Salt. Not quite as sweet as sugar but probably more necessary to life. Salt is wonderful. What this world needs is a great salt store run by salt experts.
The Meadow is that store. The first store is in Portland, Oregon. The second, newly opened store is in the West Village of New York City. Owners Mark and Jennifer Bitterman still live in Portland and commute back and forth. Mark told me he is a Portland native who simply loves New York. I know how that feels, for I am one, too.
New York can mean subways and skyscrapers. But it can also mean cozy stores, warm and silent from the traffic noises, that have that special feel you can only find in a great city: London, Paris, and of course New York. You walk in and you smell expertise.
The Meadow is tucked mid-block on Hudson Street just below Charles. Narrow but deep, its shelves are filled with salts from around the world, plus chocolates and bitters. I was in heaven.
Don’t ask Mark if he carries kosher salt. You’re going to get a lecture that basically says kosher salt is a chemical industry product. “Instead,” he will say as he turns to his shelf, “consider this one from Japan. No industrial components here at all. They hand carry the salt up from the flats on their backs.”
There are almost a hundred salts in the store. Mark or Jennifer can give you a printed guide for which salt works best with which dish. For example, that Red Alder Smoked salt is ideal for lamb or pork.
You can, of course, taste away at The Meadow. And you’ll surprise yourself. The flavored salts don’t hint at the new tones, they broadcast them. Suzen grabbed a citrus salt sure that there is salmon waiting to be served. For a small store, the variety, the quality, and the inspiration at The Meadow are unsurpassed.
When you go in, expect to spend some time and to leave armed with bottles and bags of, well, salt.
For your holiday shopping list, you can make a lot of progress here.