Tuna is the star in the Poke stack at Bev’s

When I think back to some of my most memorable experiences in life, they include food.

There are many places in Sioux City, too, where I remember my first time: the Vietnamese pancake at Da Kao that Bev gushed over, that seafood soup Kari was eyeing at California Papusas, and the time Doug Lake made me squeeze limes on my first La Juanita’s fish taco.
Vivid memories, to be sure.

I was lucky enough to have another one of these unforgettable food moments recently at Bev’s on the River.

The dish: The Tuna Poke Stack. The name’s not sexy, and I’m not even sure that is its official name as I was so wrapped up in the medley of flavor. Served as an appetizer, this is a must for anyone who relishes seafood, fresh veggies and an appreciation for food art.

I have no idea how to to describe it in such a way as to do it justice.

Like a ballet dancer with a portly paunch? No.

Like a mad scientist with disheveled hair? Not quite.

How about scrumptulescent? And then some!

One look at the photo and you get the idea: Sticky, sushi-style rice nestled in a pool of incredible sauce, capped with chunk crab and a vegetable medley rising off the plate.

Then comes the raw tuna, the princess of this food pageant.

I’ve always loved food. But for a long time, there were a lot of foods I would not touch. Textures, mostly, freaked me out. Tomatoes, strawberries and most things red were on my no-no list. Raw fish was right in there, too.

But as we grow older, and our food tolerance expands, we are tempted by plates aplenty that, if ruled out based on texture alone, would leave us only to ponder what might have been.

Cue the raw tuna.

For people who have texture-based food aversions, raw tuna or raw anything, is a big hill to climb.

So it was that I found myself enjoying sushi years ago with my sister that I was forced to try the cold tuna. I was content with my California and Florida rolls, neither of which contain raw fish. But for my sister, sushi IS tuna.

I relented. And to my surprise, I added a new taste to my palette.

So when the Poke Stack was described by a friend at Bev’s, I was all in. And there’s a food lesson in this one, too.

Poké, pronounced POH-kay, is a Hawaiian word that means small piece or cut piece of raw fish. The tuna topper on Bev’s Poke Stack is just that – little pieces of raw fish served atop that tower of taste. It wears only a hat of avocado and what appear to be toasted sesame seeds.

At this point, I would have left happy. But wait, there’s more. Fried wontons circle the plate and add crunch to the appetizer, which can be served as an entree, too. And like corn chips to salsa, they act as a vehicle for delivering the freshness, but only after dragging it through the sauce and adding a seaweed garnish.

Finally, the wasabi sauce steps in. Unlike in some sushi restaurants where this flavor enforcer rules the roost, Bev’s sauce appears to be blended, and is happy to stand in the shadows and just be appreciated for his contributions.

He knows the tuna is the star here, and there’s no taking that away.

If you hit Bev’s on Wednesday, enjoy a half-priced bottle of chardonnay or moscato with this dish and you’ll never look back.