I really like the sushi at Red Sushi Grill, but will the newly opened restaurant survive its location? For example, the food and atmosphere were great at Kushi Bar Muramoto, but it didn’t have an identity. The Haze, meanwhile, had some delicious items (e.g. the bahn mi), but lack of marketing and signage aided in its demise.

The setup in Red Sushi Grill is similar to those two previous incarnations–dark lighting, small tables, long bar/counter. Co-owner Jack Yip was making the sushi when I ate there, while the other owner, Tatsiana, greeted guests as they came in.

From the Signature Rolls menu I tried the Red roll (spicy tuna; $12.95) and the Peking roll (duck; $10.95). Both were incredibly flavorful, and I would get them again if it weren’t for the fact that I want to try the other rolls. When Tatsiana, who’s super friendly, came over to see how the food was, I couldn’t bear to tell her that the spicy tuna wasn’t at all spicy; I was otherwise honest in my praise.

Besides the rolls, I ordered the shumai ($6),  a kobe beef sashimi piece (the special of the day) and the Tamago (egg omelet; $1.75), which was one of several single sushi/sashimi pieces you can order. The kobe beef was good, though its counterpart at Sushi Muramoto is better. The Tamago was plain; I’m glad I tried it, but I wouldn’t order it again.

Red Sushi Grill doesn’t have much of a menu outside sushi, unsurprisingly, but I did try the salmon, which was light and perfectly done. The side vegetables were unexpectedly tasty as well. Other entrees include the mahi mahi, filet mignon and black cod.

I’m looking forward to many return visits. Here’s hoping that I get the chance.

See more photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/eatdrinkmadison/sets/72157627216507808/

Tags: downtown, sushi

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 17th, 2011 at 12:51 pm and is filed under Restaurant and Bar Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.