Poke: Floridians warm up to cool fish dish

DUNEDIN (FOX 13) - Diners in Dunedin are trying out something a little different.  Poke is a food concept based out of Hawaii that's growing nationwide.

"All these major cities around the country are starting to pick up poke places and Florida's a little shy when it comes to picking up trends, major food trends. So there's plenty of room in Florida for more poke restaurants," said Ken Gulley of the Poke Cafe in Dunedin.

"Poke means cut or cut up fish. So poke is cut up fish that's marinated and then served over rice," Gulley continued.

Some customers describe it as a new kind of sushi, but with some differences.

"Mainly the ingredients.  There's a lot more things that you wouldn't get in sushi.  The fish is mixed with things like onions and wasabi sauces," customer Elizabeth Craven said.

Dustin Applebaum, another customer, said it's "a lot more flavorful. Like the rice doesn't hide it. It comes in a bowl, where sushi, it's kind of wrapped up and they hide a lot of ingredients in there."

And Gulley said there's a price difference. "Instead of paying $3 or $4 for a piece of fish that's on top of a little piece of rice, you can spend $7 for a giant scoop of seafood sitting on top of the rice."

Gulley said he would like to see more poke places around the area.  "I wouldn't mind seeing some competition too because it will bring our game up even higher."