The Cowfish Opening at Universal Studios' CityWalk

The Cowfish, Charlotte's one-of-a-kind "sushi burger bar," has been one of the city's most popular restaurants since opening three years ago in SouthPark. Well, technically it's not one of a kind anymore after it expanded to Raleigh in April--garnering more than a hundred rave reviews on Yelp since then (see photos of the Raleigh location). And now the owners are taking their talents--and signature burgushi--to Orlando. Universal Studios announced yesterday that The Cowfish will open at Universal CityWalk in 2014.

Rendering of the Universal CityWalk planned expansion. Credit: facebook.com/UniversalOrlandoResort

CityWalk is embarking on a major expansion that will include the destination's largest hotel, Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort, and the attraction The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley. It will also bring eight new dining venues, which is where The Cowfish comes in, and also including Hot Dog Hall of Fame, Antojitos Authentic Mexican Food, and Bread Box, among others. The expansion "comes after a nationwide search for culinary concepts," according to the press release.

Speculation about The Cowfish expanding to Universal CityWalk began last month after a "rumor round-up" article by OrlandoInformer.com, which has now proved to be true. I learned of it back then when Wilson of WCCB Charlotte shared the article on Twitter.

Menu items like these are why there's often a line of people waiting to be seated at The Cowfish in SouthPark. Credit: facebook.com/TheCowfish

Below is video of an interview BehindTheThrills.com did with two of The Cowfish's co-owners about the planned Orlando location, and they give insight into what makes the restaurant so unique.

It's always great to see Charlotte-based companies take their brands and concepts across the country. A few months ago, I wrote on my Dusk Till Dawn nightlife blog about bars and nightclubs that started in Charlotte and have since expanded to other places: "Experience Charlotte Nightlife … In Other Cities."

Keep up with The Cowfish at thecowfish.com, as well at their newly created Twitter account for the Orlando location: @CowfishOrlando.

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No, GPS. There's a Sinkhole Ahead

Remember back when you would drive to a place that you'd never gone to before, that if you didn't know exactly how to get there you would ask for directions before you left home, and the person giving you the directions would basically guide you there by listing a series of landmarks? (Once you get on such and such street, come down about five lights and turn left by that McDonald's.) Then remember when MapQuest came along on the Internet and you would enter the address of wherever you were going, print out the directions, and take them with you? And remember when GPS devices started to become really affordable, so you bought one, placed it on your car's dashboard or windshield, and would get real-time, turn-by-turn directions to your desired destination? And finally, mobile phones started coming equipped with GPS built in, so now you could just hop in the car, type in or speak the address to where you're going, and get turn-by-turn directions. I've gotten so used to my phone instructing me on where to go. Haven't you?

Well, today I was on my way to a meeting in Concord when I encountered a large "ROAD CLOSED" sign on Harris Road, which is the name the road changes to after being Eastfield Road, near the Charlotte-Concord line. According to my GPS, I was only about five minutes from my destination, but thanks to the road being closed, I couldn't continue on the suggested route. And no matter how many nearby streets I tried turning on so that my GPS could recalculate, in hopes of it leading me in another direction, it kept pointing me back to Harris Road.

I wanted to scream: "I can't go that way because there's a sinkhole!"

I'd seen and read about numerous sinkholes popping up throughout the Charlotte area over the last several weeks, largely caused by all of this rain we've been getting. Today was my first time encountering one in person. It was relatively small compared to some of the sinkholes I've seen on the local news (and pales in comparison to sinkholes seen around the world), but it was big enough to stretch across--and force the closing of--the two-lane road.

In order to get to my meeting today, one of the guys I was going to meet with ended up having to give me old-fashioned directions over the phone, by listing a series of landmarks.

I look forward to the day when my phone's GPS has an "avoid sinkhole" button. #1stWorldProblems.

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'Man v. Food Nation' Takes on Charlotte

Last night's episode of Man v. Food Nation on Travel Channel showcased Charlotte eateries that you've either made a beeline to often or at least have heard people rave over. Host Adam Richman and crew visited Charlotte a few months ago to try out popular or extreme menu items at The Penguin Drive-In (Plaza Midwood), Price's Chicken Coop (South End), and Jackalope Jacks (Elizabeth). The Penguin's Double Pounder (pictured below), with four half-pound patties (two pounds of beef), pimento cheese, and fried pickles, is the star of the show (and a cardiac event waiting to happen).

Source: travelchannel.com.

I can personally attest to the mouthwatering goodness served at The Penguin and Price's, but I've never eaten at Jackalope. If you missed the show last night, it re-airs this Saturday at 12 p.m. You can also watch a few video clips from the episode by clicking here.

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North Carolina Is a Gas-Guzzling State

In North Carolina, as if we don't pay some of the highest gas taxes in the nation, which is why gas here is consistently about 20 cents higher than a few miles south of the state line, we're also some gas-guzzling people. In a recent study by Forbes, they ranked "America's Most And Least Gas-Guzzling Cities." Some of the cities ranked are listed as metropolitan areas, and topping the list as burning up the most gas is Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill. Coming in second place: Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill. And not to be left out, in sixth place is Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point. So North Carolina cities take three of the top six slots.

Time to start carpooling again.

"The cities and suburbs of 'The Triangle' are close enough that people don’t think twice about driving from one to the other. Yet in doing so, the average household racks up 21,800 miles per year. Assuming an average 20.3 miles per gallon, that means burning through 1,074 gallons per year, about $4,200 at current prices," Forbes writer Christopher Helman says.

"North Carolina does not fare well in the rankings. Close on the Triangle’s (Tar)heels comes the Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill region, with an average household gasoline demand of 1,061 gallons. In sixth place, the average household in North Carolina’s Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point metroplex spends $4,000 for 1,017 gallons per year," Helman continues.

If our state government and department of transportation ever needed any more reasons to complete Interstate 485 in Charlotte and to build the proposed high-speed rail between Charlotte and Raleigh, they have it.

Rounding out the top-five Most Gas-Guzzling Cities is Atlanta in third place, Nashville in fourth, and Monmouth-Ocean Counties, N.J. is fifth. Meanwhile, the least gas-guzzling city, unsurprisingly, is New York, where many households don't even own cars. Click here to see the full list.

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Guess Who I Saw at the Airport?

I was at JFK yesterday getting ready to fly back to CLT when I ran into Tiger Woods. I managed to take a photo with the elusive Tiger.

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Cason the Joint on 'Holidate'

Charlotte media darling Brittney Cason will appear on the SOAPnet series Holidate, which is a TV show that sends women to another city in search of romance. Cason is a columnist for Creative Loafing and co-hosts the racing show Three Wide Life, in addition to hosting events around the city (she's also a former Carolina Panthers cheerleader). She was sent to Chicago to go on dates, while a Chicago woman named Patrycja (interesting spelling, I know) was sent here.


The one-hour episode of Holidate, aptly titled "Chicago & Charlotte," airs tomorrow night (August 26) on SOAPnet, which is Time Warner Cable Charlotte channel 189 and DirecTV channel 262. Below is a video tease of the episode.

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Kate Plus 8, Plus Beach, Plus Beef

North Carolina's beaches are heating up. And I'm not just talking about this heat wave we're experiencing. Kate Gosselin, of Jon & Kate Plus 8 fame, and her kids have been spending the last couple of days at Bald Head Island. Photos of Gosselin in a bikini have been burning up the 'net. And I'll say one thing, she doesn't look like the mother of eight.

Kate Gosselin and the sextuplets on a North Carolina beach.

I usually don't engage much in tabloid gossip, and I think reality shows are ruining TV. But I have found the new "Octowar" that surfaced today amusing. Nadya Suleman, aka Octomom, called out Gosselin in an interview released online today. Suleman is getting gully with it, on the level that we're used to seeing hip-hop beef. If you think about it, they're both Octomoms--mothers of eight kids through multiples--Gosselin has sextuplets and twins while Suleman has octuplets (but 14 kids in all). Suleman is basically telling Gosselin to quit jocking her steez, because apparently she doesn't like all of the attention Gosselin is getting lately. But hey, Suleman is getting a reality show too so I guess it's room for more than one dysfunctional large family to be in the spotlight.

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'Charlotte's Got a Lot' Lists Fun Things to Do

Last year, Visit Charlotte, the sales and marketing component of the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, kicked off a brilliant marketing campaign called "Charlotte's Got a Lot." You've probably seen the advertisements and billboards around town. And to exemplify all there is to experience here, the group has selected "25 Fun Things to Do in Charlotte," just in time for you to get out and enjoy them during this warm weather. Below are the top ten.


1. Home to Michael Waltrip and David Reutimann, Raceworld USA provides unlimited behind the scenes access to race fans. Feel the rush and join in the timed pit crew challenges or sit in a driver’s seat and watch cars come to life on the fabrication floor. www.raceworldusa.net

2. Experience the best of Broadway musicals with the NC Blumenthal Performing Arts Center’s Broadway Lights Series. www.blumenthalcenter.org

3. Check out the nation’s most comprehensive collection of contemporary studio craft with furniture, jewelry, woodworking, glass, and more at the Mint Museum of Craft + Design, located in Center City. www.mintmuseum.org

4. The Mint Museum of Art is a rich and diverse resource with noted collections of American and pre-Columbian art, American and European masterpieces, and contemporary works. www.mintmuseum.org

5. Join the half-million people from all over the U.S. who visit Discovery Place each year, one of the top hands-on science centers in the nation and home to The Charlotte Observer IMAX Dome Theatre. www.discoveryplace.org

6. Catch the excitement as motorsports history is written at over 180 mph each year as Lowe’s Motor Speedway hosts the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Coca-Cola 600 and the Bank of America 500. www.lowesmotorspeedway.com

7. The Quail Hollow Championship, hosted at Charlotte’s Quail Hollow Club each May, is recognized by the national and international golf community as one of the top events on the PGA Tour. www.quailhollowchampionship.com

8. Carowinds offers groups more than 108 action-packed acres featuring over 60 world-class rides, shows, adrenaline-pumping roller coasters, a Boomerang Bay water park, and Nickelodeon Central kids zone. www.carowinds.com

9. Experience the world's most unique outdoor recreation center with class III-IV manmade whitewater rapids at the U.S. National Whitewater Center. www.usnwc.org

10. Visit Levine Museum of the New South, an interactive history museum, and experience the most comprehensive interpretation of post-Civil War Southern society. www.museumofthenewsouth.org

Visit Charlottesgotalot.com for the complete list of Charlotte activities as well as other details about attractions, nightlife, shopping, and dining in the Queen City.

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Forbes Calls Charlotte Airport a 'Rip-Off'

Forbes.com has published its list of "America's Rip-Off Airports" in which it ranks the most expensive airports based on what travelers pay per mile when flying. Charlotte Douglas International Airport's average fare per mile is 37 cents, ranking it seventh on the list. Cincinnati's airport tops the list at 48 cents per mile. To give you some perspective, a few of the country's cheapest airports average flights that charge 14 to 16 cents per mile, though they are definitely in the minority. Charlotte is noted as the largest in the top ten.

Says Forbes: "The two most expensive large airports on the list, Cincinnati and Charlotte, are both big hubs in medium-sized cities, which means that their hub carriers end up with massive market shares and a prodigious pricing power."

If you've flown out of CLT, this ranking likely comes as no surprise. I've flown out of Charlotte a few times and picked up/dropped off friends on numerous occasions, and the reality is that you pay what you end up paying because you don't have a whole lot of choices. The Greensboro airport is known to be cheaper, but is it worth driving an hour and a half for those savings?

All things considered, I think CLT is a pretty good airport--easy parking, easy to get through checkpoints, clean concourses. I spent an entire day last fall roaming around there reporting for a feature in Charlotte magazine. Click here to read "Insider's Guide to CLT."

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