MEALS THAT MATTER
BY RAEANNE MARSH
LemonShark Poké: Bowled and Bold Colors. Flavors. Textures. Poké offers an amazing variety in all these aspects. And LemonShark Poké offers that amazing variety in its fresh, build-to-suit selection. Ahi tuna, spicy salmon, shrimp, tofu, ginger, edamame, red cabbage, corn, mango: These are just a few of the array of ingredients patrons can mix in their poké bowl atop a base that does not need to be the traditional sushi rice, before then being faced with a sauce choice from among 11, which includes a gluten-free soy sauce, with spicy mayo and eel ranking as the most popular. One more choice before the bowl is complete: the option to add a little crunch on top with crispy fried onion, Macadamia nut, or another of more than a halfdozen toppings. For those who are feeling either adventurous or too overwhelmed to choose for themselves, the menu offers a “Trust Me Bowl” — putting all the choices at the whim of whoever owns the smiling face serving that customer at that time. Augmenting the poké selections is a short menu of small bites that includes perennial favorite tempura shrimp and Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice, bite-sized rise crisps with a dollop of spicy tuna drizzled with spicy mayo and ponzu sauces and topped with a deceptively decorative, thin slice of fiery serrano chile. The self-serve soft drinks are sugar-sweetened; no highfructose corn syrup. There’s also a selection of self-serve beers on tap, sold by the ounce. Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl
Forbidden Rice Pokerrito
Owners Bethanie and Paul Mercer “always wanted to own a restaurant” and, coming out of Corporate America, saw franchise as their best option, explains Bethanie Mercer. They opened LemonShark Poké in Scottsdale last year. “We love sushi,” Bethanie says, “and we wanted somewhere where we would go.” It’s a fast-casual concept, but, Bethanie shares, she and her husband intend the beers and free Wi-Fi to help encourage people to “sit and stay” rather than eat and run. LemonShark Poké 7325 E. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd., Scottsdale (480) 219-9233 lemonsharkpoke.com
That’s Some Crust Maui Heat Wave
Sauce. Cheeses. Toppings. Pizzerias can put their stamp on their pie in many different ways. In Business Magazine wanted
FEB. 2019
40
INBUSINESSPHX.COM
California Pizza Kitchen
Hungry Howie’s (pictured)
One of the pioneers that took pizza
Known as the originator of the
beyond cheese-and-pepperoni-and-
flavored crust pizza, Hungry
sometimes-anchovies to a whole
Howie’s offers it in Asiago cheese,
new world of flavors, CPK added a
butter, butter cheese, Cajun, garlic
La Grande Orange Pizzeria
whole wheat option for crust a few
herb, onion, ranch and sesame as
LGO’s fermented crust tastes strongly of
years ago, a boon for those trying
well as the plain “original.”
sourdough, complementing well the many
to minimize their intake of highly
Multiple locations
garden toppings on its creative pizza menu.
processed flour.
hungryhowies.com
4410 N. 40th St., Phoenix
Multiple locations
(602) 840-7777
cpk.com
lagrandeorangepizzeria.com
Photos courtesy of LemonShark Poké (top), Hungry Howie’s (bottom)
to shine a spotlight on the foundational element: the crust.