Audio By Carbonatix
Rockfish
5331 East Mockingbird Lane, #160
214-823-8444
Dude Factor: 9, or “Tin Cup“, on a scale of 1 (Message in a Bottle) to 10 (Bull Durham).
Sure, I love me some mom and pop independent joints,
especially if they serve up some grub quality grub. But sometimes a dude just wants a little chain seafood.
Usually such cravings lead me to Rockfish, the moderately
priced seafood joint tucked into Mockingbird Station (unless it’s my birthday or
something, in which case I’ll drop a little extra dough for someplace
fancy…like Pappadeaux.) In fact, it must be in my blood; I’m pretty sure
I’ve spent 90 percent of family holidays eating at Rockfish since it opened a few
years back (and at least eight of the remaining ten percent at Pappadeaux.)
I can’t say I’ve been to any other Rockfish locations, but I
imagine they all look pretty much the same, with an abundance of comforting,
dude-friendly fishing décor including-but-not-limited-to bathrooms labeled “Inboards”
and “Outboards” and the words “Oysters:
Nature’s Viagra” painted on the wall.
The 18 oz, ice cold schooners of domestic
beer don’t hurt, either.
On a recent trip I opted to start with the jalapeno corn
fritters, basically the Rockfish version of hush puppies served with a side of Cajun-style
remoulade sauce. The seafood dishes are actually quite acceptable for a chain joint
a few hours from the coast, but it wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration to say
these little bastards are the best things on the menu. They also offer the
requisite fried calamari and “The Bomb”–a jalapeno stuffed with whole shrimp,
cheese and bacon. I absolutely refuse, however, to try anything called “Very Gouda
Spinach Dip” no matter how good my mother thinks it is. After all, this is coming
from the same woman who went to see Four
Christmases last December because Marley & Me was sold out.
The entrees are separated into five roughly-defined
categories on the menu–“Field”, “Stream”, “Fry Me”, “Sandwiches” and “BTC,” which
is shorthand for, uh, something that means you pick the fish and the cooking
style. (Build The Catch? Blackened, Tossed, Chargrilled? I have no idea.) “The
Full Moon” platter is a guys choice, piled with fried shrimp, scallops
and catfish. There’s
also something called the “Burger Club” on the lunch menu–an “Angus burger
piled high with smoked deli-sliced ham, bacon, jack and cheddar cheeses”–but
we haven’t tried it yet, mostly because ordering a burger at a seafood joint
pretty much automatically makes you an asshole, no matter how manly said burger
is.
My favorite thing about Rockfish, however, is the two dudes
I’ve seen working there for at least the last five years. Other wait staff come and go,
but these guys are the “rock” of Rockfish (Ba-dum-bah!). One of them talks like
a surfer (I’m pretty sure his name is
generally refer to him as “Tin Cup”) and likes to pull that whole “I’m your
buddy so I’m gonna sit in the booth with ya while I take your order” thing. But
somehow he pulls it off.
That’s pretty much all I know, but if I
ever write a buddy movie script based in a seafood joint, these dudes are
definitely getting some royalties. If you pop in, bro down in their section and
tell them Dude Food sent ya. You won’t regret it.
