CheekyChicago

I already have a favorite sushi place. It’s two and a half blocks from my boyfriend’s Evanston apartment, and it’s amazing. But these days, the boy lives downtown, and it is necessary for us to find a new favorite sushi place. Two and a half blocks from his new apartment? Ra Sushi Bar and Restaurant.

Modern, hip and very lounge-esque, Ra is a hotspot for the young and trendy – whether on a date, ready for a night out or just popping in for after-work drinks. It is small and dimly lit, with a bar for sushi at the back and a bar for sake at the front. The restaurant definitely has a little inner nightclub, thumping through the speakers complete with Rihanna’s “Umbrella” and Jay-Z’s “Show Me What You Got.” I found myself wishing that the music was a little more soothing, but what Ra lacked in music choice – it made up for in food.

Ra’s menu is stacked with salads, from traditional Japanese sunomono to more original Nutty Grilled Chicken Salad, and dinner entrees, like chicken with yakisoba noodles and beef teriyaki. We ordered pork gyoza, pan-fried potstickers served with garlic ponzu sauce, as an appetizer and Apple Teriyaki Salmon from the dinner menu. The salmon was smothered in tasty sauteed Fuji apples and nestled on top of wasabi mashed potatoes. I could have done without the potatoes (I’m a steamed rice kinda girl), but the apples were a-may-zing. Gyoza is a staple at most Japanese restaurants, and Ra’s rendition was no different than most others. It’s really the sushi choices that set Ra apart from other Japanese eats.

They have all the regulars (California, eel, cucumber, spicy tuna, Philadelphia) but Ra’s signature rolls are, well, signature. Ra’s sushi menu features inventive rolls with fabulously suprising ingredients, like the Beef Tataki Roll with steak, artichoke, asparagus and roasted red peppers. Many rolls are served with imaginative sauces too, like kiwi-wasabi sauce (Mango Lobster Roll) or Asian pesto sauce. We ordered the Crazy Monkey Roll, recommended by our waitress, and the Tsunami Salmon Roll. The Crazy Monkey Roll, with smoked salmon, mango and cream cheese, served with avocado, red tempura bits and cashew nuts, was far more flavorful than the Tsunami Salmon Roll (salmon, crab and asparagus), but the Tsunami is definitely a great pick for the less experienced or less adventurous sushi-eaters.

With ingredients seemingly so unique, it’s a wonder (and a good thing) that Ra’s flavors, some Japanese and some not, blend together to form the perfect bite. Another favorite here is the Viva Las Vegas Roll, a kani kama (crab imitation) and cream cheese roll tempura fried and topped with spicy tuna, crab, lotus root and eel sauce. Is it good? You’ll have to find out for yourself. It is Vegas.