1800SUSHI.COM

[sush_hi]

Harbor East has become a destination for restaurants looking to expand into Baltimore. The Inner Harbor neighborhood between Little Italy and Fells Points is now home to 17 restaurants, adding RA Sushi Bar Restaurant to its portfolio this week.

The restaurant, located in The Eden apartment complex on Lancaster Street, is the first RA Sushi location to open in the northeast, said Scott Kilpatrick, one of the restaurant’s founders. There are currently 17 locations throughout the United States.

“We love what’s going on in Harbor East, with all the redevelopment, the other restaurants and the high-rise condos,” Kilpatrick said. “We also like the Fells Point component.”

RA Sushi serves a wide selection of fresh sushi, signature rolls and sashimi dishes, along with several Japanese “hot dishes.” The average customer bill runs about $21, Kilpatrick said.
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Targeting the 21-to-35 crowd, RA Sushi also sells its atmosphere, with fun music, contemporary decor and a full cocktail bar.

“Our tagline is, ‘There’s never a dull moment in the RA,’” Kilpatrick said. “We didn’t find anything that was similar to what we do [in Baltimore].”

Kilpatrick was part of a group that founded the restaurant in 1997, opening the first RA Sushi in Scottsdale, Ariz. Other locations have opened in California, Florida, Illinois, Nevada and Texas.

Benihana, which runs 85 U.S. restaurants, purchased RA Sushi from the group in 2002. In the third quarter of fiscal 2007, sales at Benihana restaurants totaled $69.4 million, a 12 percent increase from the same period in 2006. RA Sushi accounted for 14 percent ($9.7 million) of Benihana’s sales.

Business at RA Sushi’s newest location, a 5,700-square-foot space that can seat 175, has steadily increased every day since opening Monday, said Bryan Benavidez, the restaurant’s general manager.

With more than 1,500 food establishments, Baltimore City totaled $967 million in food and beverage sales in fiscal 2007, according to the Restaurant Association of Maryland.

“Across the country, sushi restaurants seem to be increasing,” said Lauren Shipley, a spokeswoman with the association. “There’s the healthy eating component and the high-end component.”

IF YOU GO

RA Sushi Bar Restaurant

1390 Lancaster St., Baltimore, MD 21231

Open seven days a week 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.

410-522-3200

acannarsa@baltimoreexaminer.com

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