Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Luke Atkinson, L&A editor dailyent@ou.edu • phone: 325-5189 • fax: 325-6051
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Sushi restaurant offers interactive experience Boyd Street eatery takes advantage of technology to enhance dining
T
uesday afternoon, I had the opportunity to check out the “in the raw” on Boyd Street and University Boulevard, Norman’s newest sushi joint. The experience was not one to disappoint. The inside has a sleek, modern feel. As I walked in, I got a sense of the length of the place and the height of the ceiling. A square sushi bar sits in the restaurants center like an island. Stairs lead up the left wall to an out-ofthe-way loft. Out the back door is a small, quiet brick patio perfect for those nice, sunny days away from the KYLE hustle and bustle of Campus WEST Corner during high noon. But the part of the restaurant that most impressed me was how interactive and geared it is towards students, which helps it stand out among stiff competition. Chris Le, owner of the restaurant, explained what he was trying to do with Norman’s “in the raw”. “We’re looking to cater to students,” Le said. “We are open to suggestions and making it their place. A lot of restaurants say that, but we’re already changing things based on student feedback.” This sort of interaction can be easily seen in
the restaurant’s iPhone app that allows people who come in with iPhones to be able to log onto “in the raw’s” Wi-Fi network and vote on the next song to be played. “It’s interesting when younger people come in and change the music,” Le said. “It gets poppier and dancier.” The restaurant also has a Facebook page which allows people to stay updated with what’s going on with the restaurant. Sometimes discounts are offered through passwords sent out to members of the Facebook page. In addition to its breakthroughs in the cyber realm that makes other restaurants look so 20th century, “in the raw” has a very customizable menu, allowing each patron to literally have sushi that has never been made before. Le said the chef special, ranging anywhere from $10.95-$14.95 depending on the size of the roll you get, allows the customer to choose what they want on and off their sushi roll, allowing the chef to do the rest of the work. “Just tell the chef or server what you don’t like and they make something completely new,” Le said. Next, I got to indulge in three of the restaurant’s rolls – the Prince roll, which is the restaurant’s most popular, the Boyd Street roll, and the Nirvana roll, the latter of which is Le’s personal favorite off the menu. The Prince and Boyd Street rolls are not on the menu, but can be ordered the same way just by asking the server. During happy hour, customers can get $3 sushi rolls that are normally priced at$10. The restaurant also offers drink specials of $4 Skyy
AMY FROST/THE DAILY
Sushi chefs Jeff Chauchaleune and Ben Fox prepare rolls at “in the raw” Tuesday afternoon. and Fusion drinks. “We are updating our wine list and beer list to what’s been requested,” Le said. Though “in the raw” is definitely a sushi restaurant, they also offer a wide variety of menu items that are not raw fish. Le points to the beef filet as being ridiculously good. “A couple used to go the Charleston’s for their steak but now they come here,” Le said. Not only does “in the raw” have great sushi, but it is also unique in how interactive they are with students. They often host bands and
events in their effort to cater to students. “in the raw” is a great restaurant. For the price, you get tasty sushi and a great experience. If I could point to one thing that makes Norman’s “in the raw” a great restaurant, it would be its customizable nature, from the music you can vote on to play to ordering a never-before-made roll through chef ’s specials. “We really want to involve the student body,” said Le. Kyle West is a professional writing junior.
L&A BRIEFS AUSTIN CITY LIMITS SETLIST ANNOUNCED AUSTIN, TX – The setlist for one of the nation’s biggest festivals was announced Tuesday amongst groans and praises of many fans. The three-day-long music festival will begin Oct. 2 at Zilker Park in Austin, Texas and will run through Oct. 4. THE BANDS • • • • • • • • •
Pearl Jam Dave Matthews Band Beastie Boys Kings of Leon Ben Harper and Relentless7 Thievery Corporation John Legend The Dead Weather The Levon Helm Band
• • • • • • • • • • •
Ghostland Observatory Sonic Youth Mos Def Toadies Flogging Molly The B-52s Lily Allen Citizen Cope Arctic Monkeys The Decemberists Coheed and Cambria
PLUG PULLED ON ‘FALLUJAH’ WAR VIDEO GAME
DARK AVENGERS #4
BATTLEFIELDS TANKIES #1
Norman Osborn is not too pleased after the Dark Avenger’s first mission and decides to make changes in his line up. This might not be such a good idea, since some very powerful and angry people might be cut from the team. Speaking of angry, the Cabal comes back for the first time after the Dark Reign and they are out for blood. I can't believe I haven't written anything about the Dark Reign or the Dark Avengers, everything I've heard about this series is phenomenal especially when it's written by one of the hardest working men in the business, Brian Michael Bendis. Plus it comes in two incredible covers. Just look at this one; it's just begging to be framed.
In Garth Ennis’ third outing in the Battlefield series with artist Carlos Ezquerra, he switches from World War II planes to tanks. He tells the story of a British tank crew that is stuck behind enemy lines, struggling to rejoin their squad. To add to their problems, they can't stand their commanding officer, Corporal Stiles. As usual, expect Ennis to inject his own twisted brand of humor into this story, but like all his Battlefield stories, he is able to write a good, almost tear-jerking story about men bonding under the extreme pressure of war. Osizimete Aken’ova is a film and video studies junior.
NEW YORK — The publisher behind a video game based on one of the Iraq war’s fiercest battles has pulled the plug on the title, called “Six Days in Fallujah.” A spokeswoman for Japanese game company Konami Corp. confirmed Tuesday the company is no longer publishing the game, which was set to go on sale early next year. The game, which was still in development, sought to re-create the November 2004 Fallujah battle from the perspective of a U.S. Marine fighting against insurgents. Fallujah had been an insurgent holdout until U.S. forces stormed it in one of the war’s most intense ground battles. “Six Days” was developed by another company, Atomic Games, with input from more than three dozen Marines. Before deciding not to publish the game, Konami had advertised it as a realistic shooting game “unlike any other,” combining “authentic weaponry, missions and combat set against the gripping story of the U.S. Marines on the ground.” The game was criticized by some veterans, victims’ families and others who called it inappropriate. AP
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