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| - I'm really impressed with this place. I think some people may give it bad marks because it's sums up everything beautiful and wrong with Scottsdale in one meal. The location in Keirland, lends RA to be a haven for the Scottsdale douche elite to hang out at the chain sushi restaurant with mexican chefs, order a dynamite roll and reminisce about the time they ate the freshest yellow fin at the Grand Wailea resort on Maui. And I got to say, I saw a couple of them there. But sushi is a funny thing. You can't fake freshness no matter how hard you try, and the fish here tastes like it was flown in from Japan, Alaska, or Hawaii this morning. Blows places like Yume out of the water. My wife and I wondered in on a Saturday afternoon and to our delight happy hour was in effect. Long story short, we ordered a lot of nigiri, ponzu marinated sashimi, a couple of hand rolls, gyoza, and 4 beers for a total of $64 including tip. I'd definitely come here during non happy hour, but I have to say, this is going to be my new place for Saturday afternoon indulgences. You see, like the mexican sushi chefs that work here, Scottsdale is a bit of an anomaly. There's no real culture here other than the one that's been put up by developers. All the authentic real grit that resides in the Downtown Phoenix, has been washed away, polished up, and desert that used to be considered no mans land nothing is now the height of luxury in the Valley and its only getting better with time. I guess what I'm trying to say is that beyond the Pottery Barns and the overpriced Hemingway Cigar Shop bullshit, there are local businesses that have adapted and learned like the chefs at RA and they are turning out spectacular food and doing it really well. Don't let any other reviews change your mind. Come down to Kierland on a hot day, sit at the RA Sushi Bar, order a cold beer, a couple pieces of maguro, and suck up all the Scottsdale ambiance you can muster. Douche bags included.
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