It would be easy to think of Agami, which opened this weekend, as just another suburban strip-mall sushi spot. Nestled between a T-Mobile store and a Borders, it features a generic, brown-brick facade and a hyper-kenetic, underwater-themed interior--complete with textured walls, ceiling-high seaweed sculptures (at least we think it's seaweed) and underwater video projections. This place practically screams, "Area code 630!"

But Agami's not in the 'burbs. It's in Uptown. Yep, it looks like this neighborhood, which has been fighting its way toward gentrification for years, may be finally tipping the scale. It only took $15 maki to do it.

True, Agami's interior may be more Rainforest Cafe than Asian minimalist and it still has some kitchen kinks to work out. But the no-attitude vibe, fun maki and, best of all, super-fresh fish add up to a real catch.

The industrial-artsy interior is divided into concentric hemispheres, with a path that leads to a central dining room. Seating pairs heavy, black lacquer tables and comfy, curvy bright-red banquettes. The outer perimeter boasts a lounge with picture windows facing Broadway--uh, not exactly the best view--and also a long swoop of a bar with a funky Lucite bottle rack designed to resemble a bubbling ocean. (Those looking for a lounge scene will have to wait; the space is BYOB for now.)

Across from the lounge, you'll find a row of semi-circular dining booths--each with a curtain that can be drawn for privacy--and more of that tufted, red-leather seating. The sushi bar occupies a tier between the lounge and the dining room, an interesting contrast to eateries that make the sushi bar the center attraction.

The head chef is Soon Park, who was executive chef of Arlington Height's well-regarded Wildfish, as well as a sushi chef at Kamehachi. Park was trained by Seijero Matsumoto, the chef who's developing a cult following among foodies for his own elegant and ambitious fare at the just-opened Albany Park restaurant bearing his name. (Click for more details.)

"He motivated me to be a real chef," Park tells us. Until then, he was content just getting by as another sushi bar hand-roller. "When I saw his dishes, I couldn't sleep for a few days thinking about them." Park says the most important lesson he learned from Matsumoto was that "food has to be made with heart."

Well, the Agami menu shows plenty--perhaps too much: sushi appetizers ($4-$15), soups ($1.50; $5), kitchen appetizers ($4-$12), salads ($5-$14), nigiri/sashimi ($2-$8 per piece), Agami signature nigiri ($2.75-$4.25 per piece), maki ($4-$8), specialty maki ($11-$15), Agami signature maki ($15-$16), sushi entrees ($18) and kitchen entrees ($12-$25). Whew!

We found ourselves a little lost and, on the second night in business, so did the server. Good thing she had plenty of charm, because she wasn't up to speed on the menu and offered little guidance. Fortunately, we found our way to the Spicy Tuna Rice Crispy ($12) on the sushi appetizer menu. Think tuna tartare mixed with bright-red chile sauce and smelt roe for extra texture. It's served on a chewy, pan-fried rice square and topped with a super-thin jalepeno slice, served with a spicy mayo. We love the contrasting textures--and the heat.

We skipped the usual maki suspects--Godzilla ($12), rainbow ($13), dragon ($12)--and headed straight for signature rolls. The Agami ($15) was a roll within a roll: inside, a mini nori-wrapped roll of spicy cream cheese and tuna; outside, asparagus, shrimp and wasabi tobiko, all wrapped in a soybean sheet. A lot of flavors, sure, but the mix of creamy wasabi and sweet eel sauces overpowered them all. The Ocean Drive ($15), an Art Deco beauty wrapped in a pastel-pink codfish sheet and shaped like an elegantly curved triangle, was a bigger hit. The blend of tuna, yellowtail, avocado, green bell peppers and cilantro was enhanced with hints of fresh citrus.

The nigiri and sushi we sampled were top-grade: melt-in-your-mouth toro ($8), flavorful yellowtail ($3) and fresh salmon ($2.50). But Chef Soon Park's signature nigiri menu wasn't available yet. His goal is to use seasonal ingredients instead of soy to help lure folks who might be leery of raw fish, but he's still waiting for some of the makings to arrive. When it's ready, you can try big-eye tuna topped with butter and soy-sauteed shittake ($3.25), and Yellowtail topped with banana pepper ($3.25), among others.

Hey, consider us hooked.

Chris LaMorteis the metromix dining producer clamorte@tribune.com