Ohana Island Kitchen

Louie and Regan Colburn launched Denver’s poke craze when they opened Ohana Island Kitchen in the back of the Truffle Table, where they shared a bit of Louie’s native Hawaii with the Mile High. Their tuna found so many fans that they couldn’t handle them all; fortunately, they landed a lease for a sunny space across the street, which now boasts formidable lunchtime lines. Eschewing the trendy tendency (you know the places) to load bowls with such toppings as avocado, fruit, peppers and even cheese, Louie focuses on classic renditions of poke, serving cubed fish with soy and onion or tobiko-imbued spicy mayo over a bed of rice (or kale, if you’d like it lighter). A couple of other Hawaiian staples make up the rest of the limited menu, including spam musubi and kalua pork; on Fridays and Saturdays, you can try your poke with silky salmon instead of tuna. A number of imitators are now swimming in the restaurant’s wake — none as good as this one.