Mr. Tuna

How an Old Hot Dog Cart Turned Into One of the Best Sushi Spots on the East Coast

"I followed the story of a former culinary-school student who launched a sushi business from a refurbished Craigslist hot dog cart and trailer and in May 2024 opened a cheerful, bright brick-and-mortar in Portland, Maine. The food is delightful, impeccable, honest, and full of surprises, with an emphasis on Japanese-inspired sushi: elaborate, overflowing donburi rice bowls, gorgeous sashimi, and more than a dozen hand rolls. Standout dishes include the Tuna de Tigre, a Peruvian- and Thai‑inspired ceviche of creamy avocado and ruby-red tuna dressed with coconut, fish sauce, lime juice, and bird chiles and topped with herbs and crispy shallots; Skin N’ Dip, crispy fried salmon skin dusted in seaweed powder served with yuzu mayonnaise and marinated salmon roe; and a range of hand rolls (seared tuna belly with shishito peppers, Maine uni, tuna tartare with pickled daikon and scallions). The menu also features creative maki, dressed-up sashimi (for example, scallops with matsutake ponzu, pickled shiitake, shiso, and popped rice), a bright, mayo-forward potato salad topped with furikake and salmon roe, and an off‑menu tuna sashimi tasting that explores four distinct cuts from a Maine tuna. Sustainability is central: most seafood comes from the Gulf of Maine (with wild Alaskan salmon as an exception), Atlantic bluefin tuna is caught one fish at a time by rod and reel as it migrates, uni and scallops are offered only in season, unused parts are composted by a local farmer, and long-term relationships with local suppliers allow the chef to get exactly what he wants." - Raphael Brion