BALTIMORE (Map, News) - RA Sushi Bar Restaurant’s slogan is “It’s better in the RA.”

And it most certainly is.

The high-end Japanese restaurant serves up a wide selection of fresh sushi, signature rolls and sashimi dishes, as well as several “hot” dishes. Set on Lancaster Street in burgeoning Harbor East, RA is quickly proving itself as the place to go for fresh sushi.

- The scene: RA prides itself on it’s hip, contemporary atmosphere, complete with mainstream music and full cocktail bar. The urban chic decoration — deep reds and browns, hanging lanterns, bamboo-framed art, tiled flooring — is relaxing yet upscale.

- The pour: While we opted for the house white wine, there was a number of selections that sounded tempting — the Tsunami Punch is a mix of cold sake, liqueurs and tropical juices served in a fish bowl, and the RA Pleasure is a concoction of vodka, melon, black raspberry, sake and fruit juices on ice.

-The taste: Pineapple cheese wontons are definitely worth trying. The fried wontons are filled with cream cheese, scallions and pineapple, served with roasted pineapple dipping sauce on a bed of coleslaw.

The sushi assortment consisted of six California rolls and one piece each of tuna, salmon, whitefish, yellowtail, shrimp and tamago over rice. Plated well and served with ginger and wasabi, the sushi was just right — cold and delicious. The raw fish was a good complement to the side of wasabi mashed potatoes. The potatoes were chunky with a kick of spiciness.

- The finishing touch: It was hard to choose between the fried banana with Kahlua and the cinnamon tempura ice cream, but the ice cream was calling. The cinnamon swirl ice cream, battered, fried and drizzled with a chocolate raspberry sauce, tasted like an ice cream-filled funnel cake — otherwise known as heaven to anyone with a sweet tooth.

- Don’t miss: The Viva Las Vegas Roll. The best part was biting into the roll — there is a dollop of cream cheese and kani kama (imitation crab meat) smack-dab in the middle. The rice and seaweed are lightly battered with tempura and topped with spicy tuna and crab mix, finished with eel sauce and spinach tempura flakes. The sliced lotus root was the “cherry” on top — a crisp bite to offset the tuna and crab.

- Why you will go: Delicious food, easy access, acceptable prices, beautiful view (right by the water). And even though it was the waitress’ first day, we received awesome service.

- Why you won’t: You will.

If you go

RA Sushi

Where: 1390 Lancaster St., Baltimore

When: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Sunday

Prices: $40 to $75 for two

Info: rasushi.com

ecampbell@baltimoreexaminer.com