Andy D'Amico, owner/chef of his Manhattan restaurants Nice Matin, Marseille, Nizza and 5 Napkin Burger crossed the 59th Street Bridge into a Queens neighborhood known as Astoria with his third 5 Napkin Burger venue. Where better than to place a 50's style upscale burger joint than across the street from both the Museum of the Moving Image and Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, let alone just down the block from a movie theatre.
There seems to always be someone at the glass entrance door to open it and extend a happy greeting. The inside looks as if the building was once a warehouse with the exposed ceiling of pipes and floor that looks like old tiles from perhaps the 30's. 50's and 60's music echos about and so loud that I was unable to communicate with the person across from me.
What really counts is the food and just like D'Amico's other restaurants my expectations were met.
Burgers, fries and beer is the hype here as there is an extensive beer menu of many of which I had never even heard of. I skipped that and went to the food.
Although the 5 Napkin Burger name conjures up nothing but chopped meat, the bill of fare sports plenty of seafood including Sushi Maki Rolls. The menu is the menu and the only special is a Maki roll that is not listed. Last night soft shell crab was the highlight. One other that I chose was the California Rainbow of king crab, mango and cucumber on the inside; tuna, salmon, yellow tail and avocado on the outside.
I have had deep fried pickles before but in a restaurant with a "deep south" cuisine. The house made pickles here are deep fried with pastrami! They then sit atop sauerkraut and a mustard oil. A true appetizing deli delight!
As far as the burgers, it's not limited to the fresh ground chuck as you also have a choice of turkey, tuna and lamb as well. Most burger starred restaurants will have sliders of the ground chuck. Here their sliders consist of Maine lobster, 5N Mayo, scallions and cucumbers.
5 Napkin Burger wouldn't be there nom de plume without their signature 10-ouncer with caramelized onions, gruyere cheese, and rosemary ailio, served on a soft roll and of course, with fries! They have some tasty buns, but if you prefer there is the Inside Out that is wrapped in lettuce with tomato and 5N sauce.
Dessert time! Hey, if you're having a burger and fries you must have a shake or float. I indulged in their black and white shake noticing a different flavor and texture from your average ice cream shake. Let's just say that they use a cream that is more of a creme. Esther and Eunice stopped in and I shared this cold gushy glee with them.
I only got a shake of the shake as Esther and Eunice slurped it up. Hey it was two against one!
So I order this 7 layer devil's food cake with chocolate frosting. It's not my usual dessert as I'm come to experience that the looks of a chocolate cake never seems to match the taste. Surprise! First, they use a French chocolate and second, the butter cream frosting is not sugary sweet...and neither is the cake. And, no, this is not served with fries.
FYI, they said that everything on the menu is made on the premises...accept for the ice cream.
The address is 35-01 36th Street, which means that it's located on the corner of 35th Avenue and 36th Street, just a few blocks off of Steinway Street, for those who are familiar with Astoria.
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