CowFish

What’s the one thing that always goes hand in hand with a burger? Fries right? Well, think again, because this place is a totally different game.

Every once in a while on a Saturday you get in the morning and realize that there is no plan for the day with the kids. You call up a couple of friends and find out that they already have plans and it’s also rainy outside, so no hiking, parks, or lakes on the table. What do you do to make it through the day? Well, there is the TV, but that will get you so far before they will turn into very angry zombies. Solution? Time for a haircut! Yes, it’s been a while and there is a place that specializes in kids’ hairstyle which is about 40 minutes away from our place. So that’s almost another 80 minutes just on the road! Add a burger stop and maybe some senseless walk through Target and you got yourself a full day’s activity. Creativity can be very simple sometimes.

After the haircut we had to make some tough decisions- We were hungry for a burger, but which one? After going back and forth on Google I asked my wife- “What about Cow and Fish? It’s been a very long time since I have been there and last time (which was also the first) I didn’t really get the taste of the burger (and I will explain what I’m talking about shortly)”. She agreed and off we went.

The Place

CowFish Burger Bar is a very unique burger place with only three locations (Raleigh, Charlotte, and Orlando, FL). It has a very modern design with a huge fish tank in the middle. They have two bars; one regular and another that serves food (I will get back to that as well, sorry about the semi-clandestine progress of this review so far- I’m getting to it- I promise!). There is great art on the walls and a very cool general vibe that I would usually get in a restaurant back in Tel, Aviv, Israel.

The staff is very friendly. If you have a birthday for example they have an entire set of instruments to use when they come over to sing you happy birthday. Please note that the restaurant’s location is in one of Raleigh’s financial areas (North Hills) and does not have a lot of free parking space. There are a bunch of parking lots in the area and they don’t charge too much.

The Menu

From its name you can understand that it serves to both meat and fish lovers. This place has a mixed menu of burgers and sushi! Yes, this restaurant has done one of the most interesting mixes out there. And frankly, I love it! Though I love fries, sometimes they just add more ‘weight’ to the heaviness of the burger, while sushi is very light. Also, a small pack of sushi as an appetizer works great in my opinion.

You can choose from a variety of sushi plates, bento box, or a mix burger-sushi bento box that includes a slider, sushi, and more options of choice (like edamame, fries, spicy cucumber, and more).

Looking at the burger options, you have a bunch, but one in particular, deserves some attention and a few words. It’s called: The Cowfish has officially left the building (a.k.a The Hunka Hunka). That stands for a half-pound beef burger, creamy peanut butter, fried bananas and applewood bacon on a brioche bun. I’m pretty sure that Elvis would have run out of the building after reading this. If you read my review of the burger called ‘My wife said it will never work’ at Salem Street Pub, you know what I think about peanut butter on a burger, but adding the bananas sounds a bit too much. Will I take the risk and try it? Well, not this time.

I took the Shroomin’swiss burger and added caramelized onions on top. On the side, I had the usual- sweet potato fries and my Dr. Pepper. The kids took the bento box and so did my wife.

The Burger

Oh yes, it’s definitely a beauty. The patty looks pretty juicy and the addition of the caramelized onions adds a fine touch to this delicious picture. First bite in and the patty is great. I was able to catch more of it before hitting the toppings and it had a great juicy flavor. But then something stuck in my mouth. It was a feeling of mediocracy. Oh man, am I about to get disappointed?

It was the bun. To be frank, it has been a while since I have had a very basic sesame bun as part of a burger dish in a restaurant. Maybe since the early 2000s. At first it was totally a nostalgic feeling that swept my mouth. But the bun was not fresh and pretty thin. It felt like it was added to this dish because they were out of their normal buns and they had to take out something from the freezer as a backup. So while it did not destroy the whole experience, it definitely took it down by a notch. It’s a shame because the rest of it was really good. Well, I guess next time I will ask for a different bun. The fries were good as well as the sushi and edamame. Please note that we don’t really eat seafood so the only sushi order is a vegetarian one. For me, it’s like a starter or a side dish.