Continuing my food tour of Phoenix/Scottsdale, we went to RA for sushi. Keep in mind that I come from L.A. where there is some damn fresh sushi to be had nearly everywhere so I was pretty reluctant to go in but our hotel was nearby and we ended up going to the Kierland shopping center all the time.
When I first walked in, I thought the restaurant smelled fishy in a BAD way. I decided to order cooked stuff. I didn't trust the look of the tuna which looked mushy and old. But I do have to say the green iced tea was really good- it had that smoky flavor usually lost with green tea from a powder mix. Actually, all the iced tea I had the entire week was really good.
I was happy the food tasted better than the smell in the air. My unagi bowl was good- the sauce wasn't too heavy and I liked the ring of shredded cucumber surrounding the unagi (although sliced a little bit too thin). My Arizona roll (okay, so I go for fun party rolls occasionally) was bland and devoid of any spicyness or flavor. It was supposed to be a spicy salmon flavored with jalepeno. Even the avocado was tasteless.
I liked the calamari roll, spicy yellowtail and spicy tuna rolls better my friends had ordered. The best part was probably discovering our drinks weren't charged. I suppose it was part of their lunch special.
I do have to note the bar smelled strange as well as the ladies' room. The restroom had that liver of sulfur smell and the bar just plain smelled bad. If you don't have a sense of smell, this might be a good sushi place for you.