Loyola Greyhound

Issue date: 11/11/08 Section: Arts & Society

Media Credit: Photo Courtesy of Flickr.com One of the many delictable dishes from RA Sushi restaurant is pictured above.

I strongly encourage both sushi lovers and those who have never tried sushi to check out RA Sushi! It's a new restaurant for the 30-and-under crowd! They have excellent prices, with rolls ranging from $8-$12, and during Happy Hour (3-7 p.m. Monday through Saturday) you get HALF OFF on appetizers and rolls. Happy Hour also has hot sake and fabulous drinks for those over 21 including Cosmopolitans, Apple Martinis and, most intriguing, the Blushing Geisha!

For those who have never tried sushi, like my friend Lindsay, there are a lot of other things to order. We tried the Blue Claw crab cakes, which were delightful; and they also have tofu, sesame chicken wings, the works! In addition, they have chopsticks with clamps on them for anyone who has trouble using regular chopsticks. For sushi connoisseurs who are looking for some fun new things to try, Rebecca Sciliano says that RA Sushi "has a nice play on some classic rolls. They look complicated on the plate, but they taste very simple and cohesive."

It's true that there are a wide variety of choices in every category. For those who have a hard time choosing from such an extensive selection, the waiters and waitresses are very willing to discuss ingredients and to make recommendations. For Lindsay, we were thinking of getting the traditional California Roll, but our waitress, Colleen, encouraged us to be more adventurous. Instead, we ordered the Viva Las Vegas Roll, basically a California Roll covered in bits of fried tempura and dribbled with a rich eel sauce. The tempura gives the roll a delicious crunchiness. I would recommend it along with the Tootsi Maki, a nice play on a spicy crunchy tuna roll, and the Crunchy Calamari Roll. A lot of care is put into presentation, and the portions are more than enough; we were full before Colleen brought our desert: four slices of heavenly cinnamon tempura ice-cream cake that had us fighting for the last piece! In all, the meal cost $32 without tip, the best deal I've ever seen for a sushi restaurant, especially with all of the food we ordered!

We were also very impressed with the ambiance of the establishment. The tone is, "relaxed chic" with a red/black color scheme with white accents. The mood is set by different-sized glass balls with neon red light bulbs that hang from the ceiling and contrast with the black-and-white paintings on the wall. The clientele of the restaurant range from college students to people in their low 30s, and the dress style ranges from nice-casual to fancier. The music is very varied, with something for everyone whether they love soft rap, upbeat rock, top 40 etc. As we waited for our food, we danced to Lincoln Park's "What I've Done," Timbaland's "The Way I Are" and Tub Thumping's "Chumba Wumba."

As we were leaving Rebecca said, "I would come back here in a heartbeat!" and when I asked Lindsay how her first experience with sushi was, she joked, "It was a party in my mouth! Seriously, it was really good. It didn't even taste like raw fish! Everyone should try it." I would absolutely encourage everyone who likes sushi to try RA Sushi in Fells Point because it is affordable, and the food and décor are fantastic for a 30-and-under crowd.

RA Sushi is located at 1390 Lancaster St. in Fells Point. Transportation is $5-per-person if you take Enviroride from the Loyola Campus.

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