Fishing around for new eats: Rockfish Seafood Grill
This blog really could not have started at a more convenient time. It’s restaurant week in the Triangle Area, so I find myself with the opportunity to go out to eat at nice restaurants without the constraints of not being able to afford anything but an appetizer as a result of my college student sized budget. I had spent the majority of last week clicking around the TRW website trying to whittle down my choices to the perfect restaurant (or two…or three), but little did I know that early in the week, a restaurant week gem would actually find me.
Have you ever heard the adage “An apple a day keeps the doctor away?” Now, I’m not a huge fan of fruit (so if you’re hoping to learn about some fruity desserts on this blog, you’d have better luck looking elsewhere), but I could see how a modern day adaptation of the famous saying definitely has its place in today’s world. Maybe we should replace it with something to the effect of “Taking good care of your apple products (and praying the technology gods choose not to inflict their wrath upon you for no particular reason) keeps the genius bar appointment away.” Okay, maybe it’s not quite as catchy, but I’ll work on it. The point is that my roommate’s computer froze on her. Not only did it freeze, but when Lindsay tried to turn her computer back on it gave her a fun “no symbol,” implying it completely forgot there was a hard drive on it at all. Oops? This Mac-attack led us to Southpoint mall, where Mikey, a “genius,” helped us by generously replacing Lindsay’s hard drive and battery. (Wouldn’t it be cool to have the job title of genius: “What do you do?” “Oh, me? It’s not a big deal, really. I’m just a genius…”) Lindsay has a morning class, I have an afternoon class, and we both have a night class so we found ourselves feeling a little rebellious by being at the mall in the middle of a school day, or I suppose to be more precise, right at lunch time.
As luck would have it, Southpoint mall is home to Rockfish Seafood Grill, and Rockfish is participating in restaurant week. For a mere $15, one could indulge in an appetizer, main dish, and dessert! How could we possibly resist?
Although there were two appetizer, two main dish, and two dessert choices (so 8 different possible meals combinations for you probability lovers out there), Lindsay and I chose the same exact meal. Our experience (for three courses is much more than just a “lunch”) began with the Mexican Shrimp Martini – a martini glass filled with shrimp, salsa, pico de gallo, and avocado, surrounded by a ring of tortilla chips. I know you’re probably salivating already, and you and your taste buds will be happy to hear it’s just as good as it sounds (and looks!) It’s a Rockfish favorite (as indicated by the little fish image on the menu), and definitely a solid choice. At first I wasn’t quite sure whether it would be weird to eat shrimp off of a tortilla chip, but even though it seems a little wrong, it tastes so right.
Did you just grab your keys so you could go buy this?
Needless to say, our plates were clean in a matter of minutes. As to our main dish, I had never had a fish taco before, so I decided that now is the time, while I’m still young and naïve. Our other choice was a seafood enchilada, which sounded delicious, but it had mushrooms on it. (Similarly to the reason behind many of my aforementioned fruit issues, mushrooms kind of freak me out because they have a weird texture even though they don’t particularly taste like anything.) The fish tacos were a great choice; Rockfish thinks so as well, as they’re another house favorite. The flour tortillas are stuffed with crispy, fried Alaskan Pollock (apparently this is a type of fish), pico de gallo, cabbage, and cheese, alongside a dish of ancho chile sauce.
Lindsay getting ready to enjoy some fish tacos!
As we were eating them however, we realized that we might not have room for dessert. What a travesty that would be, as dessert is often my favorite part of a meal. We decided to be strategic about it and only eat half of our main courses in order to leave enough stomach space to enjoy dessert. When we asked for to-go boxes, our waiter asked if we wanted our desserts wrapped up as well. When we explained how clever we were, rather than being in awe of us (I thought maybe he’d ask us if we were “geniuses”), he just laughed. He did bring us our boxes though and then it was on to round three.
I was a little overexcited and forgot to take a picture before trying this!
I’ve definitely had bread pudding once before, but I couldn’t tell you where or when. Rockfish did not disappoint – it was delicious, and the bourbon sauce it was in added something special to it. It balanced out the sweetness of the bread nicely, but it you got a spoonful of just sauce (as I eagerly did at first), it was a little too strong to enjoy. It was the perfect way to end a nice meal. My roommate and I got to enjoy each other’s company and the beautiful weather, and I even made it to class on time!
And now, for the ultimate question: will I go back? Rockfish’s prices are overall pretty reasonable, so I would definitely recommend it to someone looking for a bite to eat to break up a day of shopping. (That being said, the next time I go to Southpoint, I’m probably going to try Firebirds, as I’ve heard a rumor that it’s one of our basketball player’s favorite restaurants, and I’m all about being the ultimate fan.)
