Cold comfort

Everyone has different comfort foods: Rice, sweet potato and tuna are all, separately at least, comforting to different people, right? I recently came across Akebono's maguro yamakake, a daily special item combining all three in one bowl, which goes for $12.95. Perhaps I'm only comfortable eating it because I'm used to the slimy consistency of cold raw tuna (maguro) atop a pile of cold, soft sushi rice; to the unadventurous, I imagine the texture could be a bit off-putting. The sweet potato (yamakake) garnish is the perhaps the biggest challenge to my semi-mainstream American palate, with its goop-like quality that's similar to Hawaiian poi. Maguro yamakake is also served as a regular menu item at the Akebono's sister restaurant in Midtown, Izakaya Daikoku. 4960 Freeport Boulevard, (916) 731-8288, www.akebonojapaneserestaurant.com.