The Cowfish

The concept of this place is pretty brilliant! Burger bar, sushi bar, full bar? Don't mind if I do. You can take all of your friends to this place, even the ones that say, "I don't like sushi. I'm not eating raw fish," yet they've never tried a California roll. Someone mentioned on Yelp that the menu is pretty big. I agree its kind of outrageously large and that usually means lesser quality and a slower kitchen. I appreciate a restaurant that does a small menu phenomenally.

It took about 15 minutes (3 stops by the waitress) and finally her recommendation before I placed my order. I ordered the original cowfish bento box with a Philly roll, slider, sweet potato fries, edamame, and cucumber salad. The sweet potato fries were delicious and the cucumber salad is literally (the original definition, not the new ridiculous one) the best I've had at any sushi bar. Everything else was pretty basic and the service was pretty slow. They messed up my sister's order. My friend and I were nearly done eating by the time she got her meal. The manager brought it out and comp'ed it.

We ordered dessert too! A tower of lemon pound cake, ice cream, whipped cream, and berries. It was amazing. The three of us couldn't finish it! After dessert we waited for our check. We were chatting, but after 30 minutes or more we had to ASK for our check. The atmosphere was nice and maybe I'll try going at a less busy time before I make a final ruling on the service. I'll be back.

Cheap Eats: Sushi

Rusan's is one of my favorite places to go for cheap japanese. The summer/fall of 2008 I think I went every friday. Other than the original location on Piedmont Road in Midtown, the Edgewood location in Reyneldstown is my favorite! I love sitting at the bar chatting with the cooks in Spanish. The quality for the price is pretty damn good. If you're looking to try sushi you've never had the heart to order, hit up the lunch buffet. Get the calamari, unagi, tuna and salmon nigiri, and you can't go wrong with any tempura or fried rice. There's no labels so if you've got allergies be careful and ask questions, if not just get whatever looks good. With the large menu there's something for everyone!

Twist

Twist is one of nine restaurants in the Here to Serve network of establishments. Its trendy, young, stylish, and hip atmosphere lends itself to different crowds and portrays everything that I love about Atlanta. While there is plenty to choose from on the regular menu, I can't remember the last time I ordered from it because they have a great all-you-can-eat tapas menu on Sundays from 4 to close. The menu changes every week and includes fresh salads, fruit or vegetables, sushi and more. My last night in Atlanta I met some friends to share conversation and good food. The menu consisted of a fresh green salad with tomatoes and chickpeas, a pineapple salad with coconut and rum, caramelized onion and chorizo ragu, chicken enchilada balls with tomatillo sauce, and an assortment of sushi. Everyone's favorite was the enchilada which was really unique and cooked similar to falafel. The food is served family style and the plates keep coming until you say when. Its always a good time at Twist!

Dinner in the Park

All of my friends know how much I love Park Tavern at Piedmont Park. Birthdays, anniversaries, farewells, random Tuesday nights have been spent at this wonderful little place. The menu is always fresh and flavorful.

You can feel comfortable picking anything from their small yet diverse menu. From southwest egg rolls to mahi mahi you will not be disappointed and the prices are unbeatable for the quality.  Plus they have half price sushi everyday from 10pm to close, half price bottles of wine on Wednesday, and $1 drafts on rainy days!!!!

The bison burgers are made with fresh ground meat, seasoned, grilled to perfection, and topped with local and sustainable veggies.  while the sushi rolls are unique and fresh rolled. My favorite is the Dragon Roll, rolled with shrimp tempura, red pepper, cream cheese and green onions topped with grilled eel and crab. I get it almost every time I go to Park tavern or recommend it to anyone who goes.

I've tried almost everything on the menu, but since the last time I went they added a few new items so I chose the Big Bang Shrimp Tacos. One of my culinary pet peeves is tacos made with flour tortillas but I indulged anyway. The tortillas were stuffed with crispy fried shrimp and served with fresh pico de gallo and a chipotle cream sauce. Expectantly delicious, my only complaint is that there were only 2 and not the typical trio of tacos. 

Another must order is the sangria. Skip the glass and get the carafe! I do and I promise you won't regret it. Just be careful standing up after! What are you waiting for? Go!