I was skeptical when I heard about Cowfish, the burger-sushi fusion restaurant that recently opened at North Hills. I am not a purist about much of anything. But, as much as I enjoy both burgers and sushi, the thought of successfully combining the two was beyond my imagination.
I gave it a chance and checked it out mid-week at lunch time. The menu was surprisingly extensive. Cowfish serves pure burgers, pure sushi, and a combination of the two.
Cowfish has an interesting Asian spin on onion rings: they are battered with panko and shredded coconut. As far as onions rings go, they were as good as it gets. I am about as sure as I can be that this onion had been in the ground a week prior and had not spend any significant time in a freezer. The onion rings were firm and crisp, and not the least bit greasy. The panko and coconut crust was a nice change from the typical flour, egg, and bread crumb recipe. In keeping with the fusion theme, the horseradish aioli and sweet chili dipping sauces gave a extra depth of flavor to this appetizer.
I tried a fusion roll called the Doug filet, which is essentially a California roll topped with slices of rare filet mignon and a spicy sauce. Most of the good sushi places in Raleigh offer a version of this roll with either tuna or an assortment of fish in place of the filet mignon. Filet mignon is a good substitute due to its tenderness, low fat content, and mild flavor.
The roll was excellent. The avacodo and cream cheese added a creaminess to the filet and offset the bite of the spicy sauce. One of the distinct differences between this roll and a classic rainbow roll is how much more filling the filet is. Cowfish serves these rolls as an entree. This single roll was enough for lunch.
On another occasion, I tried a Cowfish burger, which was also excellent. I am planning a review of several Raleigh burger joints in the future, so I will save the details. Suffice it to say, any burger lover and/or sushi lover should be able to enjoy themselves at Cowfish.
I happened to notice on my Foursquare account that over the weekend one of my friends chose to go to Yard House next door rather than wait for an hour and a half to get a table at Cowfish. It looks like a lot of people overcame whatever skepticism they may have had about combining burgers and sushi.
Highly Recommended.
Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar
4208 Six Forks Road, Suite 100
Raleigh, NC 27609
(919) 784-0400
thecowfish.com