When you walk into Ra Sushi you are greeted by a very modern and sleek atmosphere dawned in a dark and dramatic lighting with red and glowing sphere lights and thumping music (some say the music is too loud but I felt it fit the atmosphere they had set and you could still hear each other talk). The space is divided into several dining areas, with your traditional sushi bar and a cocktail bar and lounge area. With it being Halloween Night the staff was dressed for the occasion and had decorated beyond the regular décor with fancy hand carved pumpkins.

We started off with the Edamame- steamed soybeans ($3.25) as we peer over the menu and all the unique sushi they had to offer. The Edamame was lightly salted and steamed perfectly to our liking. To start with we picked the Pork Gyoza- sautéed Asian pots tickers served with a garlic ponzu sauce ($5.75). These pot stickers were crispy- I have had them pan fried before but they never turned out this crispy and I loved it! The flavor was a perfect blend of spices and meat and nothing was over powering. I will be ordering these every time we go! We also ordered a Viva Las Vegas Roll- Kani Kama and cream cheese rolled in rice and seaweed. Lightly tempura battered and topped with spicy tuna, crab mix and sliced lotus root, finished with Ell sauce and spinach tempura flakes ($11.25). When it arrived it looked so artistic I didn’t want to bite into it but I am glad I did. The mixture of ingredients made for a nice flavor with a little kick. The crispy tempura batter made for a nice texture contrast with the other items. I also had to drink a Mango Margarita that was so yummy! It was on the Happy Hour menu for $4.00.

For the main course my Husband got the Chicken Katsu- breaded chicken breast on Asian Cole Slaw with wasbi mashed potatoes and an Asian BBQ dipping sauce. The breading was very crsip and I would love to know what exactly the used to breaded it. When eating the potatoes be on the look out for the green areas of wasabi because they will clear your sinuses. After a couple times of this hit my husband stirred the wasabi in more which helped bring our more flavor! I had the Apple Teriyaki Salmon- marinated grilled salmon topped with sautéed Fuji Apple glaze, served with wasabi mashed potatoes. The salmon was very moist and perfectly cooked. The apple and teriyaki went very well with the salmon and the potatoes.

With a little bit of room left we tried the Cinnamon Tempura Ice Cream- Fried cinnamon swirl ice cream finished with a chocolate and raspberry sauce ($6.50). This was 4 large “slices” of complete heaven! When you normally think of fried ice cream you think crunchy corn flakes with honey but the tempura batter made a nice cake around the ice cream with a slight crisp to it. My Husband said he had no room for dessert but after one bit he ate his entire share and tried to steal some of mine!

We went for an early dinner before the Halloween festivities in Fells Point and found out about their great Happy Hour! They offer Happy Hour 7 days a week. From 3-7 on Monday through Saturday and then on Sunday they have Reverse Happy Hour from 8-11 pm. During Happy Hour they offer a wide variety of appetizers and sushi at ½ off. They also have a drink list the offers a vast variety of drink from $1 to $5. The Happy Hour specials are offered through out the entire restaurant.

We both agreed that the service was perfect and the dinner was a delight! We will be heading back in the near future- many times!!! So if you are looking for a modern dinner and want a great deal head to Ra Sushi!

A few weeks ago I asked all my readers to give me their favorite places to eat in Baltimore. Several people recommended Ra Sushi, not only for the wonderful food, but for the great atmosphere and chic decor. So after asking Baltimore, What’s To Eat?… I ended up standing in front of the large glowing RA sign. I’ll be honest and say that I was really excited. I hadn’t bothered to eat much sushi lately and as I spent the majority of my college years only eating sushi. So after all the recommendations I got, I figured it was time to pick back up the chop sticks.

We had a reservation for 7:30 on a Wednesday night but ended up arriving a little after 7:00. We apologized for the early arrival and the wait staff quickly adjusted. We were seated immediately and received several smiles from passing restaurant staff. My eyes immediately went to the “schwank” decor, and the modern art. They had a separate sushi bar and a regular bar. There was also a TV for the sport fans. Modern music was pumping out of the speakers, making it feel more like a Las Vegas night club then a traditional sushi bar. The majority of the crowd was young beautiful hip professionals, but don’t let that fool you… there were some family’s dining at RA as well.

Nathan and I were seated at a table, and started out the night with some drinks. Nathan had a Sapporo and I a signature Ice Tea.

For appetizers we tried the Pineapple Cheese Wontons.
They were quite tasty being filled with scallions, cream-cheese, and pineapple. They had pineapple dipping sauce with a nice sweet yet spicy flavor. It also came along with a large portion of Asian slaw which complimented the dipping sauce well.

Next we reviewed the menu for RA’s specialty… SUSHI! After much debate, and thorough reading of the immense amount of sushi options, we opted to go with two Signature Ra Sushi dishes. Minutes later, they brought out the Mango Lobster Roll and the Ultimate Shrimp Tempura.

Nathan and I both expected to get about 4 rolls a piece, but we were pleasantly surprised at 8 rolls for each dish! Luckily we came prepared with hunger and were up for the challenge. Unknowingly, we had picked two dishes that were great opposites (but perfect compliments to each other). Sort of like our relationship, but that’s for another day and another blog.

The Mango Lobster Roll not only had the two obvious ingredients but also had cucumber slices, avocado, and came with a lovely kiwi-wasabi sauce. The rolls were served with a cool rice, so they were very refreshing. My favorite was the kiwi-wasabi sauce, which was sweet with a subtle hint of spice. It was the perfect flavor combination. Nathan used some of the extra wasabi because he likes everything “ultra-hot.”

The Ultimate Shrimp Tempura also had crab, seared tuna, and avocado. The rolls were served with a pleasantly warm rice and were quite savory. The tempura batter gave this roll a crunchy texture that worked well. Both rolls were great to eat alternatively. That way you didn’t get overwhelmed by just one flavor. So I encourage you to order a few different types of Signature Rolls and share them amongst friends. With the specials that RA Sushi has during Happy Hour, this would be a fun and relatively cheap way to end your workday or start your night life.

Once we finished conquering the sushi, we went onto my favorite part of any meal… dessert!

Nathan had the Fried Banana with Kahlua Ice-Cream and I the Coconut Creme Brulee.
I would have like Nathan’s dessert to have had a little less fried and a little more banana. Since they fried it in tempura, it tends to be a little thicker of a crust. The taste of the outside seemed to overwhelm the taste of the banana. I easily looked over the lack of banana after tasting the Chocolate Ice-Cream that was served on the side of the dessert. It was to die for. So my advice is to skip the Fried Bananna and order a double helping of ice cream!

My Creme Brulee was excellent. I love the flavor of Coconut, but hate the texture and my dessert delivered just that. It had properly set, and had a nice even sugar crisp on top. The coconut flavor was there, but it was not overwhelming. A perfect ending to a great meal.

The staff was friendly and attentive. It appears that RA draws a very diverse crowd. I would like to point out though if you are looking for a quiet dinner, than RA might not be the place for you. They like their music loud and their sushi fun.I can’t fault them for it either, because it all works together. RA is the perfect place to have a dinner with friends or large groups. So if you are looking for a hip, and lively place to have a good meal, I recommend you take the drive (or walk) down to Harbor East and check out RA Sushi. You won’t be disappointed. And that’s What’s To Eat in Baltimore!