Rays Sushi 06.12.30

I've been to Tomodachi numerous times, and I've heard that their sushi chefs originated from this place called Ray's but never been there. On this day, I was invited to go with my cousin fror lunch. He was quite experienced with the place, so I asked him what was good. He said to get the raw stuff...and that..is what we did. We ordered 4 different plates, as displayed below.



We decided to get an appetizer kinda food, so we got a platter of Raw Oysters. By golly, the oysters were AMAZINLY fresh and clean. It was served on top of ice with a dab of chili sauce in the middle of each piece, and a piece of lemon that was juiced on top. It didn't have any of that smelly fish flavor. They were also superbly cleaned as there was no sand reside whatsoever. I'm not a big fan of raw oysters as they sometimes have that strong fishy flavor, usually, and they're usually not cleaned really well, but this place completely changed my opinion on that.



Here we have the Sake (raw salmon) Don. My sister complained that the Don was a little plain. Usually, it's served with a bit of flavoring or soy sauce. However, this was just..Rice....and Fish. Oh, and a slice of lemon. But let me tell you something, if you can't tell by image of the fish, the salmon was ridiculously fresh and a good cut. As the fish slipped into your mouth, and you take your first bite it was crisp, yet buttery and sweet, just how good salmon should taste and feel like in your mouth. I know...crips isn't the best term to describe it...but what is the opposite of limp in terms of food? :-P.



This is the Maguro sashimi. The worst dish of the three in my opinion, but then again, i'm not that versed with tuan. Sadly, I was the one who ordered this one. What I dislike is the metalic taste of the tuna. Anyway, this one had a really strong iron taste, and the meat itself was pretty rough. I've had much better tuna elsewhere.



Lastly was the Hamachi sashimi, a much better dish. I'm not too familiar with yellowtail either, but after this experience, I will definately try it more often. It was MUCH sweeter than the salmon. The initial bite into a piece demonstrated a freshness that was not present with the maguro.

All in all, a really good experience at Ray's sushi. Surprisingly this is my first time eating an all raw meal. I never though I'd get full off just raw fish and rice...but clearly, this was enough. The bill came out to be about 55 bucks for 3 people so it wasn't too bad for what we got. Definately would recommend this place. My advice? Get the raw stuff.

Yelp
888 W. A Street
Hayward, CA 94541
(510) 887-0701

Becks Steak and Seafood - 06.12.27

This night, I went to Becks Steak and Seafood for an anual Christmas Dinner with a group of friends. This isn't my first time here, but it is my first time EATING here. I was over an hour and a half late so my friends helped me order. Thus, I can't really comment on the service except that my food was served almost immediately as I walked through the door. Good timing I suppose.



This is the Veal Scaloppini Sautée In Garlic, Mushrooms, And Marsala Wine from Becks. The Scaloppini came out luke warm, so slightly disappointing. There was only a very faint almost non-existent hint of marsala in the sauce but hardly any of it was absorbed into the mushrooms or the veal. I was expecting a more potent flavor from the marsala. The veal itself wasn't overcooked and wasn't tough chewy at all. However, it's consistency reminded me that of a piece of hamburger patty from McDonalds, has been overcooked at sitting for a long time. Then again, I i'm not an expert on veal, so what do I know. Right? The veggies were nothing special, just your standards steamed veggies with some seasoning on it as was the mashed potatoes. The dish turned out to be 13 bucks for a filling meal.

Overall, pretty average food but at a decent price. Would I go again? With the right people? Sure. But I might order something different.

Yelp
36665 Cedar Blvd
Newark, CA 94560
(510) 797-7556