Linguists can be an argumentative bunch—and not very helpful. They bicker, for instance, over tom-ay-to, tom-ah-to and pot-ay-to, pot-ah-to. They can’t settle on paj-ah-mas or paj-ae-mas. Is it ey-ther or ee-ther? We still don’t know.
But hey, the indecision worked out for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Of course, if someone were to reprise the hit “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” today, they would have to add a line about the trendiest dish ever to come out of the Hawaiian Islands.
No, not loco moco. Geez. We’re talking about pok-ay. Or is it pok-ee?
Fortunately, at Pacific Bowls & Rolls in downtown Monterey you can sidestep the contentious matter and just ask for a bowl.
Their ahi da’kine bowl is a potpourri of tuna, rice, ponzu and assorted vegetables, such as green onion and—purists, skip ahead—cucumber, dusted with furikake, sesame and roe. The flavors meander in such a way that you peek into earthy, nutty, raspy, salty and tart, with the tuna always alongside.
There’s a lot going on, which brings up a predicament more vexing than pronunciation. Is there a wine capable of tackling all of that?
“Seabold Chardonnay,” says Jeff Birkemeier of Amapola Kitchen & Wine Merchant in Salinas, responding with unexpected certainty. Yes, the varietal has a thing for sushi, so Chardonnay makes sense. But Birkemeier points specifically to Seabold’s 2019 vintage from the historic Eden Rift vineyard.
“He’s making it like a Chablis,” he points out, referring to Seabold’s Chris Miller.
Breathe it in, take a sip. It’s like drifting in a tropical breeze—whole pineapples, their tops just sliced off, cured lemon and dried apricot with a hint of sea water and a pleasant finish. The wine is brisk but also rich in a way that’s difficult to pin down. Dallying, perhaps, as if you were relaxing in a hammock.
And this suits a poke bowl, which lures more of that tropical beach impression from the wine. It loses nothing, but gains depth. At the same time, it brings a spicier tone to the dish while lifting a sweet trill from the ponzu for balance.
While Birkemeier adds that an Albariño or Rosé would be reasonable options in addition to Chardonnay, and that while Sauvignon Blanc might be a tricky pairing, it’s possible to win going that route, the key is to find a tart, citrus note.
“Acidity is such an important part of the pairing,” he explains. “It brings out flavors. It’s like squeezing lemon on fish.”
That settles the pairing. Everyone else can fight out the pronunciation.