The Cowfish, Charlotte, NC

The Deets:

The Cowfish (www.thecowfish.com)

Charlotte, NC

Sunday, October 30, 2011

11:45am

A good time of day to go to this place- no wait (the other times we've been there's been quite a long line to get in), and only 15 minutes until the magical time of the day when you can order alcoholic drinks.

The Order:

Mediterranean Lamb Burger, medium well, side of fried pickles

Stone Centennial IPA

Lava Shrimp Roll, side of seaweed salad

Talus Pinot Grigio

His: Food was pretty darn good. My burger was awesome; it had a flash-fried patty of feta cheese, and pretty spicy tzatziki/fried caper sauce. The meat itself was great. My only complaint was that the bun they put it on was a little too substantial. I ended up eating it open-face, which meant that a) I could taste more meat, and b) it was way more messy. So that's two good things.

I also highly recommend their fried pickles. These are a food I'd never even THOUGHT about until I moved to North Carolina. They can vary greatly in quality, especially in regards to how much they dry them before frying them... if they're too brine-y then they not as good. Cowfish did 'em well.

Hers: Two kinds of shrimp in one roll?! If you know me, you know that this was a must have. Considering the rest of the menu, this wasn't all that interesting a choice, but I love shrimp and that's that. The roll was gigantic and the amount of seaweed salad was almost too much for my jaw to chew. Overall, both were excellent. I could have done with less of the spicy mayo stuff, but I can always do with less mayo. Another plus was the pickled ginger. A great palate cleanser between bites of the burger and the roll. Probably won't get this again, but that's only because there were so many other awesome looking things. 

The Sigmas:

Deliciousness: 1.0

More than just your average meal, this was good quality food put together in a creative way.

Price: -0.5

Cowfish gets a slight ding in their price rating. I don't think it's unfair what they ask for their food, but it's on the very high end of the 'fair' range. It's no Ruth's Chris, but this isn't a cheap restaurant.

Value: 0

Spot on. Prices weren't great, but I feel like I got what I paid for. Plus the ge ne sai qua factor made the menu price more reasonable than otherwise would be expected.

Service: 0

Exactly what it should be. They got the job done with minimal fuss and minimal muss (though sometimes I like a little bit of muss in my waitering). People weren't overly friendly, but neither were they rude. Wait time for beverages and food was just fine.

Menu Variety: 2.5

This is where this place shines. Take a look at their menu (http://www.thecowfish.com/menu/). It's crazy. They have some REALLY creative burgers, and some REALLY creative faux-sushi options. Something that really bugs me about some places is when their burger selection isn't exciting. Cheeseburger, Baconburger, Bacon Cheeseburger are your options? Snore. Sure they'd taste good but I feel like offerings like that are just menu placeholders more than anything else. Cowfish, on the other hand? They put fried pepperoncinis on their pimento cheese burger, taking it from Meh to Mmmm. Like burgers but don't want it in a bun? Try a burger-ushi. It's like a burger in the form of sushi. Clearly they're playing it fast and loose with the term "sushi," but it all makes for a very creative menu. This was my second visit (first time I got the hoisin ribs... mmmm) and I still feel like I could go back a dozen times and eat something deliciously different each visit.

Unique Experience: 2.5

A combination burger-sushi place? How do you create THAT atmosphere??? Well, they did it. Wacky and awesome. Be sure to visit the bathroom when you're here (for reasons other than those biological), for a handy primer on how to say English phrases in both Japanese AND Redneck.

Beer Selection: 0.5

Good enough for it not to be a negative, with some nice surprises. I had a Founders Centenial IPA. Any place with a Founders on tap is not your run-of-the-mill restaurant. Good (but standard) selection of Japanese beers, and a rotating "guest tap."

Wine Selection: 1.0

Not too shabby, and a good selection of wines by the glass at a fair price. Pretty important if you're going for a sushi dinner.

Estimated Frequency of Return Trips: 1.0

We'll go here more than most places. Maybe once a month? The menu was super-compelling, the waitstaff was acceptably effective, and they had a good selection of drinks. It's a little too expensive to go as often as I'd like, though.

Overall: 1.5

For those of you who haven't been here, I'd highly recommend it. For those of you who HAVE been here, you already know if you like it or not. I can imagine this place inspires extremes. Either you love it or you're not very adventurous in your food tastes and would rather stay at home and eat cream-of-wheat.