Event: RA Sushi Special 4 Course Dish Preview

RA Sushi Bar and Restaurant is a high end Japanese themed restaurant with locations in California, Florida, Nevada, Arizona and Texas--oh and a couple of other states too.  In the Houston area, they have locations in Highland Village and Houston City Centre.   I've passed them by a few times, asked around and heard mostly good things about them, but for some reason they didn't end up in my "right now" list until I received an Email inviting me to a tasting of some new menu items.  Feeling a bit negligent I took time to peruse their menu online, and saw some fairly creative rolls like the Viva Las Vegas roll and the RA-llipop roll, dinner entrees like Drunken Clams (steamed in sake with garlic) and Holy ShiShito Chicken.  After giving the menu a good read, I accepted the invitation to a four course dinner featuring their new creations, a couple of signature beers or cocktails (The LycheeTini intrigued me), and their Sweet Mochi Trio for dessert.

Ra Sushi Special Tasting Meal

Melissa Kuo and RA Sushi invited me, a few other bloggers and a few media folks to try some new Asian/Southwestern and Asian/Latin Fusion dishes and cocktails on July 31st, an opportunity I welcomed wholeheartedly.  RA has a fairly good reputation as having good food and a very festive atmosphere.  I liked the blending of the Art Deco and Asian styles, though at times the lights were a little low and the music a little loud for my preference.  Clearly they are catering to the night club demographic--nothing wrong with that by the way--however, I would like to see how they operate during lunch or brunch and see if the music is at a more reasonable level.  Just personal preference is all.

Cocktails:

(l to r) Coconut Mojito (did not have), Me pouring a Sake Bomb, LycheeTini

Lychee tini-Voli lemon vodka, muddled lychee, lychee juice, Soho Lychee liqueur & lemon juice.  Very similar to a Cocktail I had at an Asian fusion place in Vancouver, BC.  Very delicious and a little kick to it.   Grade: A

Asahi Sake Bomb: Warm sake in a sake shooter, poured cold Asahi around it, drunk immediately to get hot and cold sensations;  like a Japanese boilermaker.  Very tasty, very different, VERY POTENT.  Handle cautiously.   Grade: A

Note:  I did not try the Coconut Mojito;  heard it was sweeter than a standard Mojito and was enjoyed quite well by those who had it.

Appetizers:

(l to r) Garlic Edamame, Bonfire Shrimp, Spinach Edamame Dip

Garlic Edamame: Spicy and robust, very snackable.  It reminds me A LOT of Uchi's smokey edamame, but also a little bit spicy. Grade: A+

Bonfire Shrimp:  I found them chewy, sweet, slightly spicy, and the the shishito pepper they were served on tasted like sour hatch chiles. Grade: B+

Spinach Edamame dip: This dip creamy, a little spicy and tasted great with the fried wonton chips.  I would have liked a larger serving in fact! Grade: A

Crispy Asian Tacos:

(Clockwise from bottom) RAckin shrimp, Spicy Salmon & Chicken Asian Tacos

Spicy Salmon: The filling had nice sweet spice heat, cool salmon and very tasty.  The rice paper shell was crispy.  Grade: A

RAckin' Shrimp: The shrimp were crunchy and flavorful.  They could could use more spice in my opinion.  This would be a nice safe start for newbies to Asian Fusion cuisine.  Grade B

Chicken: The filling was surprisingly flavorful, had some sweet heat.  The rice paper shell was a little too sticky.  Grade: A-

Main Dishes:

(l to r) Grilled Salmon w/garlic green beans, black pepper teriyaki & Chili ponzu wings,
Drunken Mussels in miso sake sauce 

Salmon w/green beans: The fish was slightly smokey and spicy, very tasty, nice hint of garlic; the green beans have good snap; Grade: A+

Black pepper terikayi wings: The wings had a bit of a grilled punch, peppery but mild & quite saucy; Grade: A-

Chili ponzu wings: These wings spicy like Hooter's hot, the heat starts slow but builds; very snackable--I would like a big plate of these while watching a hockey game; Grade: A+

Drunken Black Mussels: The mussels were served in a delectably good sauce that tasted like Miso soup mixed with sake and pureed Portobello Mushrooms; I was disappointed the mussels weren't meatier, however; Grade: B due to thin mussels, but the sauce was an A+

Dessert:

Sweet Mochi Ice Cream: Mango Mochi with euro style whipped cream-- very light, fruity fresh tasting--a nice palate cleanser for the end of the meal--lighter than the store bought Mochi;  Note the also have Vanilla and strawberry Mochi Ice Cream as well.  Grade: A

Melissa Kuo and
a LycheeTini

RA Sushi has been around for a while and it always attracts my daughter's attention when we're over at Houston City Centre.  That whole shopping area has added a bunch of nice eateries and is a great destination for those who live in West or Southwest Houston.  Given these new dishes RA gave us the opportunity to try, I can say I will be back again soon for a proper review.

I especially enjoy the opportunity to try new dishes with others in the food blogger community, and I want to heartily thank Melissa Kuo and RA Sushi for inviting us to come out as a group for this experience.

RA Houston City Centre is located at:
799 Town & Country Blvd., Suite 234
Houston, TX 77024
Phone: 713.331.2792

Hours:
Food Service:  Daily, 11AM-Midnight
Lunch: Served Until 3PM
Bar: Open 1AM or Later
Happy Hour: Mon-Sat, 3-7PM
Flying Fish Lounge: Sun, 8PM-Midnight
Reverse Happy Hour: Mon-Thurs, 10PM-Midnight