Mitsuwa Marketplace: Eating Authentic Japanese Just Got Easier | Global Eats NYC

Mitsuwa Marketplace: Eating Authentic Japanese Just Got Easier

Posted on 12.5.10
Features, Japanese, Markets
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By Jordan Shakeshaft

It’s not hard to find great sushi in New York. But for a true taste of Japan and all its traditional flavors, I heard there was only one place to go. Just 20 minutes from Manhattan, Mitsuwa Marketplace offers some of the rarest Japanese imports, from fresh wasabi and yuzu to nearly a hundred different varieties of fish flown in from Japan.

Mitsuwa also hosts a monthly gourmet food festival, where a dozen elite chefs from Hokkaido, Osaka, Tokyo and Kyoto come together to share their favorite delicacies, desserts and street foods. Seasonality is an important emphasis in every dish, and this fall that includes an abundance of salted salmon, savory chestnuts, and sweet, aromatic fruits like Japanese persimmons and Nashi pears.

The festival draws close to 5,000 visitors a day, from local foodies to recent Japanese émigrés of all ages, searching for an authentic taste of home. With store manager Takayuki Ono as my guide, I sampled some tasty dishes among Japan’s lesser-known specialties, including rice balls (omusubi) and potato croquettes (korokke).

Produced by Jordan Shakeshaft
Shot by Perry Santanachote

Mitsuwa Marketplace
595 River Rd., Edgewater, NJ 07020
(201) 941-9113
website: http://www.mitsuwa.com/tenpo/newj/eindex.html
Store Hours: Every day 9:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

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