You know, sometimes you get to  visit a hip and happening place that simply lives up to the hype…don’t you just LOVE when that happens? There’s nothing worse than getting (or giving) a recommendation to a restaurant that has raves and then you get (or the recipient of the rec gets) less than stellar service or food. Happy to say that wasn’t the case at the super popular The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar in Charlotte.

My foodie friend, Ashli, told me The Cowfish was one of her favorite places to eat in Charlotte and a few of my blogger friends also recommended it. I can see why…I mean it’s like my two favorite concepts in one place…Sushi or Burger?…at The Cowfish, it’s YES, PLEASE! I’ve been following their growth the past few months after their appearance in Fire in the City so when an occasion to head to Charlotte for an evening of fun presented itself, we excitedly headed to South Park.

It’s definitely a busy place…no need for super passionate food bloggers to encourage folks to eat there. They are there. And for good reason. It’s inviting, invigorating and well…let’s go ahead and talk about food and service.

The menu is huge…you could get overwhelmed…but you have these Cowfish “experts” there that want to “present” the menu. Sarah, our server, shared with us the various sections of the menu, what they meant, what she liked, what was popular and then we were left with the still somewhat daunting task of deciding what to order. We got a cocktail each (me the 1/2 price Itsy Bitsy Tini-Weenie Fresh and Berry Great Martini and Mr. the Bacon Maple Manhattan). We were starving and ordered a fresh and tasty appetizer that hit the spot.

The Blackened Ahi Tuna Nachos with 5 crispy wonton chips topped with our famous Crab Rangoon Dip, spring mix, housemade guacamole, diced tomatoes, sliced avocado, sliced seared rare blackened Ahi tuna and microgreens. Awesome…so fresh, the crab rangoon dip was marvelous on top, given it a creamy contrast.

Next we decided on two items The Cowfish is known for…a sushi roll and something called Burgushi…which is a sushi roll using beef and burger ingredients in interesting ways. We were intrigued by “The Prime Time” Filet & Lobster Roll which features Filet Mignon, portabella mushrooms, asparagus inside, topped with lump crabcake, baked and drizzed with a spicy cream sauce. Heaven. I’m craving. Typing this is somewhat painful!