Kona Grill is a company based in Scottsdale, AZ that owns and operates 25 restaurants, the newest one opened in Baltimore, MD. It was founded in 1999. Its restaurants have won over 50 awards, including Best New Restaurant, Best Sushi and Best Happy Hour. They serves dishes including pasta, pizza and sushi.
We started out with some decent calamari and a few kirin drafts, my default tap beer at most faux Asian restaurants. The calamari had decent breading and was light and fluffy with a nice salted spice. I also was intrigued by their promotion of a Apple and brie flat breads with fresh fig. Again, meh. The apples had zero tartness and the figs didn't necessarily help the flavor out much. The sushi was our next course and the rice had a rubbery texture and chewiness that ultimately again, void of the freshness you expect from your high quality sushi.
I've been to a few Kong Grills prior and have had some decent experiences trying out some of their standard fare. I've never really had a great sushi experience there and recommend you don't verge onto the sashimi menu either. Lively environment and great staff definitely made up for the mediocre food experience.
