By BETTS GRIFFONE
SUSHI! It’s everywhere! Which, if you are a fan of the exotic little delicacies, is a good thing.
One of the latest places to open is RA Sushi Bar Restaurant in The Shoppes at Chino Hills. RA’s large open space provides an inviting place to enjoy a drink, some sushi or a full dinner.
The room is dominated by two formidable steel bonsai trees and large red ball lights that hang from the ceiling.
It’s an upscale but unpretentious restaurant, where friendly employees often will quip, “It’s always more fun in the RA.” General manager Jason Boske says the difference between RA and other sushi places is the ambience. RA’s advertising says the rock music and energetic atmosphere are “more stimulating than a big bite of wasabi,” and the RA team hopes this will be the draw that brings in a fresh young crowd.
Since sushi is still an unknown quantity to some, they hope to make it more approachable. Certainly the restaurant’s creative menu, designed by executive sushi chef Tai Obata, will help to do that.
RA, which has another Inland Empire location at The Promenade at Dos Lagos in Corona, traces its beginnings to Arizona.
Friends since kindergarten, Rich Howland and Scott Kilpatrick, along with college friend Todd Belfer, decided it would be a good idea to open an upscale Mediterranean restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale. It fell flat in less than eight months.
Undaunted, they decided to establish a new concept sushi restaurant, with stylish decor to appeal to a hip young crowd.
In need of real expertise, they sought someone they could trust — another acquaintance from college, Tai Obata. By the time they reached him with a proposal, he already was an executive chef at a popular upscale Phoenix sushi restaurant.
Obata started learning his craft when he was 4 years old in Kagoshima, Japan. He helped his grandmother in the kitchen daily, preparing dishes that had to measure up to his father’s demand for perfection. Obata still maintains that standard.
After earning his culinary arts degree at 18, he spent 20 years honing his skills not only in Japanese cuisine, but also Korean, Vietnamese, Thai and Indonesian fare. As a result, he has mastered what he calls “the flavors of the Pacific Rim.” Obata came on board the fledgling project as a partner and then the real work began — designing the restaurant and developing a menu.
Several colleagues were brought in as part owners to provide the funds necessary to transform the Mediterranean restaurant into a trendy sushi bar. Some invested as little as one percent. It proved to be a brilliant idea, as it expanded their circle of friends and increased traffic when the restaurant opened.
The original owners became the construction crew and in October 1997, the first RA Sushi opened. The original concept was to create a place that customers would want to visit every week or every day — even if they were on a budget. To this day, RA offers happy hour prices.
In 2002, the owners were surprised when the Benihana restaurant chain wanted to purchase their company.
At the time, there were three RA restaurants in the Phoenix area.
Later that year, the purchase was finalized and Benihana started expanding the concept. Today, RA Sushi can be found in seven states. Other Southland locations, in addition to Chino Hills and Corona, are Torrance, Tustin and San Diego.
In preparation for the opening of the Chino Hills site, Obata and others from the corporate office were present to make sure the new staff was properly trained and the ambience was just right.
The head sushi chef, Sean Hwang, gained experience at RA restaurants in Tucson and Scottsdale before coming to Chino Hills. Jason Boske opened the Corona site as assistant manager; he is now general manager of the new location.
RA Sushi Bar Restaurant
In The Shoppes at Chino Hills 13925 City Center Drive, Suite 2065 11 to 1 a.m. seven days a week; sushi bar and kitchen close at 11 p.m. daily. Happy hour food and beverage specials offered 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. (909) 902-0044, www.RAsushi.com Also at The Promenade at Dos Lagos, 2785 Cabot Drive, Suite 101, Corona (951) 277-7491, www.RAsushi.com
Pineapple Chicken
Serves 1, multiply by servings needed
- 1 ⁄2oz. Kara Age Ko*
- 5 oz. chicken breast cut in bite-sized pieces
- 1 oz. sake
- 1 ⁄2cup pineapple chunks
- 1 tsp. garlic puree
- 1 ⁄2cup pineapple teriyaki sauce
- 1 ⁄2oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 1 ⁄2oz. each green and red pepper
- 1 oz. onion
Dredge the chicken in the Kara Age Ko seasoning and pan fry in 1 inch of oil until golden brown.
While frying the chicken, place soy bean oil, garlic, onion, pineapple chunks, shiitake mushrooms and red and green peppers in frying pan and saute until partially cooked, then deglaze with sake.
Add pineapple teriyaki sauce and the fully cooked fried chicken, toss all together in pan.
Place the pineapple ring in the center of a round white plate, then place ingredients from pan in the middle of the ring.
Garnish plate with two Sriracha hot sauce lightning bolts on the rim.
*A flour seasoning, which is found in Asian markets; also called Karaage.
