Expect something a little more traditional. Photo via Japonessa’s Facebook page.
Sushi chef Billy Beach is taking over the former Paratii Craft Bar space on Leary Way. But don’t expect the Latin-fusiony rolls that pack people in at his restaurant Japonessa downtown. According to Kei Sugimoto, the manager at the new Billy Beach Sushi and Bar, “he’s going back to his roots for a more traditional Japanese flavor.”
Apparently Beach fields a lot of queries about whether he’s of Latin descent. The chef, once of Umi Sake House and Kushibar and Wasabi Bistro, was born and raised in Japan.
Billy Beach Sushi and Bar will open in mid- or late April (restaurant and permit gods willing) and Sugimoto says Beach will be the executive chef and a constant presence at the five-seat sushi bar. He wants the food to remain a bit of a surprise, but there will be omakase and, according to my powers of deduction, sushi.
Beach’s partners in the project are Nelly and Shawn Bohnert, two longtime fans of his food who thought Beach should have a more personal place to call his own.
The restaurant is currently getting a sleek, modern makeover and will have about 60 seats. Sugimoto says it will feel more like a neighborhood hangout than some of his past projects. Japonessa bar manager Cameron Hagg is designing a cocktail menu heavy on housemade components.
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