Natsumi Awards

Natsumi Restaurant Review:

With the minimalist Zen-like décor of this Midtown eatery, it’s hard to anticipate the menu surprise that awaits the diner. Natsumi is no ordinary sushi joint. That’s because it actually bills itself as an Italian-Japanese restaurant. Case in point: the sushi pizza, loaded with crab or tuna or seared salmon (and accompanied by cheeses); it doesn’t pair so well, but we get the sentiments. Fortunately, many of the specialty rolls do succeed. The Fortissimo (seared salmon with avocado and peperoncino), Doppio Toro (salmon, yellowtail, asparagus and pesto), and the house Natsumi roll (spicy tuna, avocado and basil) are all surprisingly harmonious. If Japan and Italy were ever to collide, the culinary mix very well may look something like this. And our taste buds would certainly welcome it.