Something I miss from my childhood is posse cuts: two or
three (or six) hip-hop groups coming together to form supergroups that would
record long songs. These defined my early- to mid-1990s. Think “We Are the
World,” but actually good. They were like audio Avengers. My high school and
college earphones were perennially flooded with verses by Native Tongues,
Hieroglyphics, Flipmode Squad, and Juice Crew. If the song title was followed
by “featuring [insert two or three extra artists],” then I needed to possess
it. The more, the merrier. It takes a great producer to get five or more artists
with completely different cadences and voices to properly meld together for an
album, yet still maintain their individuality, and for it to sound effortless.
For anyone who will claim that their lack of hip-hop knowledge prevents them
from making a connection to what I am saying: trust me, you can. The Traveling
Wilburys was also a posse, and every one of their songs was audio gold.
What on
earth does any of this have to do with food or restaurants? Michael Kiyoshi
Goode, the owner of Alexander Street’s Roc City Ramen (formerly Brooklyn
Ramen), opened a second location on Exchange Boulevard in Corn Hill. And at
this new spot, he’s permanently featuring Rochester’s popular pop-up sushi
venue, Adam Hamilton’s Poké
Sushi. On the surface, this may not seem like a big deal since both ramen and
sushi are Japanese cuisine. While that is true, they are completely different
types of fare under the same roof, forming a culinary symphony.
The ramen at
Roc City is still as abundant as it was at Alexander Street, with noodles
cooked just right in broths that complement the respective dishes’ main
protein. The Shio ($11.25) is pork medallions and seaweed accompanied by fried
onions, sesame seeds, and radishes, all swimming in a small sea of clear
chicken broth. Noodles flow in abundance in the bottom of the bowl like a bed
of savory kelp on an ocean floor.
For the
meat-free, the Vegan Miso ($10.25) is a cloudy, creamy broth that masks the
berg of noodles, corn, bamboo shoots, sprouts, and mushrooms. And there are
three other ramen choices and a menu that offers gyozas (fried dumplings),
curries, and rice dishes, so there’s a food scenario for anyone’s palate. Goode
has always been an enthusiastic chef, and he has maintained that positive energy
at the Exchange location, where he greets everyone with an ear-to-ear smile.
Poké Sushi has existed as a pop-up
for two years. Hamilton was inspired to open in that capacity while he was
working at Ox & Stone and had an itch to strike out on his own. He
guest-hosted a light kitchen takeover at Roc Brewing Company. From there, he
bought himself a sushi block and display refrigerator, and Poké Sushi was born.
My first
experience with Poké was at
The Hideaway on Park Avenue, where Hamilton hosts a weekly pop-up every
Wednesday from 7 to 11 p.m., offering a small menu that features his most
popular specialty creations. The Black Mamba ($16) is a delicious blend of soft
shell crab, cucumber, and black tobiko, topped with eel sauce, scallions, spicy
mayo, and more tobiko. The crispy onions in the center give a savory-sweet
crunch to the roll.
Because I’m
a sucker for a decent rockabilly food pun, I also ordered the Johnny Cashew
($13), a roll that consists of smoked salmon, steamed shrimp, cashew butter,
and cucumber, and then topped with avocado, eel sauce, and sprinkled with black
sesame and scallions. I ate both rolls like a monster.
Both of
these rolls are available at Poké
Sushi in Roc City Ramen’s Exchange location. And with the assistance of
Hamilton’s intrepid sous chef, Brenda Perkins, he has expanded his menu to
feature all of his specialty creations in addition to classic sushi and sashimi
items, poké bowls, and
hearty dinner and lunch specials. Also — I’m not sure if I was just lucky or if
this is the norm — but both times I visited Roc City Ramen last week, ’80s pop
tunes floated in the air. There’s something fitting about eating things from
the sea while Billy Ocean is playing in the background. I was okay with the
whole scenario.
Roc City
Ramen and Poké Sushi will
likely be a new staple of the Corn Hill area. The combined restaurant is a
great place to enjoy a quiet night or to bring your buddies and feast on Goode
and Hamilton’s creations.
Chris
Thompson is a freelance writer for CITY. Feedback on this article can be
directed to becca@rochester-citynews.com.
This article appears in Jan 15-21, 2020.
