The Meadow

The Meadow
523 Hudson St.
New York, NY 10014

New York is undergoing a spice revolution. Rather, a spice revelation.

A couple recently opened stores have recently focused on spices as the centerpiece of their retail concepts. First, there is Lyor Cohen's La Boite a Epice, his spice market in a remote part of Hell's Kitchen, and now Mark and Jenny Bitterman's The Meadow, a small nook in the heart of the West Village, that features salt, but also chocolate, flowers, and bitters.

The eclectic collection of items in the store may seem haphazard at first, but as explained by the saleswoman, why not surround yourself with things that you love most?

The salt selection ranges from flake salts (which are great for fresh vegetables and salads) to coarser salts (red meats, root vegetables) to fleur de sel (light and medium-bodied flavored foods). The chocolates are from single-source artisans like Michel Cluziel to more interesting combinations like milk chocolate with tortilla chips and lime. For the mixology inclined, the Meadow has probably the most extensive selection of bitters in the city, carrying Angostura, Fee's, and Peychauds, to more obscure, harder-to-find brands like Boker's. Bitterman's (unsurprisingly) has his own line of bitters as well.

You are even inclined to taste samples of salt (and bitters). After tasting through a range of salts, I came to realize salt is fundamental to cooking not because of the flavor it imparts, but because it calls to attention the flavors already in food. The same thing with bitters: an Old-Fashioned is not a cocktail if it doesn't have bitters to highlight the spiciness of the rye and the botanicals in the vermouth.

As much as people dine out in restaurants, few realize salt is the bedrock for any dish. As Lyor Cohen wisely commented, if no one buys spices, at least stock your cupboard with decent salt.