Ra Sushi

Saturday night (4/19/08) led us to Ra Sushi (1390 Lancaster St), a newish and striving-to-be impossibly hip restaurant in Harbor East. Ra is on the other side of Pazo and offers valet parking at a hefty $7. Skip it; we were able to park two blocks down Lancaster with no problem, parting only with a bit of change at the aggravating pay-to-park machine.

The restaurant seemed crammed to capacity, but we were able to be seated immediately at the sushi bar. Bless all those other folks who, for some reason, would rather stare at each other masticate than have a bird's eye view of a chef preparing their meal.

Ra's staff, decor, and blush-inducing drink names (Me Love U Long Time, Effen Around in the Ra) all tip their hat at aiming for a young, Hills-watching and South Moon Under-shopping sort. Relax your facial muscles beforehand for maximum grimacing and wincing at "oh baby I like it Ra" styled puns. The atmosphere, however, comes away clean. Black and deep red permeate the entirety of the establishment in such a way as to make you feel a bit more separated from the other gourmandizers. You'll find yourself a bit more secure about your hair, and a bit more likely to get cozy with a date. Lighting (in the form of deep red balls that hang from the ceiling) sinks into bamboo and reed, lending the sushi almost aphrodisiac qualities.

Not that it really needs the help. The unfortunately named Crazy Monkey Roll ($9.50) is simply incredible. The common combination of salmon and cream cheese is given a facelift with bits of mango inside the roll, and more mango sauce on top for good measure. Avocado and flakes of red tempura on top lend fabulous color and texture to this must-have. Also quite good is the Viva Las Vegas Roll ($11.25), which introduces sliced lotus root and an uber-fresh spicy tuna topping to the old standards, imitation crab and cream cheese. Tunacado ($10.25), a plate of sliced avocado and seared strips of blackened tuna, doesn't provide much to munch. It would better serve as an appetizer; the sweet zing of its accompanying Ponzu dipping sauce only left us wanting more.

Drink prices ranged from average to a bit steep. Ra offers wine, champagne, several types of sake, and a list of specialty house drinks in addition to their behind-the-bar regular lineup. The only standout we sampled was the unique Cucumber Martini, a blend of vodka, sake, and lychee syrup, garnished with a slice of cucumber floating in your glass. Many other drinks come with extremely sticky sugar on the rim that becomes much of a nuisance.

With tip, we dropped $80 on food and drinks for two.