One of the reason that I love living in the East 60′s is because it puts me in relatively close proximity to Katagiri market on East 59th street. I’m aware that they get all of their pre-made sushi and Japanese food such as tempura, soba noodles, bento boxes, rice bowls etc from Chiyoda Sushi in midtown but who cares when it tastes to good and Chiyoda Sushi doesn’t come close to carrying the wealth of authentic Japanese groceries that Katagiri does. I’ll break it down, at Katagiri you can easily find tons of different Japanese: noodles, sauces, freshly made pastries, produce, salads (octopus, mushroom, clam, squid etc), candy, snacks, fresh and frozen fish, beef, poultry, ice cream, canned goods, seaweed, rice, beer, soda, juice, baked goods and I’m sure that I’m missing more than a few categories. They even have a gift shop next door where you can find all sorts of non food related Japanese products.

To round everything out, some of the sweetest people in the world work at Katagiri and they love helping you out. Add a microwave for the customers, a bar you can stand and eat it as well as an ever changing selection of food from Chiyoda that might include grilled salmon and pumpkin salad on any given day or fried chicken with an incredible potato salad the next and you’ve got one of the best Japanese grocery store in NYC.

Here’s just a few of the things I’ve purchased at Katagiri over the past month or so, the approximate price and what I’ve thought of the items.

Potato Salad (approx $2.50) – So maybe I’m nuts, but I find this to be one of the creamiest potato salads that I’ve ever had in my life. To call it potato salad is almost unfair, it’s more like a perfectly seasoned version of cold whipped potatoes with paper thin ribbons of carrots and celery thrown in for good measure. It is excellent and partners with the fried chicken in a wonderful fashion, add an ice cold Sapporo into the mix and you’re in heaven.

Light Cheese Cake (approx $1.95) – I wasn’t a huge fan of this as it literally was so light that it really did feel like it melted in my mouth and was very much unlike the cheesecakes and danishes that we’re used to in this country. Of course we’re also all gluttons.

(Orange Jelly Drink? Approx $2.00) – I think that there are a few Asian cultures that really seem rather obsessed with chunks of aloe vera or jelly floating around in beverages. Sometimes I like them and sometimes I don’t and I think that I found this to be one of the more enjoyable “jelly” drinks that I’ve had.

(Grapefruit Juice approx $3.00) – I’ve had this a few times and I really like it a lot. It keeps longer than freshly squeezed grapefruit juice but tastes exactly the same which is sort of weird but far be it from me to challenge Japanese innovation….

(Sapporo 100th Anniversary Soda? Approx $2.29) – This taste a lot like plain Ramune to me (the soda with the marble) which basically is a lemon lime soda not much unlike Sprite.

(Nong Shim Hot & Spicy Ramen Noodles $1.19) – Whenever I make ramen I like to add a whole egg, crushed peanuts and fresh cilantro. I had neither cilantro or peanuts around so I simply added a whole raw egg to the piping hot soup and gave it a good stir which gives the noodles and broth a wonderful silky texture.

(Freezer Pops $2.45) – These are basically the exact same thing as those sticks of sugar water that come plastic sealed in big boxes that you put in the freezer for low cost frozen ices. The difference is that these taste a whole lot better, have more colorful packaging and can be snapped in half which makes them more difficult to eat. Do not ask me why.

(Hawaii Kona Blended Iced Coffee With Milk Approx $1) – I forgot to mention that Katagiri has a great selection of canned coffee beverages that includes this one which is one of my favorites. It basically tastes like fresh brewed coffee with a shit load of milk and sugar thrown in for good measure.

(Mushroom Salad Approx $3) I mentioned the mushroom salad before and here it is. Mushrooms marinated in soy sauce, sugar and chili oil, a great compliment to any meal.

(Orange Drink Approx $2.50) Not much to say here, sort of like orange Hi-C.

(Katagiri Regular Sushi Set Approx $10) – As I mentioned before, the sushi comes straight from Chiyoda and they usually sell a smaller and larger box. This set included pieces of tuna, squid, salmon, toro, roe, egg and eel sushi as well as a California roll. Looks are little deceiving here because the sushi is cut on bias and therefore the pieces of fish appear bigger than they really are but it’s still a good deal and a nice meal.

(Salad Approx $2.50) – You can pick up a nice little salad at Katagiri that comes with a delicious sesame vinagrette

(Tuong Ot Toi Viet-Nam Chili Garlic Sauce Approx $4) – I love this Vietnamese chili sauce and Katagiri always has tons of bottles available, they also have a great selection of Asian hot sauces and pastes in general

(Suntory Lemon Soda Approx $2.50) Can’t go nuts here. It is what it says it is, tart lemon soda made by Suntory

(Sour Plum Sushi Approx $1.50) This is a piece of sour plum in a triangular bed of sushi rice and nori. It’s more filling than it looks and a delicious snack that costs less than $2.

(Gori Gori Kun Soda Ice Bar Approx $5) I fucking love these. Forget about these pops having the dopest box of all time but these literally taste like lemon lime soda pops that come in a blue color. American trashy ice pops have nothing on their Japanese counterparts.

There are a ton of great markets in NYC and I have so many more to feature in these bi-monthly posts but Katagiri is special and a must visit for any real of fan of either Japanese food or just the culture in general.

Katagiri & Co – 224 East 59th Street (Between 3rd & Lexington Avenues) NY, 10022, (212) 755-3566