Get Ready for Summer with Ra
Tag: Blog • Restaurants & Dining
My office is smack dab in the middle of the 80+ restaurants and bars that call Downtown Tempe home. Which means that I'm in a prime position to try all of them. This week, my Downtown culinary adventures took me to Ra Sushi. The DTA crew and I were invited to come try pieces from their new seasonal summer menu. So we headed down to Ra one afternoon, and now I want to share what I experienced with you.
Let's start with the drinks.
Hot Tropics Margarita
Pretty colors, right? This drink had a really interesting balance of spicy and sweet. The chili-salted rim offered a really nice contrast to the mix of Tanteo Tropical Tequila, combier Liqueur d'Orange, mango puree, and lime juice. It reminded me of a boozy mango con chile paleta.
Peach Basil Sour
The St. Germain Elderflower Liquor really came through in this mix of Bacardi Peach Red, fresh basil, and lemon sour. It managed to be sweet and fruity while maintaining an element of maturity.
Pear and Lemon Blossom
This cocktail is reminiscent of a nice glass of lemonade on a hot summer day. The pear puree adds a nice balance to the lemon sour without being overwhelming.
Let's talk about the eats...
Langostino Strawberry Salad
This salad is summer served up on a dish. It's an incredibly simple salad with flavors that go together perfectly. There were little chunks of avocado, strawberry, cucumber, and langostino all on a bed of arugula with a citrus vinaigrette. You could pair this salad with any of the cocktails on the menu for a super light and refreshing meal.
Tuna California Roll
The ever-popular togarashi pops up again in the Tuna California Roll. At the base of the roll is the traditional California Roll. But it's dressed up with a tuna with avocado, cucumber, bell pepper and cilantro. The additions seems small but make a huge impact on the flavor.
Red Seabream Nigiri
Red Seabream is the focus of two excellent dishes in the summer menu. The first of which is the Red Seambream Nigrini. Two thin slices of red seabream over rice, topped with yuzu dressing and truffle salt - this dish is clean and light. It's the perfect summer appetizer.
Red Seabream Carpaccio
Red Seabream is revisited in the Carpaccio dish. The Carpaccio has a light citrus flavor which sets it apart from the Nigrini. The Red Seabream is topped with finely sliced lemon, spicy yuzu dressing, organic micro greens, truffle salt and lemon zest.
This seasonal menu really nails the summer theme. Everything is so light and refreshing - perfect for enjoying while sitting on Ra's patio (in the shade, of course). The summer menu is available now through August - so make sure to pop into Ra before these specials are gone!