Author Spotlight
Kennedy Burgess
The sophisticated sushi restaurant, Ra, stands amongst the cozy buildings of the new town center across the street from AMC. I have to admit, walking into Ra I felt completely under dressed in my ensemble consisting of simply running leggings, a t-shirt and my big blue Patagonia rain jacket. I was greeted by awkward stares from tables of business men and women who seemed to be on their lunch breaks.
The restaurant was packed, and I had a strong feeling I was the only person in the establishment under 20. Ra’s mature atmosphere wasn’t solely caused by their customers. Large, window sized oriental styled photos of a barely clothed woman under a red sheet were mounted on every wall to accompany the reappearing theme of red across the spread out space of the restaurant. The floors were covered with sleek, black, tiles and intricate red light fixtures hung here and there on the ceilings.
Once I was seated, I was handed two menus: a menu consisting of regular meals and a menu of every sushi combination that seemed to exist. Each different type of sushi was divided into different sections. Mango Lobster Roll, Beef Tataki Roll and Yellow Monkey Roll fell under the Signature Sushi Dishes.
It took me a while to find which sushi roles I was willing to put to the test, the list of sushi choices seemed never-ending. I finally settled for the Spicy Salmon role which came in eight roles and cost $6.98. Some roles cost up to $11, which seemed a little outrageous to me, but once I tried the sushi myself, I could tell all eight roles would be worth the full price. For one, it only took ten minutes for the food to be served. Fast service? Check.
I was expecting the spiciness of the salmon to be overwhelming, based on sushi I had tried before, but the flavor was subtle. Delicious? Check.
I was elated to find my tongue wasn’t burning from each sushi role drenched in hot sauce, and even more pleased with how fresh the salmon tasted. The salmon had a silky like smoothness with hints of spice at the end of every bite. It was a perfect mixture of crunchy from the crisply cut cucumber and smooth from the raw salmon in between a wrap of fresh sea-weed and white rice. I didn’t put my chop-sticks down until I was completely finished. The plate was empty as quickly as it took for it to arrive on the table, leaving my stomach fulfilled without feeling too full.
Ra’s extreme sophistication may be too much for the casual restaurant-goer. If you’re willing to pay the high prices for quality sushi, it’s worth the full enjoyment up until the very last bite.
***
Kona Grill sticks to the basics. When you walk in, you aren’t overwhelmed by the need to be “hip” to dine there.
Though Kona wasn’t as spacious as Ra, it provided a casual dining area near the bar, where sushi lovers could sit near a large window overlooking the Plaza river and passerby. If only it weren’t below 20 degrees outside, I would have asked to sit in the window area.
So instead, I sat in the booth area, which had a much darker ambiance. The overall appearance of Kona wasn’t anything unique, but the small restaurant space they’re given doesn’t provide many options.
As I sat down, I was handed similar menus to Ra; one with regular food and of course the list of sushi rolls. However, instead of Asian-inspired cuisine, Kona offered a large variety of American food. I wasn’t expecting to see steak and mashed potatoes on the entree list next to different variations of the common tuna roll. The sushi menu wasn’t as long as Ra’s but provided classic sushi dishes including the California Roll and Crab Roll. I decided to be adventurous and try my hand at the Eel role (my friend swore to me it tasted exactly like chicken) and Kona’s own rendition of the Spicy Salmon role.
Even though, the service wasn’t very fast, I enjoyed the friendlier atmosphere of Kona that I received from the waiters. Not to mention, each dish was a few dollars cheaper than Ra.
I tried the Spicy Salmon roll first, which was mashed together with the hot sauce in between the seaweed. This made the texture of the meat taste less fresh and somewhat dull. The stickiness of the rice added with the stickiness of the salmon was pasty rather than tasty. I could barely taste the spicy hot sauce at all and I was tempted to drench the roll in soy sauce just to taste a bit of flavor.
The eel roll, however, was surprisingly the better of the two dishes. It was complete with freshly seared eel surrounded by seaweed and white rice, topped with a sweet eel soy sauce. I tried to put the fact that I was eating an actual eel out of my mind.
I’m glad I did too. The sweet eel sauce went perfectly with the sticky white rice on the sushi roll, bringing out the intricate flavor of the eel. I was surprised at how much it actually tasted like chicken rather than eel. It was very filling however, and I couldn’t finish all eight roles unlike Ra. so I couldn’t deny leaving it unfinished on the plate. I asked for a box and was happy to pay the total $11.00 check, tip and all.
Kona’s casual dining exprience will make you feel at home with your sushi, while combining authentic sushi meals and American dishes so you can enjoy the best of both worlds while staying true to reasonable prices.
All photos by Grant Heinlein.
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