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With more than 60 locations in Japan, Sushiden knew its way around a sushi knife long before it brought its expertise to Midtown. The interior is brightly lit, with caramel-colored furnishings. The minimalist focus underscores the fact that food is the focal point. Japanese families and European travelers predominate in the dining area; livelier action is reserved for the sushi bar, where most meals you'll find an enthusiastic crowd of Japanese businessmen. Sushi and sashimi predominate here; there’s only a handful of entrées. Thick cuts of unagi are grilled just short of crispness, with the eel's flavor sealed in by a soy and rice wine sauce. American crowd-pleasing standbys are available and done well—the thick slabs of salmon, for instance, are coated with a subtle spackling of wasabi between rice and fish. But unlike other Americanized places, Sushiden concentrates, in its rolls, on one ingredient—you won't find fusion rolls here. Here, too, is a subtle appreciation of proportion: buttery sea bream is perfectly balanced on a narrow rectangle of rice. Tamago comes in a large portion that's sweet without being ingratiating. The spicy tuna hand roll is red-hot, with thick, tender chunks of fish packed into a chewy seaweed cone. The fish and seafood here are universally fresh and top-grade, providing neophyte sushi diners the opportunity to find out what sushi and sashimi are really supposed to taste like. — Ethan Wolff

Eel sushi, $4; spicy tuna cut roll, $9.50; sushi assortment, $22-$35.50