Mr. Tuna

"In addition to being the name of our next cat, Mr. Tuna has quickly become a Portland institution. They have a sushi stall at Public Market House, as well as a roving sushi bar that pops up at breweries and events around town (they keep their Instagram updated with their location). If you’re in Portland over the summer, make it a point to catch them when they pop up at The Shop by Island Creek Oysters. Get a spot outside on the deck, and do rounds and rounds of oysters and handrolls. photo credit: Erin Little" - Katherine Lewin

"Follow Mr. Tuna (a.k.a. Jordan Rubin) and his Japanese-style temaki hand rolls to whatever location he’s popping up at that day. Equipped with only a rice warmer, two Yeti coolers packed with his mise en place, and a cutting board, Rubin frequents breweries and special events serving impeccably fresh seafood." - ByAndrew Knowlton

In the restaurant firmament of Portland, ME, one finds fine dining spots — like first-ballot hall-of-famer Fore Street and relative newcomer Twelve, both of which FOUND covered last summer — but also, crucially, elevated casual joints. Of that second type, the best known is Eventide, now a dozen years into its run, which continues to dispense surprising, delicious takes on clam shack cuisine. The downside: lines down the block, with waits that can stretch over two hours for this no-reservations spot.  This summer, however, some relief. Directly across from Eventide on Middle Street, the restaurant Mr. Tuna opened in May. Long a key player in the city’s food truck culture, Mr. Tuna started slinging handrolls from a truck in 2017 then opened a counter in Portland’s Public Market the following year. Now, Mr. Tuna has expanded into its first full-blown restaurant, where the menu is larger, and what emerges from the kitchen is even more delightful.  A smattering of tables inside and out are good places for families to park themselves, but we pulled up two seats at the sushi bar on a lively Friday afternoon last week. Mr. Tuna himself — a very friendly fellow named Jordan Rubin, who can often be found behind the counter — popped by to greet us and let us in on a secret: an off-menu bluefin tuna tasting ($46 per), featuring one piece each of toro, otoro, chutoro, and aburi (seared) toro. It’s a spectacular way to celebrate bluefin season in the Gulf of Maine.  Of course, we had to have some Mr. Tuna signature handrolls as well. Barbecued eel, Maine crab, and spicy hamachi all hit the spot. We washed it all down with a Goodfire Prime IPA, thinking, yeah, this really is the way life should be. –Lockhart Steele FOUNDNY