If you're a restaurateur who has been inspired by the successes of such specialists as Maui Tacos and Teddy's Bigger Burgers, don't think you can make a star out of any old foodstuff. Araimo, a big no for the mountain yam with the consistency of warm spit. It seems strange, but not when you stop to consider that Sam Choy is turning poke into a national phenomenon. 3565 Waialae Ave. But maguro is a difficult fish to work with in that it's delicate, subtly flavored and extremely unforgiving.
Connoisseurs prefer it sashimi style, raw, with a little bit of soy sauce and wasabi.
Much more handling quickly becomes overkill. At Maguro-Ya, the overkill was often preferable to the raw stuff, and worse, for specialists, there was little special about the maguro offerings. The skin had the consistency of and just about as much flavor as gelatin. One was the tataki-style dish, another was prepared teriyaki style. My favorite comprised cubes of ahi on a skewer with slices of potato and onion, dipped in panko and deep-fried.