Saturday, July 5, 2008

Into The Deep

Deep Ellum is not an area of Dallas that I frequent, but I was in the neighborhood last week. Going in I knew Deep Ellum is really run down, not the safest place in Dallas, but used to have a lot of really cool hole-in-the-walls that are landmarks to Dallas. A) Luckily, some are still there. B) What happened down there? Hopefully the City of Dallas gets the rejuvenation process going soon. I just hate seeing sad little areas of my town.

However, I did go to one of the still thriving establishments in Deep Ellum: Deep Sushi. Per our server, Deep Sushi has been there since the 90's. It left for a short stint, but is back and there to stay.

On the way to Deep Sushi, my friends got a little lost. Yeh, it's in a rough neighborhood, to say the least, but DO NOT let that scare you away! It's at 2624 Elm St, Dallas, TX 75226. The outside of the building looks a little aged, but other than that, it has a nice neon sign acting as a homing beacon for newbies and regulars. The interior is very clean, Asian themed decor with the sushi bar as the main focal point. It was a nice evening so our crew decided the patio was our best option. The patio is very nondescript and basic. Black metal tables and chairs, and not over crowded. For me, the patio was perfect for food, friends, and fun. (The only pitfall of the patio is the bums try to panhandle while your eating dinner. How rude! - said in Stephanie Tanner voice circa Full House.)

The menu is one of the best I've seen! I LOVE sushi and exotic food so I was very pleased to see a menu full of traditional Japanese items such as seaweed salads, octopus and cucumber salad, sushi entrees and suimono. They do offer Americanized meals such as teriyaki and tempura, but alot of these are beef items. (I wonder if beef is a staple in the Japanese culture.) Our group of 4 went with one of the Sushi Boats. The price tag was scary but divided by 4, and the amount of food you receive, it was totally worth it. It literally was a wooden boat filled with sushi and rolls. It was a tame sushi selection in my opinion, but I still had my nigiri white tuna, so I was happy.

I loved this place so much, I did a bit of digging on the Internet when I got home. Not only is Deep Sushi open for lunch, they have lunch specials AND happy hour! Sushi+cheap booze=HEAVEN! Check out the menu and specials online at www.deepsushi.com.

2 comments:

Justin Bowers said...

Suzy, Deep Ellum isn't any scarier than any other area of Dallas and the "renovation project" that the city has planned is doing nothing more than stripping the city of cultural landmarks in the name of making an easy buck. Granted, Deep Sushi is one of the best places in the area, but you should also give Angry Dog, Pepe & Mito's, Pete's Dancing Marlin, All Good Cafe, Monica's Aca y Alla and Twisted Root a shot for food (not to mention the whole pile of great little galleries that have popped up in the past 5 years). It would be a real shame for the plastification of Dallas that's been happening for the past 10 years to take over the biggest concentration of cultural landmarks in the city. Check out the Save Deep Ellum blog.

Suz said...

It seems like I conveyed the wrong impression of Deep Ellum. Deep Ellum is scary for a person like me because the bums are bothersome and it can be impossible to determine the harmless ones from the individuals that are dangerous. However, I like the culture and the arts that used to be there, and the few existing places that are still there. The thought I wanted to convey was that I hope the City of Dallas restores the awesome melting pot that was thriving years ago.

I do appreciate the recommendations. You know me, I LOVE hearing about new places. :)