RA Sushi (Leawood, KS)

With various locations in nine states RA Sushi • Bar • Grill is a Japanese fusion sushi bar. Their menu includes signature sushi rolls, a full grill menu and bar. I reviewed the Leawood, Kansas location (11638 Ash Street) during a recent weekend trip. Happy Hour is Monday - Friday 3pm to 7pm and Sunday 8pm to close with a reverse option Monday - Saturday 10pm to close. Discounts include select sushi and appetizers like pineapple cheese wontons and the Viva Las Vegas roll as well as drink specials.

I liked the exterior of RA as well as the location (it was conveniently right next to the hotel I was staying in) immediately. You could see the sushi bar as soon as you walked in which was nice and there was tons of seating. We went during reverse HH on a Saturday so much of the bar seating was taken already. We ended up at an awkward railing type of seat that forced us to spread out, causing us to not really talk as it was harder to hear each other. The interior was nicely designed, but a bit too dark lighting wise. Our waitress took our order promptly and the wait time wasn't too bad.

I started with the white peach sake sangria ($7: cordials, cold sake, fruit juice) which was pretty good. Not terribly strong, which was helpful after Power & Light the night before, and fresh. Would have liked a few pieces of peach in the sangria.

My first roll was the shrimp tempura roll ($6.89: shrimp tempura, spicy crab mix and cucumber) which arrived in 5 pieces. Really liked the crab mix, hated the tempura batter. The bits of cucumber on the end pieces were a bit too big to eat in one piece so I ended up taking them out. Gagged a little when I discovered the shrimp tail on the end piece still had its shell.

Next was the crunchy calamari roll ($5.89: calamari tempura, crab mix and cream cheese rolled and topped with spinach tempura bits; served with sweet eel sauce). I didn't get much of the tempura batter in this one, which could be a good thing (because I hated it) or a bad thing (did that mean i didn't get much actual calamari). Was expecting this roll to be a bit more flavorful, which it wasn't. The spinach tempura pieces looked fun, but you don’t really taste them at all.

I give RA 3 smiles. Overall I didn't love this place, but they had quite a few HH appetizers that I’d be interested in trying. I’d also try a few of their non-HH rolls. The drink was good and the service/atmosphere helped tip the scales a bit as well.

Happy Girl in Puerto Rico!!!

Travel, eat, and write about it is my dream. I was blessed and fortunate to do just that. This past weekend I spent some much needed time in Isla Verde and Old San Juan in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is so beautiful, gorgeous, and pure paradise. I swear I saw God. If you ever have the time, please visit! FYI you don't need a passport, so GO! I highly suggest staying in Isla Verde, they offer the best hotels and its right next to the beach. Boyfriend and I stayed at Coral of the Sea and the beach was literally 2 blocks away. 

 

Throughout my days in Puerto Rico, I was searching HIGH and LOW for Happy Hours that included food and drinks. Unfortunately, most establishments only offer drink specials. Most places offered 2 drinks for $5, 2 for $11, or discounted drinks. So I really wasn't able to do full reviews to the places that I visited because I'm not a liquor connoisseur. I can't hang like I used to lol ;-) Who can hang is Puerto Ricans! I promise they don't' skimp on the liquor! I know some of my followers will appreciate that! 

I'm in love with the MO-FON-GO!!! No, but seriously I fell in love with Mofongo! This dish is made traditionally with mashed green plantains, olive oil, and garlic. Can eaten by itself, or meat. My favorite was the shrimp and chicken! Plantains is used highly in Puerto Rico and my mind was blown by the different ways they use them. 

Pictured above is the Pork Wrapped Sandwich with sweet Plantains paired with  Plantain Chips! I LOVED the chips! Soo good and the texture was on point. Not soggy, or mushy at all! The chips paired with a ketchup and mayo mixed which was paired perfectly. 

Sadly, I didn't get the name of the places we visited. Please charge it to my head and not my heart. The pics posted above are all places we visited in Isla Verde, right by Coral of the Sea. 

Speaking of Coral by the Sea, their restaurant Piu Bello offers the BEST gelato ever! Soo many choices to choose from it can become bit over whelming! Their breakfast and lunch is delicious and the prices are good. 

Puerto Rico is pure paradise. I loved experiencing the culture, food, and the beach! The weather was perfect and not too hot. The scenery was perfect which captured bomb.com selfies, and the people were warm and welcoming. I loved it. Absolutely loved it. 

MULA Mexican Kitchen & Tequileria

Located in the new Blackstone District, MULA Mexican Kitchen & Tequileria (3932 Farnam Street) is Omaha’s newest authentic Mexican restaurant and tequila bar. Happy Hour is ALL DAY Monday and 2p-6p Tuesday - Friday. Specials include discounted starters ranging from salsa of the day to rolled tacos, as well as discounted margaritas and drinks. Tap beer is $1 off and 1 oz tequila & mezcal shots are ½ priced. They also offer $2 tacos on Tuesday (with the exception of their machaca and camaron options) and tequilas of the day.

I loved the interior of MULA. Plenty of seating and sun. I wish they had a patio but their location on the corner of 40th and Farnam makes that hard. Had the feel of a hipster taqueria which is something I would expect from the Blackstone area. Service was prompt and our food came out quickly and piping hot. I had a bit of a snafu with my taco order but my waitress fixed the situation and didn’t charge me for the mix up resulting in an extra taco to review.

Of course I had to try the Mula margarita ($4: camarena reposado, house limonada). This marg was super fresh and strong as steel. I had two and may or may not have fallen asleep when I got home (sitting next to the full length window in the sun may have contributed though). This was so good I may never try their strawberry one (maybe).

I also ordered the sope ($3: masa cake, carnitas, black beans, house crema, cabbage, cotija) which was delicious. Everything complimented each other perfectly. As it is a masa cake it was a bit dry but adding a bit of the house made verde salsa they bring to your table fixed that immediately. The carnitas were tender but I do wish the black beans would have been a bit more flavorful. Also the radishes they garnished it with weren’t my cup of sangria but I don’t like radishes ever.

The guac of the day on this Tuesday was their house option ($4: white onion, garlic, cumin & cilantro) which is made to order. This guac was super fresh and the right consistency. The fact that it’s made to order earns them points as my mother who visited with me is allergic to cilantro. She simply requested it be left off. The guac was still flavorful; the exclusion of the cilantro didn’t affect quality or taste. The chips are handmade and fried which was great and they were still warm when they arrived at our table. Thicker than most house made chips which I liked and not super oily.

Now for Taco Tuesday which is what brought me here in the first place. I originally ordered the chicken tinga (chipotle adobo chicken, avocado, house crema, cotija) and the baja fish (crispy cerveza battered cod, house crema, dressed slaw) tacos but accidentally got the carnitas taco (coca-cola braised Michoacan pork, onion & cilantro mix) instead. When I noticed my waitress got me my chicken tinga taco and didn’t charge for the carnitas one. I loved all the tacos I tried but the tinga was hands down my favorite. The fresh slice of avocado put it over the edge. The runner up was the baja as the fish was super hot and fresh, as well as not super greasy. Most people will probably complain that you only get one taco for $2 and they aren’t the biggest thing on the block but that’s par for the course at most “hipper” authentic mexican restaurants. These also don’t come covered in “cheese” or traditional “sour cream” because they are authentic mexican tacos. The ingredients alone make these worth the money for me.

I give MULA 5 smiles. I will be back for another Taco Tuesday and probably on a random Monday for both the food and drink. Everything from the salsas they bring to your table to the little “plates” they bring your tacos out on differentiate MULA from your mom and pop taco shop but they manage to hold on to the taste.