The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar

Located at 4208 Six Forks Road in the North Hills area of Raleigh, The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar offers salads and sandwiches, half-pound burgers, traditional sushi, and “burgushi” fusion rolls along with a build-your-own option. There is a sushi bar, a drinks menu with cocktails and spiked shakes, and an outdoor seating area. Slider specials rotate weekly.

This place is ridiculous, in the best sense of the word. A madcap fusion of East and West, kitschy youthful exuberance and serious eats, The Cowfish is an unforgettable experience if a sometimes overwhelming one.

First, a caveat: despite multiple seating areas and plenty of space, this place draws a crowd. Show up on a Saturday night, and you will face a long wait. When you check in and put your name on a waiting list, your party is assigned a cartoon fish with a terribly punny name that appears on a screen behind the hostess stand. You’ll get a text when your table is finally ready.

Given the volume, The Cowfish is as loud as you would expect it to be. At least the tables aren’t too close together, which is a welcome relief. Red walls adorned with colorful pop art and an aquarium in the center of the dining room give this place a distinctive aesthetic. Sedate it is not, but that isn’t what one should expect when dining here.

The Cowfish’s menu is impressively varied, almost intimidatingly so. Appetizers set the pace for the rest of the menu, offering Asian (edamame, togarishi shrimp), American (parmesan bacon truffle fries), and somewhere in between (crab Rangoon dip). The burgers include lamb (Mediterranean or Vindaloo) and bison as well as beef, and some of the topping combinations indulge in chorizo, pork belly, and even a full-pound Elvis-themed variant (peanut butter, fried bananas, and bacon). On the sushi side, there is a similar flair for the eclectic though classic sashimi, nigri, and rolls are also offered. Speaking of flair, the truly adventurous can go all-in for a burgushi such as a Ric Flair-inspired bison/fried green tomato/feta roll topped with jalapenos and chipotle aoli or a filet mignon/portobello/lobster roll.

The servers here are well-trained to navigate this river of insanity and will gladly run down the menu and offer recommendations. Service here isn’t what I would deem quick, but it is response enough given the volume, and it comes with an outgoing attitude that matches The Cowfish’s motif.

My first visit was in the company of my wife and two friends, and we went with the crab Rangoon dip as a starter. It was addictively cheesy with a nice parmesan crust, and the accompanying wonton crisps scooped it up without breaking. Wanting to try a little bit of everything, I followed up with a Fusion Specialty Bento Box: slider of the week, four pieces of a sushi roll, sweet potato fries, Thai cucumbers, and edamame. The slider was a tasty goat cheese/Thai sauce combo, cooked to order and well-seasoned. For the half-roll, I went with the Mark’s Roll: tuna, jalapeno, cream cheese, and scallion, coated in panko, and topped with Japanese mayo and siracha. It tasted fresh and had a good balance of hot, salty, and sweet. The sweet potato fries and sea salt edamame were both good but not outstanding. The Thai cucumbers proved to be the real star among the sides: refreshing with a nice bit of spice.

Given that everything else about The Cowfish seemed outsized in one way or another, it was no surprise that they do not skimp on portions here. Our one appetizer fed four without shortchanging anyone, and I could have easily gotten two full meals out of the bento box had I not devoured the cucumbers and sushi wholeheartedly on the first go-around. Pricing is consistent with the quantities and ingredients offered, which is to say not cheap but not exorbitant by any means. Our app was $11 and my bento box was $16.  Many of the burgers and rolls run in the mid-teens. Since we mentioned that we were visiting for my wife’s birthday, The Cowfish also comped us a slice of very nice – and very dense – chocolate cake.

If you are seeking a quiet meal or a quick one, cross The Cowfish off your list. Ditto if you are a traditionalist to the extent that fusion concepts leave a bad taste in your mouth. But if you are open to trying some unique combinations in a fun environment (and willing to wait to do so), The Cowfish is sure to make for a memorable meal.

8.25/10

NC Wine, Cheese, and Chocolate Festival

Located at the Lafayette Village shops, the second annual iteration of this event promised tastes of locally made wines, cheeses, and chocolates as well as live entertainment.

Though a fine idea on paper, this proved to be one of the worst run events I ever attended. Event organizers clearly oversold tickets, which resulted in problems from the start: namely, a lack of onsight parking. Thankfully, the weather of the event date (Saturday, October 14) wasn’t unpleasantly hot, so walking a quarter mile from parking to event wasn’t the ordeal that it could have been.

The next mistake was that the event site was not big enough to accommodate an event of this size and scope. Picture, if you will, a series of small, upscale shops surrounding a central courtyard. The admissions line snaked outside the shops and was routed into the shopping center’s business offices before spilling out into a chokepoint and then, finally, the courtyard. The courtyard itself contained a handful of vendor tents (two to three wineries, one chocolatier, one cheese person, one milkshake person), which resulted in massive, snaking, criss-crossed lines and many disgruntled attendees.

Lastly, the cost of admission ($26.50 per ticket at an early-bird rate) provided a poor value. Attendees received twelve sample tickets, which wouldn’t have been a problem had not the wineries offered such small pours.

Despite the chaos and disappointment, not everything at the Wine, Cheese, and Chocolate Festival was a bust. The chocolate-covered bacon was delicious as was the smoked gouda, Chatham Hill winery offered a nice peach wine, and a number of the vendors seemed quite genial.

All told, however, this “festival” had little to recommend it. It seemed less a chance to celebrate local food and drink and more a cash grab and cynical ploy to drive up business in Lafayette Village. A bonus penalty goes to the organizers initially scrubbing negative reviews from the event’s Facebook page (several are currently visible on the organization’s Facebook though).

3.75/10

Blade Runner 2049

Synthetic human “replicants” are designed for slave labor, but after repeated uprisings, their production is banned. By 2049, Niander Wallace (Jared Leto) has circumvented the ban by creating a new series of (supposedly) completely obedient replicants. One of them, “K” (Ryan Gosling), works as an LAPD “blade runner” tasked with hunting down and “retiring” older models. But when K discovers evidence that replicants are capable of reproducing, his loyalties are tested. His commanding officer (Robin Wright) wants the evidence destroyed to prevent a civil war, Wallace wants to harness the reproductive abilities for his own purposes, and K wants to find out the truth.

Though it’s hard to fathom given its outsized influence, the original Blade Runner was not a well-received film when released thirty five years ago. This can be chalked up to a combination of studio interference (including a terrible voiceover and altered ending) and being ahead of its time. In contrast, 2017’s much-anticipated sequel has received both more creative liberty (as the nearly three-hour run time attests) and more immediate praise despite being, in many ways, a lesser film.

It should be noted, however, that “lesser” does not equate to “bad,” especially when given such an iconic measuring stick. For instance, 2049 is one of the more visually impressive films of recent memory, surpassing even the original. It retains the dark, crowded, neon-infused cityscapes and adds to it an exploration of the ruined world around Los Angeles. San Diego is a ruinous garbage dump, Las Vegas is a golden irradiated desert, and elsewhere, snow falls like ashes. Hans Zimmer’s score evokes the futuristic tones Vangelis used in the original film but with the tension ratcheted up at key moments of discovery (Zimmer has proved to be a master of this).

Though original director Ridley Scott gave up his chair for a producer’s role, his replacement, Denis Villenueve (known for Prisoners and Sicario) has proven himself more than capable. 2049 is a tightly controlled film that doesn’t feel its length due to an absence of lags and clutter. Returning screenwriter Hampton Fancher penned a script that makes a few of its turns predictable while still allowing for some misdirection and suspense (The emergence of a certain group toward the end is a blatant sequel hook but ultimately a forgivable one).

On the other side of the camera, Gosling gives a credible performance as the competent yet conflicted K, Sylvia Hoeks radiates unstable menace as Wallace’s enforcer Luv, and despite having far less screentime this go-around, a returning Harrison Ford gives arguable a better performance as Deckard, the now ex-blade runner touched by loss. In smaller roles, Leto gives another singularly creepy performance as Wallace, a ghoulish blind visionary while Dave Bautista continues to expand his acting range as a haggard yet still formidable replicant ex-combat medic-turned-farmer. The only character to really strike a false note was Joi, K’s holographic A.I. girlfriend, but that had less to do with Ana de Armas’s wide-eyed benevolence than it did with the way the character was written. Though she frames it has her own evolution/actualization, Joi’s role throughout the film is to continue to support K in various capacities, a rather sexist take on becoming more real.

Despite the richness of the scenery and (most) performances, 2049 lacks the depth and complexity that it deserves. The original film trafficked in moral ambiguity: Deckard was not a noble or particularly competent hero, rogue replicant Roy Batty had a conscience and a reasonable goal (survival) despite his violent tendencies, and replicant creator Dr. Tyrell, for all of his amorality, was an avuncular presence. In contrast, K is both more effective and more heroic, Luv is loyal yet psychopathic, and Wallace is an overtly sinister and megalomaniac. Beyond lacking complex characterization, 2049 also feels thematically underdone. The original asked some very pointed questions about what it means to be human; here, we’re entreated to explorations of “real” vs. “created,” but perhaps because so many conversations have taken place in the past thirty five years, it doesn’t feel nearly as profound.

Blade Runner 2049 is an aesthetically dazzling film with strong performances to match the high production values. However, it frustratingly never digs as deeply as it needs to.

8.25/10

WP Kitchen + Bar

Located at 607 Green Valley Road at the Friendly Center in Greensboro, WP Kitchen + Bar specializes in upscale pizzas, pastas, and cocktails. There is a full bar, and patio seating is available.

I gave this establishment a try a few years ago when it was Wolfgang Puck Pizza Bar and walked away unimpressed. In the hopes that more had changed here than just the name, I decided to give WP another chance. For the most part, I’m glad that I did so.

As with before, this restaurant makes the most of its somewhat limited space. Low lighting and classy wall art make for an inviting atmosphere, and there is more seating than one might think. The acoustics are such that it can get a bit loud in here at capacity but not uncomfortably so.

Excluding specials, WP’s menu leans toward the traditional, combining familiar Italian fare with Southern staples. Spaghetti with marinara, pizza margherita, and shrimp and grits are among the classics represented here. While there is nothing wrong with keeping things simple per say, the specials, thankfully, seemed to offer a bit more variety (such as a stuffed trout or the previous concept’s duck sausage pizza). My wife and I tried a mix of old and new, opting for an app on special (toasted feta with speck and fruit compote), a pepperoni pizza, and an orecchiette dish.

All of our dishes were executed fairly well and provided good depth-of-flavor. Toasted feta is no warmed brie, but it’s quite enjoyable in its own right, and the accompanying prosciutto (salty) and berry compote (sweet) balanced each other nicely. The small ear-shaped pasta came with broccolini and tomato for a burst of freshness, and the savory, brothy sauce was the perfect accompaniment. WP sourced the pepperoni for its pizza from Giacomo’s, which went a long way toward elevating such a simple dish. The sausage (standard in the pasta, an add-on for the pizza) was full of fennel flavor.

Though the food did not disappoint this time around, pricing and portion size remain points of contention. Our app ran north of $10, the pasta was $15, and the personal-sized pepperoni pizza was $13 before any add-ons. While WP does use quality ingredients, this price point is unfortunately coupled with small portions, rendering it a poor value.

To the establishment’s credit, service was on-point. Our server was knowledgeable and attentive, and the kitchen had certainly picked up its pace since my last visit. Even still, one should count on a leisurely meal here, especially if dining during peak hours.

All told, WP Kitchen + Bar does a number of things well, but it doesn’t do anything well enough to avoid seeming overpriced.

7.75/10