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The Murray Hill sushi bar formerly known as Maxie has undergone a quiet transformation, with the addition of a new management team, new menu, and boundary-breaking new chef. Joe Kurauchi trained in Japan, where he learned kaiseki technique, before embarking on a worldwide culinary tour, eating and cooking in 120 countries, by his count, and working in such far-flung kitchens as El Bulli, the Fat Duck, and Stella Maris in Paris. Moco’s modest environs belie a daringly eclectic menu, where “entremeses” like pan con tomate appear alongside Nagoya-style chicken wings, and a soup called “misostrone” combines white miso, tofu, eggplant, carrots, zucchini, and wakame with frothy red-miso espuma. There’s also a wide array of untraditional maki rolls, and panko-crusted ice-cream croquettes for dessert. — Robin Raisfeld and Rob Patronite

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• Restaurant Openings: Moco Global Dining, Bar Milano, and bar Q (4/14/08)