New poke restaurant and raw bar to open in Dilworth next month

One of the founding partners of Brixx Wood Fired Pizza and Boardwalk Billy’s is now helping bring a new restaurant to the Dilworth area — specifically, to the building with the iconic Mona-Lisa-with-a-butcher-knife painting on the side.

HI Tide Poke & Raw Bar is expected to open mid-December in the downstairs area of Meat & Fish Company at 919 South McDowell St. Partner Jeff Van Dyke of Brixx and Boardwalk Billy’s has been friends with Meat & Fish Company owner Michael LaVecchia for more than 30 years, so it only made sense for the two to team up.

Meat & Fish Company will continue its wholesale distribution upstairs and in the back of the building, while HI Tide Poke & Raw Bar will lease the downstairs area that housed a deli (run by Meat & Fish Company) until about nine months ago.

Although the menu isn’t completely set, you can expect a core group of nine poke bowls. For a customized bowl, you’ll be able to choose from a base of quinoa or rice, a choice of protein (Wagyu beef, cooked shrimp, tofu and more), along with your choice of vegetables and sauce.

A regular-sized bowl will be around $8, while a large bowl will cost $13.

The restaurant will also be a raw bar. Lobster rolls and East and West Coast oysters will be some of the items to choose from, with homemade chips or fries as a side. Beer and wine will be available.

Additionally, HI Tide Poke & Raw Bar will sell various kinds of tuna, shrimp and more.

The restaurant is expected to be open 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday to Saturday.

And don’t worry, the iconic Mona Lisa painting on the side of the building is here to stay.

Photos: Sallie Funderburk and HI Tide Poke & Raw Bar

This story was originally published November 28, 2017 at 10:00 PM with the headline "New poke restaurant and raw bar to open in Dilworth next month."