JAPAN VILLAGE OPEN IN BROOKLYN’S INDUSTRY CITY

If you ever traveled to Japan and want to feel nostalgic, there is village of food that will spark that “kid in a candy store” experience. A Japanese food and drink marketplace with authentic Japanese food stalls and New York City’s largest Japanese grocery store, tofu market, fish market and meat market recently opened in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn and still expanding.  Known as Japan Village, said to be a 20,000 square-foot, it is a totally authentic Japanese marketplace. 

 

Owners Tony and Takuya Yoshida, who leased the space in Industry City, had it designed to make us feel as though we stepped into a traditional Japanese village square as you enter the doors of 934 3^rd Avenue. 

Japan Village is divided into four sections, featuring: Sunrise Market, the Japanese grocery store; 11 food stalls, and both Kuracihi, a Japanese liquor store located in an adjacent building along with the near future Wakuwaku, a full scale restaurant. 

Sunrise Mart features a foodie’s paradise of frozen and packaged proteins as well as frozen and fresh vegetables. Shelves are lined with all the groceries you would need to prepare your own authentic Japanese meal including drinks and desserts.  Go up to the meat market, upcoming fish market and tofu market and give them your requests.   

Trying to take it all in, I did a “walk through” of Sunrise Mart, promising myself to return with at the least one insulated bag. 

  

There appeared to be an ample amount of table seating at the food court.  I did, however, go there at about noon on a weekday.  A courtyard is just outside the door and may well work for those days that the weather permits you to hang out.  

With eleven vendors in the food court area, here are the ones that I sampled.  Obentoyasan has daily-made bentos and made-to-order onigiri, featuring different Japanese rice. I was most interested in the miso soup station. You choose a red, white or mixed miso and variety of toppings such as: scallion, fried or soft bean curd, chicken, pork, and burdock.  Basis soup costs $3 and each topping is fifty cents more.  I went for the white miso with chicken and tofu.  Miso soup was not salty or made from a packaged mix. 

Hachi : Japanese street food, takoyaki (octopus balls), yakisoba (pan-fried noodles), taiyaki (fish-shaped sweets filled with red bean), and obanyaki (round cakes with assorted fillings), of which I indulged in, made with octopus, cabbage, shrimp and scallop.  Hiroshima style prepares one with cabbage, tempura flakes, dried bonito flakes, red pickled ginger and yakisoba noodles. 

Shokusaido : Japanese appetizers, including agedashi tofu, hijiki seaweed salad, and salmon nanbanzuke. The shop serves traditional tempura, and an assorted mix of Japanese croquettes, fried chicken, fried mackerel, and french-fries with Japanese dips such as mentaikomayo.  I sampled the hijiki seaweed salad that is simmered in a sweet soy sauce as well as Kinpira Gobo, a container of braised burdock root and carrot, in a buttery soy sauce.  Both were addicting-ly delicious.  

Café Japon is a bakery with Japanese bread and cakes crafted on-site, as well as teas, matcha lattes, and drip coffee. They actually grind the matcha tea leaves to prepare your tea rather than a product already in powder form.   I indulged in a matcha latte and did my own ceremony.  They sell bread and pastries that are already packaged or you can choose one from their case.  I chose the tiramisu with green tea topping.  So….good.  Brought home packaged Green Tea cookie custard and what is called “melon bread.”  It resembles a pastry shaped into a sort of “melon.”  Slightly sweet, crunchy and soft, I chose one topped with chocolate chips.  What? I’m a chocoholic! 

When I return I will pig out…errr…sample some of the other vendors, such as Gohei, a soba and udon noodle shop, which has their own sit down counter.  You to view the production of the buckwheat and flour noodles on-site.  Nothing like having the noodles freshly made in front of you.  The menu changes, but basically, a base soup of fish and seaweed broth with either of the noodles, costs $8.  Add mountain vegetables and wakame for $2, washugyu (premium beef) for $3 or gyusuji (beef tendon) for $5. 

If you prefer ramen noodles, there is Ramen Setagaya.  Choose from either the vegan or pork (tonkotsu) bone broth.  A classic tonkotsu contains: two pieces of chashu (pork belly), bamboo shoots, scallions and seaweed at a price of $12.  Homemade pork gyoza (dumplings) are also sold $5 for five.  

Moriya  is a rice bowl shop serving gyudon (washugyu beef bowl), Japanese curry, shogayaki (pork ginger), oyakodon (chicken and egg bowl), katsu-don (chicken or pork cutlet with egg bowl), vegetarian rice bowl and more.  A plain vegetable curry using either white or brown rice costs $8.00.  

Mika N’ Momo : Japanese juice and salad bar, featuring fresh vegetables including shiso (a sort of Japanese basil), mizuna (said to taste a bit like arugula), kabocha (a winter squash), mitsuba (parsley type vegetable) and komatsuna (a mustard spinach).

Brooklyn Steak & Lobster : Teppanyaki steak and lobster is yet to open.  Here is the info given. “The steak cuts will be wagyu, washugyu, or premium beef, and each steak will be served with Japanese condiments including ponzu with daikon, soy sauce with fresh wasabi, and yuzu kosho pepper. The lobster will be served with various condiments including soy sauce butter and yuzu butter.”

Also coming soon is Wakuwaku a restaurant that will serve “Japanese tapas, from grilled chicken skewers, to sashimi, to gyoza dumplings, and additional eats paired with specialty beverages. The cocktail bar will serve local craft beers and specialty cocktails.” 

Japan Village’s liquor store, Kuraichi, will exclusively feature alcohol from Japan with a focus on sake, Japanese whisky and wine. 

Japan Village is accessible by subway and bus.  However, the ferry nyc has a stop at Sunset Park.  It’s a 15 minute trip from Rockaway or along the Brooklyn run from Wall St to Astoria.  You can either walk the mile after or take a bus.  Taking the car? Parking on the premises is free for two hours if you make a purchase of $50 or more.  Have the ticket validated. 

 

Japan Village is open every day from 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM. For further information go to www.japanvillage.com

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE SEA KIND

Experience the motion and emotion of the ocean without gear or even getting wet as National Geographic Encounter presents Ocean Odyssey.  Featuring immersive walks through simulated environments from the South Pacific to the coast of California, you encounter up close marine life that include: humpback whales, giant squids, sharks, and coral reefs.  The process is done through photo-real animation, giant screens and interactive technology that are not just for kids.  

 

Purchase a timed ticket as the encounter is run by a tour guide as you go room to room, each using a different way of experiencing the marine life.  It begins with two tri-screens that give you an introduction followed by instructions from the tour guide. 

Enter the first room where you are standing at the bottom of the ocean looking at a huge screen. Your steps will produce a puddle but that’s all. You may want to step on the horseshoe crabs, but would you do that if you were in the ocean?  View the ocean through the video photography of someone else that did the swimming.  There is both a voice giving you description as well as the guide providing extra information. 

If you ever wanted to know about coral, you don’t need to go to a reef.  There are several screens in this room with both video and still photography.  Colors and types were amazing to the eyes.  If you actually touch coral, we are told that it will die.  You can however, feed it krill and they will open up. 

We also learn the importance of krill.  According to National Geographic, “The lowly krill averages only about two inches in length, but it represents a giant-sized link in the global food chain. These small, shrimp-like crustaceans are essentially the fuel that runs the engine of the Earth’s marine ecosystems.”
“Krill feed on phytoplankton, microscopic, single-celled plants that drift near the ocean’s surface and live off carbon dioxide and the sun’s rays. They in turn are the main staple in the diets of literally hundreds of different animals, from fish, to birds, to baleen whales. Simply put, many oceanic life forms depend on krill.”

If you’ve ever eaten calamari you may think twice upon what you dine on when you experience a movie devoted to giant squid and view a squid fight during an open ocean at night. 

Don a pair of 3-D glasses for another oceanic movie that takes place at a different ocean.  Therefore you will not see the same marine life as any of the other videos.  Remember, each of these large videos has both an audio accompaniment as well as the guide offering further information. 

One room provides a chance for total relaxation as you take a seat and close your eyes on this video that is meant to have you experience the sounds of the marine life. See if you can pick out the sea creatures by the sounds.  
 
You’ve probably never seen kelp like going into a “funhouse” mirrored maze that appears as an underwater “cathedral.”  Children will love it! Adults will have a good time, too.  Again, there is much information given to you prior to your entering.  

One of the final rooms has interactive sea lions.  You stand on a large round spot where you view one of them. They will do tricks as they respond to the movements of your hand. There are many of these displays and each of the sea lions is programmed to do certain tricks.  

As you ascend the ramps, take in information and photos of various sharks, dolphin and murres as well as learning about the life of schools of anchovies. You know, those little salty fish you put in salad or on top of pizza. Due to the small size of these fish, they gather in schools and form a circle to make them appear much larger to their predators.  In the meantime, you can also view the names and information about the photographers who have contributed to the Encounter.  

You have now left the guided portion of the experience where you are met with a photographer who will take a souvenir photo in front of a screen and if you want have it transferred to various backgrounds (For a cost, of course).
There is, however, another opportunity that is free of charge. You now enter a room that has some interactive displays which allows you to spend as much time as you wish.  There is a focus on cleaning up the ocean in this area. Take a pledge to do something that is environmentally healthy such as pledging not to use plastic that winds up in the ocean.  You will get your photo taken and be able to email it to yourself.  In addition, there is a wall that displays your photo and what you pledged.  

Give your feedback on your experience on a piece of a puzzle. Play with holograms.  Your final room is a gallery that has a display of photos and photographers.  

Yes, there is a gift shop. All is meant to bring science to life. It is an experience you may never have “sean” before. 

 
National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey is located at 226 W. 44^th  Street.  Tickets are at various prices depending upon if you want a one-day visit, VIP access or family package of 4. The guided portion of the tour takes about an hour.  Tel: 646-308-1337.  Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 10:00am-9:00pm; Friday & Saturday, 10:00am-10:00pm

Fridays after 4pm on January 11th, 18th and 25^th, Sundays after 4pm on January 6th, 13th and 27^th, warm up your weekend at Encounter and enjoy Sip n’ Sea – a complimentary glass of wine or non-alcoholic beverage after your adventure across the Pacific. Valid for every admission on the noted Fridays and Sundays after 4PM. No code required. Blackout dates may apply and hours subject to change. 

FISHING FOR A CHRISTMAS FEAST

Celebrated by Italian-American families across the U.S., the Feast of Seven Fishes recognizes the wait for the midnight birth of Jesus, also known as the Vigilia di Natale. It is typical for the family to gather around a feast of seven different seafood dishes a few different types of fish prepared in seven different ways.

Each of about 20 regions in Italy have their own culinary tradition for the cena della Vigilia, or Christmas Eve dinner. For example, families in Piemonte celebrate with agnolotti, fresh pasta filled with meat; in Sardegna, you can expect malloreddus, small semolina gnocchi usually served in a sauce with tuna and fresh cherry tomatoes and in Roma, the tradition calls for minestra di pesce, fish-based soup.

How did this all come about?  The ancient tradition of eating fish on Christmas Eve seems to date from a Roman Catholic custom of abstaining from meat and dairy products on the eve of certain holidays that include Christmas.  The number seven,  can be connected to multiple Catholic symbols such as that seven seems be repeated more than 700 times in the Bible. In addition, according to the Roman Catholic Church, seven are the sacraments, the deadly sins, and the days of the Creation. 

 

Enough with the history.  Let’s get to the fish.  People tend to confuse the word “seafood” and “fish.”  When I ask someone if they like “fish” and they say that they don’t will give a positive response to seafood such as shrimp and lobster, which are shellfish.   Seafood is all that comes from the sea. 

There has been a recent findings by the New York State Attorney General in which fish are being mislabeled.  For instance, there a difference between wild-caught salmon and farm raised salmon.  Farm-raised salmon is generally fatty, mild in flavor, and a soft pink-orange hue.  

Wild salmon will give you a stronger salmon-y flavor and color, more red-orange than pink producing one that more savory. Why mislabel it? The price of wild-caught is much higher than farm-raised.  

Red Snapper is another fraud.  There are many fish that look it but not the real thing and the mislabeling seems to be happening in supermarkets.  The third one is swai sold as lemon sole.  

Fish markets that sell only seafood and not groceries, and produce, are your best bet especially ones that have a long reputation for being true and being fresh.  Who better to get information about the fish and the feast but from Vincent Marinello the co-owner owner of Crossbay Seashell Fish Market, located at 161-14 Crossbay Blvd. in Howard Beach.  “My family comes from a small fishing village in Sicily called Sciacca,” said Vinny. “As a teen my dad (Luigi) would work on a fishing boat along with his brothers. He would be out at sea for days and at times for weeks. My uncle retired around 10 years ago, and sold his share of the business to Pat Marotta, who is currently my partner.”

Walk into the market and you’ll view dozens of fish filet under the glass case.  Up front is where the whole fish, and much of the shellfish is resting on ice. “We purchase the majority of our fish at the Hunts Point Market in the Bronx. The whole fish that we carry is Florida red snapper, bronzino, porgies, brook trout, whiting, flounder, mackerel, salmon, sea bass, and others that are seasonal. Pat normally goes to the market 2 to 3 times per week”

One other thing to take not of is when you buy fish that is labeled “frozen and thawed.”  You should never refreeze it and that includes shrimp. Other than items shown in the freezer section, all of the fish is fresh. 

Let’s get to some thoughts on the Feast.  Lobster fra diavolo (spicy lobster with pasta in tomato sauce) is a very popular dish that adds sole (vs soul) topped with olives, shrimps, scallops and mussels. You will have to go elsewhere for the pastas and Italian bread.   

Beat whole fish idea is to roast a whole branzino with fennel, onions white wine, thyme and zest of an orange. Vinny or Pat will clean the branzino for you.

How about Stuffed Calamari with claw Crab meat?  The high quality meat is sold in a can.  Just talk to the guys and they will take care of what you need as well as telling you how to cook it. You can set up a cocktail appetizer using a cluster of snow crab.   

If you’re looking for a one dish inclusive, head to Mama’s of Corona as Irene is preparing a great cold seafood salad that will most likely take care of seven fishes.  The deli is located at 46-02 104^th  Street.  What is a feast without dessert?  Head for Mama’s Backyard Café, located at 46-10 104^th St., for all you pastries and breads.  With Irene cooking her heart out at their deli she also prepares her delicious marinara sauce and that’s one less thing for you to do.  HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

FIDLER AFN DAKHWAS IS THE TRUE FIDDLER ON THE ROOF by Merle Exit

A Fiddler on the Roof. Sounds meshuga, no?  National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene is presenting a fresh Yiddish version of one of the most famous Broadway shows with both Yiddish and Russian translations at the Museum of Jewish Heritage.  This is the first time that this production has been staged in the US and who more perfect to direct it than Joel Grey. The title of the production appears as “Fidler Afn Dakhwas.”

Having been seated I viewed the stage to see: a small pile of tables on the left and three hanging curtains that gave an appearance that they were made of a light brown cloth. The middle one had large letters written in Yiddish.  I have learned that the difference in lettering from Hebrew is that Yiddish lettering does not have the Hebrew vowels.  It spelled out the word “Torah,” the five books of Hebrew scripture, or more widely known as the Five Books of Moses.  An orchestra sat directly behind the curtains. 

It was at this point that I checked out the program first noticing an important message. “Sheldon Harnick’s lyrics and Joseph Stein’s book for Fiddler On The Roof were translated into Yiddish by Shraga Friedman, a native of Warsaw who emigrated to the Land of Israel at the outbreak of World War II. Friedman became a well-known director, actor and translator who appeared in many films and on the stage of Habima, the national theater of Israel.”

“Fidler Afn Dakhwas first performed in Israel in 1965. This production marks the premiere in the United States. The translation directly quotes Sholom Aleichem’s original stories of “Tevye the Dairy Man”’ most notably during Tevye’s quotations (and misquotations) of the scriptures. Occasionally you will note slight departures from the familiar words of the English language text. Translating is an art form in and of itself. In order to match Harnick’s brilliant rhyme scheme, the meter of Jerry Bock’s unforgettable tunes and Joseph Stein’s rich idioms, Friedman sometimes needed to alter the literal meaning of a line, in order to preserve the emotional spirit.”

“For example, the beloved song ‘If I Were a Rich Man’ is translated by Shraga Friedman as ‘Ven Ikh Bin a Rotshild’ (If I Were a Rothschild). This not only fits in perfectly with the meter of the song, but also invokes the title of another well-known Sholom Aleichem story and employs a commonly used Yiddish expression which indeed means ‘If I were a rich man.’”

“The artistic team has decided to share these variances with you in the supertitle translations in order to maintain consistency between what you are hearing in Yiddish and how it is translated back into English and Russian.”

Translations in both Yiddish and Russian appeared on the left and right sides at the top of the stage.  Each of the musical numbers gives the title in Yiddish along with the English title in parenthesis.  In case you never saw the production or movie, the play is set in Russia, 1905 and based on tales from the author Sholem Aleichhem.  

The show begins as Der Fidler appears and perks herself atop the tables.  This is the first time I have seen a woman cast as the Fiddler. She actually comes onto the stage and plays the fiddle several times during the performance, which kind of makes more sense to the title.  

Out comes Tevye to perform Traditsye (Tradition) as we meet the entire cast.  Tevye is portrayed by a quite talented Steven Skybell who captures the character perfectly being “larger than life” but without overdoing it playing the role more intense and solemn in both acting and singing.  Skybell is not new to Broadway or Fiddler as he had the role of Lazar Wolf in the 2015 revival. My guess is that he will be well-known for this role. 

Golde (Jennifer Babiak) was well cast. Although she gave an excellent performance, I couldn’t help but notice that her costume seemed to make her appear as if she escaped from the Sound of Music, looking like a nun. 

While Emmy-nominated stage veteran Jackie Hoffman does not work with the Yiddish Theater, she was the feature performer playing the role of Yenta, one which requires both humor and great facial expressions. 

As for the rest of the cast, it’s just easy enough to say that the caliber was as if you had seen it on Broadway. Singing, dancing, acting…all great.  What I particularly noticed is that this production is not played for laughs but is certainly not void of humor. Kudos to Joel Grey.  

My favorite production in Fidler is Der Kholem (The Dream) of which Tevye concocts in order to tell Golde that their daughter, Hodl, is going to marry Motl Kamzoyl (Ben Liebert) rather than the verbally agreed upon butcher Leyzer-Wolf. 

Musical Numbers:  Act I: Traditsye (Tradition); Shadkhnte, Shadkhnte, (Matchmaker, Matchmaker); Ven Ikhbein a Rotshild; Shabes Brokhe (Sabbath Prayer); Lekhayim (To Life, Lekhayim); Es Kumt a Tog (Any Day Now); Zey Hobn Zikh Gegebn Dos Vort (They Made Each Other a Pledge); Nisimlikh-Veniflo’oys (Miracle of Miracles); Der Kholem (The Dream); Tog-ayn, Tog-oys; (Sunrise, Sunset).  

Act II: Itst Hob Ikh Di Gantse Velt (Now I Have Everything); Tevyes Entfer (Tevye’s Rebuttal); Libst Mikh, Sertse? (Do You Love Me?); Der Klang (The Rumor); Vayt Fun Mayn Liber Heym (Far From the Home I Love); Khavele (Khavele); Anatevke (Anatevke).  

Even though this production is more intimate than its Broadway version, none of the characters are missing and each of the dance numbers did not lack due to size.  Most impressive are Lekhayim (To Life, Lekhavyim) and the Bottle Dance performed during the wedding. We have to thank Stas Kmiec who both choreographed and staged the musical numbers.  It is also apparent that not having a celebrity “Broadway name” detracts from the shear talent that goes into this awesome presentation.  

The orchestra, conducted by Zalmen Mlotek, consisted of: trumpets, bass, flute, alto flute, trombone, cello, guitar/mandolin, drums/percussion, accordion, and violin along with the clarinet Klezmer soloist, D. Zisl Slepovitch, who made a few appearances on the stage. Costumes are most authentic wearing “shtetl” clothing. 

 

I have seen Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway as well as the movie version.  I have even acted the part of Yenta in Community Theater and as Golde in a Dinner Theatre production.  Fidler Afn Dakhwas has been the best I’ve experienced and from the sound of the audience, they too agree.

With so much anti-semitism presently existing, expect many tears to shed, especially towards the end. “Our forefathers have been forced out of many, many places at a moment’s notice.” Tevye responds: “Maybe that’s why we always wear our hats.”

Museum of Jewish Heritage, located in Battery Park City is the present venue, running until December 30. It will transfer uptown to off-Broadway’s Stage 42 (422 W 42nd St.) where it will begin previews on Monday, February 11, 2019 and open officially on Thursday, February 21, 2019.  Some of the cast members will change.