aside from prearranged burritos and tacos, the restaurant boasts a wide variety of toppings, meats and sauces for people to personalize a bowl with. After choosing either white or brown rice, customers can pick from a variety of meats available, including everything from the traditional salmon and tuna to things like teriyaki chicken or tempura shrimp. After adding toppings like ginger, cucumber, seaweed salad and avocado (at no extra charge), customers choose a sauce and then finish their creation. The whole process takes around two minutes.
The kitchen is very exposed, allowing customers to observe the preparation of the fish and ingredients. Nguyen explained how Pokeritto68 takes a different approach than other restaurants when it comes to their ingredients.
“We have healthy ingredients, and it’s all local.” Nguyen said. “Our fish is really delicate, fresh and healthy. We get it from places like Mobile and Atlanta, and we know how the fish is cut and where it’s from. All the fish come’s in fresh every day, and because we use the whole fish, we never have to freeze any of it.”
Alex Cahill, a freshman majoring in electrical engineering, enjoys Pokeritto68 because of the numerous options for customization and the unique presentation of the food.
“I’ve only been to Pokeritto68 a couple of times, but every time I go, I leave happy.” Cahill said. “If you’re someone who’s into Instagramming your food, this place is perfect for that. Not only is it cool to eat sushi rolled into a burrito, but the food is all super fresh too.”
Nguyen plans to add new toppings and food styles to the menu depending on what students want. “
Right now we’re trying to get ideas from customers, to see what they need, what they really want and can eat every single day,” Nguyen said. “We learn from our customers, and if they don’t want to eat something, we’ll get rid of it and do what the customer wants.”
