thrillist

If you want to be noticed by the world, dropping your last name can be a very effective strategy, e.g., Cher hitting the musical big time after shortening Cherilyn Sarkisian, and Carrot Top finally getting gigs after sagely switching over from Carrot Top Jones. Giving it a go restaurant-style, Deep.

Noe's cozy Deep Sushi's dropped the confines of its last name to become Deep, freshly spruced up with a slick industrial edge (a raw steel sushi bar n' stools, glossy cement floors, etc), and now under the supervision of an ex-Plouf/-Des Amis chef who's transforming what was once a sushi-heavy menu into one that's defined by Izakaya-style small plates that're diverse and playful, much like the puppy check-in at Ellis Island. The delectable newness encompasses the likes of yuzu-vinaigrette-drizzled Hokkaido scallop carpaccio (with wasabi caviar), miso-marinated lamb chops, and skewers of Liberty Farm duck and scallions glazed in foie gras soy sauce, which is just about as Japanese as Travis Ishikawa. They're still rollin' up some bang-up Maki, which ranges from the yellowtail/shiso/grilled scallion "Shiso Sexy", to the yam & asparagus "Green Dragon", to the "UFO" -- a spicy, garlicy, California roll draped in albacore and speckled with tobiko that's blow-torched crunchy, like the time Morning Star lit Jebidiah's dreads on fire for bogarting the sour diesel.

For now, Deep's in a soft opening phase, and won't have beer n' sake 'til the liquor license goes through. 'Til then, you're SOL, or as Carrot Top Jones used to call it...who cares what he used to call it!

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