One Fish, Two Fish: A Poke Joint

Located at 370 East Main Street in Carrboro, One Fish, Two Fish offers poke bowls and other Hawaiian cuisine for lunch and dinner daily. Limited outdoor seating is available.

One Fish, Two Fish is the latest from Goose Hospitality, the group responsible for nearby The Shoppe Meatball Bar and Esperanza (formerly Calavera) Empanadas and Tequila. Though a bit more limited in some ways, One Fish, Two Fish is nevertheless another feather (pun semi-intended) in Goose’s cap.

Poke – seasoned raw fish cubes – is the star attraction here, and it is given the Chipotle treatment. You can choose from greens, noodles, and several kinds of rice as a base, from tuna, salmon, shrimp, chicken, pork, or eggplant as a scoop, and then add one of ten different sauces as well as toppings (too many to list) to your heart’s content. Of course, if this proves too daunting, you can also opt for a pre-set option (such as the Island Classic, the Spicy Tuna, or the Vegetarian Bowl) instead. Wonton chips, tuna nachos and tacos, Hawaiian shaved ices, tropical teas and sodas, and kombuchas round out the offerings. For those not into raw fish, there are still quite a few options.

During my first visit, I went with the Muliwai Bowl ($10.95): salmon, yuzu kosho sauce (apple-cilantro-mint), wasabi peas, cucumber, edamame, avocado, radish, onion, and masago on jasmine rice. They were out of salmon at the time (boo), so tuna served as its replacement. The fish was fresh (thankfully), the bowl was colorful, the accompanying wonton chips added a welcome crunch, and the flavors balanced nicely, delivering hints of spicy, salty, tangy, and sweet. That said, those flavors were definitely more subdued than anticipated. The bowl was hardly tasteless but it was not as bold as it should have been.

Fresh ingredients and a multitude of possibilities make One Fish, Two Fish well worth a repeat visit. It may take some trial-and-error to find the perfect combination of sauces and toppings, but this place’s potential merits continued experimentation.

8/10

Calavera Empanada & Tequila Bar

Located at 370 East Main Street in Carrboro, Calavera Empanada and Tequila Bar features empanadas, nachos, tequilas, and cocktails. The restaurant is open from 11:30 a.m. (noon on weekends) until 2 a.m. seven days a week. Limited outdoor seating is available as are vegetarian options.

My wife and I have enjoyed our visits to Calavera’s sister restaurant, the neighboring meatball Shoppe, so we were looking forward to seeing what the other side of the door had to offer. In terms of variety, décor, and service, Calavera did not disappoint, but unfortunately, the food could not keep pace.

Aesthetically, Calavera makes quite an impression. The light-laden red walls, stars hanging from the ceiling, and tropical-printed tabletops add vibrancy without gaudiness. This visual appeal is matched by an enticing menu. While there are a few apps (street corn and two kinds of guacamole) and nachos, empanadas are the star. The fillings range from traditional to vegetarian to Southern-style, and at $3.50 a piece, the pricing is certainly reasonable (at least as far as the empanadas go – the same cannot be said for ambitiously priced $9 margaritas).

The execution, however, proved to be uneven. The four empanadas that my wife and I shared arrived golden brown and accompanied by red and green salsas. So far, so good. The style of empanada here is thick and a bit doughy, good for keeping everything together but a shock if you are expecting a lighter, flakier offering. The fillings varied considerably. The pineapple in the Al Pastor (marinated pork) delivered a welcome citrus note, and the braised mushroom blend (Portobello, shitake, and cremini) in The Champ was wonderfully earthy. On the other hand, the Picadillo (ground beef, potato, onion, and tomato) proved to be rather salty.

The bartender on duty for our visit proved to be an excellent server, keeping watch over tables inside and out and answering questions with ease. He even talked us into a dessert empanada, the King of Kong (a banana and Nutella filled empanada with sweet cream), which proved to be delectably sweet.

All told, Calavera is a fun spot that is well worth trying for a light bite or a drink, but the food could benefit from more consistency.

7.75/10

Spotted Dog

Located at 111 East Main Street in downtown Carrboro, Spotted Dog serves appetizers, salads, sandwiches, burgers, and a few entrees for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. The establishment has full ABC permits and outdoor seating. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options are available, and there is a late night menu on Fridays and Saturdays.

Spotted Dog is a place that wouldn’t really make sense outside of Carrboro (or, perhaps, Asheville). The name evokes a well-worn neighborhood bar, and while this is a bar with the requisite wood and brick, it’s well-maintained and adorned with local art. No, the dog theme is literal: nearly everything on the menu has a canine connotation. In addition, there is a strong vegan-friendly bent. Add to that the building’s triangular shape, and if nothing else, the Spotted Dog stands out.

But there is more than just novel design/branding here: the menu selection gives some separation from the pack as well. You can find everything from seafood (crab cakes, fish and chips) to Mexican and Asian-influenced specials to classic sandwiches in both meat and meatless iterations. For our first visit, my wife and I went with the radical rooben (tempeh, avocado, and the usual Reuben accoutrements), the Carolina crab cake sandwich, and an order of puppy ciao (a Mediterranean artichoke/olive/spinach/cheese dip). The dip was tasty, and several layers of flavor came though at once. My crab cake sandwich didn’t skimp on the crab, and the hint of bourbon made for an interesting twist. While my wife enjoyed the rooben (it wasn’t a greasy mess, as Reubens sometimes are), I found the tempeh a poor facsimile for corned beef. All told, the food was considerably better than average bar fare.

Unfortunately, while the staff were friendly, service at Spotted Dog was quite slow. Fellow patrons were few and far between when we visited on a Saturday afternoon, yet we wouldn’t have guessed from the wait times. Pricing here is a bit mystifying as well. A crab cake sandwich and a side for $9.50 was certainly affordable, as were several other menu options. But the vegan rendition of the crab cake is actually more expensive than the real deal, and some of the lunch features ($13.50 for vegan pozole verde, $13.95 for fish tacos) are definitely a stretch.

Spotted Dog is intriguingly funky, and chances are, you will find something worth trying here. Whether you are willing to wait for it, on the other hand, is another story.

7.75/10

The Shoppe Bar and Meatball Kitchen

Located at 370 East Main Street in Carrboro, The Shoppe specializes in meatball plates and sandwiches. There is a full bar, and food and drink specials change regularly.

As a concept, a meatball bar straddles the line between the ridiculous and the sublime. In practice, The Shoppe leans far more toward the latter than the former. Whether you are craving a classic spaghetti and meatballs with tomato sauce or want vegetarian balls with greens or a salad, this establishment has you covered.

To start, The Shoppe features some genuinely comforting ambience. Candlelit tables, unobtrusive background music, and classy décor make this an easy place to settle into.

Service is another major plus. Our server, Jarely, did a great job of breaking down the menu, offering recommendations, keeping drinks filled, and generally making sure that we had an enjoyable meal.

As befits the branding, meatballs are the name of the game here, but rather than cobble together preconfigured dishes with questionable names, patrons are given the freedom to make their own combinations. Choose your ball (beef, chicken, pork, veggie, or the daily special), your sauce (tomato, parmesan cream, pesto, meat, mushroom gravy, or the daily special), and your side (risotto, polenta, potatoes, ziti, or the aforementioned spaghetti or collard greens). For our first visit, my wife opted for beef meatballs and mushroom sauce while I tried the spicy pork meatballs with parmesan cream sauce. We each started with a market salad (mixed greens, avocado, and goat cheese) and shared a family-sized portion of risotto.

The food was nothing short of excellent. The salads were refreshing and featured goat cheese creamy enough to win over my goat-skeptical spouse. The meatballs came four to an order and were generously sized with almost no filler. The spicy pork meatballs played well with the richness of the parmesan cream sauce while the beef meatballs soaked up the bold mushroom flavor of the velvety sauce. The highlight, however, may have been the risotto, a daily special accented with hints of peach. Creamy and appropriately textured, it complemented the meatballs perfectly. At $8 for an order of meatballs, a piece of focaccia, and a side, you’ll easily get your money’s worth.

If there is one area where The Shoppe could use some improvement, it is in the availability of nonalcoholic drinks. Granted, this is a bar, but the absence of iced tea and coffee was sorely felt.

“Meatball bar” may still invite some snickering, but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Great food and service coupled with a cozy environment and fair prices make The Shoppe a must for those in the Carrboro area.

8.5/10