Sushi Burritos Arrive on The Strip from Poukei

Poukei

Address: 3663 Las Vegas Blvd. S.

Phone: 702-331-5562

Status: Open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. Closed on Sunday.

The race to create the first dedicated sushi burrito joint on The Strip is over. Jaburritos had hoped to be the first when it debuts at The Linq promenade by the end of the year. But HIG Management shuttered its Meatball Spot concept next door to The AXIS theater at the Miracle Mile Shops and premiered Poukei, featuring dishes from their executive sushi chef Eric Ou.

The poke bowl and sushi burrito craze shows no sign of slowing, with at least four separate new ventures under construction around the city. On the Strip, Poukei follows the now familiar formula for its menu.

To create a Poukei bowl, guests choose a base of rice, salad or taro chips, then add a protein, ranging in price from $7.95 for tofu or shrimp tempura to $9.95 for Korean beef or tuna. Then sauces such as eel, hoisin barbecue or spicy mayo are added, plus toppings including dried garlic, crispy shallots or crushed peanuts.

Sushi burritos can be wrapped in seaweed or soy paper and are priced at $10.95 and $11.95. Choices include the "Vegas Sumo" with chicken katsu, Korean beef and asparagus and the "Fire Cracker" made with spicy portions of tuna, crab and salmon.

Also on the menu, sides such as miso soup and octopus salad.

Meatball Spot's difficult history included a stint at Town Square briefly overseen by chef Carla Pellegrino and the false rumor Britney Spears was a silent partner. Hoping to create a national chain, an expansion to the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, also quietly shuttered.

Up next for Hig Management, Japanese sushi and raw bar Little Tokyo at Paris Las Vegas.