Photo by seraphim1970

Thanks to Gen from Foodies R Goodies for passing this info along.  Naruto Sushi, the take out Japanese place on 49th btw. Mad+5th is now Shinbashi 49.  Operated out of the back of the upscale sushi restaurant of the same name, Naruto was originally designed to be its own separate store, with its own management.  The owners decided that wasn’t working, so now it’s being run by the same people who run Shinbashi on 48th btw. Mad+5th.

I may be on crack, but it looks like there may have been an improvement in the quality of the rice since I wrote about Naruto.  I didn’t try anything, so I don’t know for sure… but if you work in the area, and are looking for decent take out sushi, you could probably do a lot worse than this place.  If you check it out, feel free to comment below.

And for more photos, check out Gen’s post at FoodiesRGoodies

Logic (and basic economics) tells me that it’s impossible to find good and fresh raw fish, in a 100% takeout setting- that doesn’t cost over $10.  But I refuse to give up.  Kikku and Taki have established themselves as decent and cheap sit down sushi meals, but I want sushi you can grab and go.  Right now that kind of lunch is dominated by Midtown Delis, the last place I want to be eating raw fish from.  Enter Naruto Sushi, a brand new exclusively take out place on 49th btw. Madison and 5th that is hoping to be the solution to my cheap sushi problem.

Why it is, and why it isn’t as part of a gigantic +/- with photos, after the jump…

Just like Kiroii Hana (which closed months ago), Naruta is cheap, take out sushi that comes from a nicer Japanese restaurant (with a more expensive menu).  In this case, Naruta shares a kitchen with Shinbashi, a fancy Japanese restaurant on 48th St. btw. 5th+Madison.  But instead of setting us shop on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant, they’ve opened their own, stand alone location on the opposite side of the building- and like all cheap sushi, it’s got a lengthy list of positives and minuses.

Here’s the +

1.  The selection is alot of fun.  Despite being a tiny place, the choices are pretty cool and they have some interesting things that most Midtown deli sushi bars don’t have.  Authentic Japanese pickles, rice balls, gyoza, and shumai just to name a few.

2.  Really good prices.  Not only do you feel like it’s not that expensive, there are a good number of things for $3-4.50, like packages with three pieces of sushi, and small rolls (PLUS the things mentioned above), making it easy to mix and match 2 or 3 different things into a $10 lunch with a lot of variety.  They also have a few salads in the $4-5 range that looked pretty good.

3.  Did I mention the variety?  One of the things they have, which I really like, is this variety box for under $7 that had 3 different pieces from 4 different rolls.  For the person who hates to chose one kind of roll.  Good stuff.

4.  They have a non-mayo version of spicy tuna roll.  This may come as a surprise to some, but if you are eating sushi because it’s “healthy” or low fat, the secret ingredient that makes a spicy tuna roll so creamy and tasty, is mayo (no authentic Japanese secret sauce here).  Sorry to disappoint, but it looks like you won’t have to swear off Spicy Tuna rolls completely thanks to Naruto’s really tasty mayo-less spicy tuna roll.  The best part is, fat guys don’t need boycott…  they still have the regular mayo filled spicy tuna roll, PLUS extra little containers filled with spicy mayo, just for you!

5.  They don’t do the fake out, half roll thing that almost every Midtown Deli sushi bar does.  The rolls at Naruto are normal height, unlike places like Variety Cafe or Food Emporium where you open up your package only to find that the rolls are half the height of a normal sushi roll.  It must be some sort of optical illusion and it drives me crazy!  Naruto, thankfully, doesn’t play those games.

6. Free Miso Soup to the first 30 customers of the day.  Not sure how they keep count, but I’m guessing if you get there before 12:30, you won’t have a problem.

7.  Finally, and the biggest plus of all- TEMPURA ROLLS!  The complete nutritional opposite of the mayoless spicy tuna roll, and something I have never seen at a cheap, takeout sushi place or Midtown Deli sushi bar.  Is there a better way to deal with a roll of sushi made from cheap fish than breading the whole damn thing in tempura batter and deep frying it!?!  Not sold on it?  On one of the days I was there, they had free samples of the tempura roll available on top of the fridge.  I partook, and enjoyed it very much.  I will return to Naruto, if for no other reason than the tempura rolls.  (In case you are wondering, they are cold- but cold tempura roll is better than no tempura roll!)

With any cheap sushi, there’s going to be negatives, and Naruto is no different…

1.  The rice.  Anytime you take sushi rolls, and refrigerate them the rice is almost always going to suffer.  This rice is no different.  It doesn’t taste as plasticky as a lot of deli sushi, but it does sort of solidify into a chilled rock of rice surrounding the fish.  You can tell it’s been sitting in a fridge. 

2.  The fish. Despite being attached to a fancy sushi restaurant, Naruto is a cheap offshoot, so they use cheap fish.  It’s not even the best cheap fish there is in Midtown, but it’s not terrible either.

3.  It looks a little better than it tastes.  (In other words, go in with low expectations, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.)

All in all the positives outweigh the negatives enough that Naruto will have alot of fans in Midtown, but the negatives are enough for me to continue my neverending quest for good, cheap sushi in Midtown.  We keep getting closer, but we’re not there yet.

Naruto, 12 E 49th St. (btw. Mad+5th)

But, sometimes you have to sacrifice to have a fun lunch with friends, or a big group of co-workers…  and Burger Heaven is a perfect place for that.  Despite the price, there is something for everyone, and room for big parties, if you get there early enough.  They must be doing something right, because Burger Heaven has been around for 60 years, and now has 5 locations in Midtown.

The burgers are actually similarly priced to the other places in Midtown ($6.25) before you start adding stuff like cheese and french fries (and tax & tip), but I ignored all this in favor of the Patty Melt- my favorite kind of hamburger, and a stand out on any menu.  The Patty Melt is pretty basic when you think about it… it’s just a cheeseburger on rye bread with grilled onions- but difficult for many places to make, because you need rye bread, and a griddle- something that many of the new specialty burger places don’t have (Burger Joint, GoodBurger, etc.).  So for a good old fashioned Patty Melt, you need a place like Burger Heaven.

The Patty Melt, and +/- after the jump… 

I actually prefer a seeded rye, but the plain rye tasted just fine…. AND for some unknown reason it doesn’t come with grilled onions.  But that problem was quickly solved when I was informed that you can get grilled onions for FREE on any burger @ Burger Heaven- a nice touch!  The key to the Patty Melt is the whole thing is placed on a griddle, grilled cheese style, making the whole thing disgustingly delicious.  You may say the secret ingredient is grease.

This one did not disappoint.  The combo of rye bread, cheese, grilled onions and nicely cooked medium rare burger is a bone-a-fide winner.  Despite being $10.45 (a little out of my price range for Midtown Lunch purposes), it was really enjoyable- and came with french fries and cole slaw.  Mentally, I think I prefer fries to come with the meal.  For some reason, I’ll order a $10 lunch- and rationalize it by saying “It came with fries & slaw”, but if you charged me $7 for the burger, and $3 for the fries, mentally, it feels worse (i.e. Prime Burger, which is actually a lot cheaper than Burger Heaven, and has a cooler atmosphere- but no Patty Melt).

All in all, I wouldn’t classify this as a Midtown Lunch, but if you want a Burger in a sit down, old school diner-like atmosphere, and don’t mind paying the price- there is probably a Burger Heaven near you.  And if you want something you can’t get at the rest of the burger places in Midtown- order up the Patty Melt.  Just make sure you get there early… they fill up quick.

THE +

• Good if you are looking for a sit down burger lunch in a diner atmosphere
• Burgers are cooked properly (I ordered it Medium Rare and it came Medium Rare)
• They have a patty melt
• Grilled Onions free on anything!
• Something for everyone, if you are going with a big group of co-workers.  Veggie burger, chicken sandwich, salads, and hot meals.
• There are 5 Midtown locations, so chances are, there is one near your office
• It’s pretty quick for a sit down place (as long as you get there early)

THE -

• Price, Price & Price
• Gets pretty crowded at certain locations if you get there later than 12:15-12:30
• Some people think the service is rushed, and rude (but if you have a 1 hour lunch, it is welcomed)
• Did I mention price? 
• Prime Burger has got more soul… (and is a little cheaper).

 

Burger Heaven, Multiple Locations (menu)

• 9 E. 53rd St. (btw. Mad+5th) , 212-752-0340
• 20 E. 49th St. (btw. Mad+5th), 212-755-2166
• 536 Madison Ave. (btw. 54+55th), 212-753-4214
• 291 Madison Ave. (41+42nd), 212-685-6250
• 804 Lexington Ave. (btw. 61+62nd), 212-838-3580