You Gotta Eat: RA Sushi

Going swimmingly: Stylish RA Sushi makes a splash in Fashion Show

By Moranda Grey

RA Sushi's biggest advantage is, by far, its location in the new Fashion Show mall patio facing Las Vegas Boulevard. Yet it remains somewhat undiscovered among local sushi lovers. With elaborate rolls that are complex both in flavor and presentation, the place should be drawing the crowds synonymous with Strip dining.

Second only to the colorful presentation of the dishes--such as the salmon carpaccio, a generous dish of salmon sashimi covered with a criss-crossed wasabi mayonnaise atop a layer of pesto sauce--is their taste. But how different can sushi be from sushi? Except for the creative cut rolls such as the Viva Las Vegas Roll, a tempura roll with a salmon crab mixture that is almost as over the top as its namesake, RA's sushi is comparable to any solid sushi restaurant--though it does boast uncommon varieties such as halibut. The restaurant also hosts a larger non-sushi menu than most specialty restaurants, a nice safety net to have for the less adventurous. Non-fish entrées include filet mignon medallions and teriyaki chicken.

But what truly sets RA apart from the others is its ambience and vibe. On a recent Saturday night, the room hosted several tables of lovers, friends and business people in suits, as well as the occasional tourist (easy to spot because he was wearing shorts in winter). But all felt equally as comfortable in the environment that hosts modern booths, tables that still are still far enough apart to enjoy a private conversation, colorful Japanese wall hangings and large red globe lighting.

At night, the place hosts a DJ who plays everything from old school L.L. Cool J to The Used. And you aren't paying for the upgraded ambience that is the antithesis of a typical sushi experience. A party of two can get out of RA Sushi for under $60, which, for a-la-carte sushi that's flown in daily, is a gift.

When a place is not at capacity and servers are not busy, often the service can get a little over-solicitous. Thankfully, not at RA. Though its servers--men well-inked and clad in denim and T-shirts, women donning tank tops--would periodically check in to see if we enjoyed the sushi we kept shoveling into our faces, they made us feel as though we were being waited on by friends. They're relaxed, considerate and don't seem to possess the same attitude of other Strip servers who rely on foot traffic and therefore don't care whether you have a good experience or not.