Ra Sushi

We love sushi. We love trying new sushi places. And we love Ra.

The space itself is cool. We stopped in on a Sunday afternoon, when business was slow and service was fast. However, I'm sure that this place is very busy (and probably very fun) on a Saturday night. I could see this being an awesome place for a party or an after-party.

We started with edamame and some very good sashimi. Everything was fresh and well-prepared.

The real standout, however, was the crispy spicy tuna. These tasty little babies took a while to cook, but the wait was worth it.



It's a spicy tuna mix served over fried rice balls with a spicy-sweet chili soy sauce. Everything on the plate worked well together and had a purpose. They tasted like sesame, hot chilis, fish and deep-fried wonderful. I could honestly eat these all day, but they (thankfully) limit the portion sizes so that you leave feeling satisfied and not over-full. Otherwise I could easily see myself rolling out of there.

Vida

When I made my reservation for Vida, I received an email from the manager asking if it was our first time at the restaurant, and offering us a free queso. Super-nice first impression, and things only went up from there.

Vida is located in River Oaks, near the world's best Target (seriously, I love it). The decor is beautiful: jewel tone walls, nude art, and an absolutely gorgeous bar. This is the "sexy" part in "sexy Tex-Mex."

We started with very good/strong margaritas. Us ladies got orchids in ours. Gimmick? Yes. Pretty? Yes.



Our queso, though free, was bland, but my tempura shrimp tacos were very good. The shrimp was crispy and not at all greasy, and served with a nice cool slaw and a cute little mound of brown rice. Pretty to look at too.



The most remarkable thing about Vida is how low the prices are. My tacos were $14, and I got a LOT of very good food in a very nice setting for that money.

So let's see ... beautiful decor, friendly staff, good food, low prices ... and yet Vida was practically empty. It was a Saturday night and only 4 other tables were occupied. I don't get it.

Please, please eat at Vida. I do NOT want to see this place go under. There are plenty of places to get good Tex Mex in Houston, and plenty of places to get upscale Spanish food in Houston, but Vida is filling a unique need: upscale Tex Mex. And they're filling it well. GO!

Hunan Garden

I'm tired. It's a Monday, it's cold, and I'm trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to talk myself out of eating every candied pecan that I made for my husband. With all that in mind, I'm going to keep my review of Hunan Garden simple.

Pros: The website is VERY nice. Online ordering is extremely easy, and the food arrives quickly. Our delivery person was very nice and had no problem getting through the gate or letting us pay with a credit card. These are things we actually worry about, after a lifetime of bad delivery experiences.

Cons: The food is very basic. I know that I also described Yao's as basic, but the difference is that you can taste the quality of the ingredients at Yao's. Simple, traditional Chinese food is good if it's well made, but this sadly wasn't. Everything was pretty bland and tasted the same. Worse, we paid the same amount of money for take-out from Hunan Garden as we did for a sit-down meal (with drinks) at Yao's. For the price you can do a lot better.