Scouting: Kalustyan's

Kalustyan's, Kips Bay, New York | Image: Laura Messersmith

Kalustyan's, Kips Bay, New York | Image: Laura Messersmith

few weeks ago, before the tree lots appeared and a random trip to the Kips Bay seemed like a good reason to leave my cozy spot on the sofa, I took a little journey south to check out Kalustyan’s. I came across the listing for this specialty food shop on Yelp and the reviews were glowing, so naturally I had to visit this foodie haven for myself.

Kalustyan's, Kips Bay, New York | Image: Laura Messersmith

Kalustyan's, Kips Bay, New York | Image: Laura Messersmith

Kalustyan's, Kips Bay, New York | Image: Laura Messersmith

Kalustyan's, Kips Bay, New York | Image: Laura Messersmith

One of the distinctive features of New York grocery stores is the space, or lack of it really, and Kalustyan’s is an outstanding example of efficiently using every square inch to offer a huge selection in a relatively tiny space. Narrow little aisles packed floor to ceiling with boxes, jars, and cellophane packages of tea, dried fruit, whole grains, mushrooms, seasonings, jam, and sauces. I can see why Saveur consistently refers readers to the shop for help sourcing ingredients not commonly found in American grocery chains, and a Bon Appétit writer mentioned it in an article about creating custom spice blends.

Kalustyan's, Kips Bay, New York | Image: Laura Messersmith

Kalustyan's, Kips Bay, New York | Image: Laura Messersmith

Kalustyan's, Kips Bay, New York | Image: Laura Messersmith

Kalustyan's, Kips Bay, New York | Image: Laura Messersmith

Honestly, you could lose entire days examining the options in each category, especially the house-brand spice blends. I left after more than an hour feeling a little dazed by the possibilities and carrying a small sack of farro and a jar of mango chutney. I have ideas for both items and I have this amazing shop to thank for the inspiration! So, while a trip to Lexington and East 28th isn’t always the most convenient for me, you better believe that I’ll be keeping Kalustyan’s in mind the next time I’m looking for something a little out of the ordinary.

Kalustyan’s | 123 Lexington Avenue; New York, NY 10016 | Mon - Sat 10:00 am – 8:00 pm; Sun 11:00 am – 7:00 pm

Scouting: Ninth Avenue International Grocery

Ninth Avenue International Grocery | Image: Laura Messersmith

Ninth Avenue International Grocery | Image: Laura Messersmith

The Ninth Avenue International Grocery is in the shadow of the Port Authority bus overpass on a grittier section of 9th Ave. Not necessarily the place I expected to find a wonderland of cooking ingredients. The shop itself is no frills, but the counter assistants are so friendly and helpful; thank goodness too because there is so much to choose from.

Ninth Avenue International Grocery | Image: Laura Messersmith

Ninth Avenue International Grocery | Image: Laura Messersmith

Ninth Avenue International Grocery | Image: Laura Messersmith

Ninth Avenue International Grocery | Image: Laura Messersmith

Sacks of beans and lentils, ground flours of all varieties take up most of the floor space, while bottles of olive oil and jars of honey, not to mention the bins of whole and ground spices, nuts and dried fruit line the walls. I had a hard time knowing where to start and with prices well below what I’ve paid in the past it was hard to know when to stop!

I noticed that one pound of French green lentils - aka. lentilles du Puy - at Ninth Ave. is $1.99 compared with the $4.99 per pound my neighborhood grocery store charges. No contest, right? Naturally I took a sack of them home with me for future batches of Salmon with Lentils.

Ninth Avenue International Grocery | Image: Laura Messersmith

Ninth Avenue International Grocery | Image: Laura Messersmith

Ninth Avenue International Grocery | Image: Laura Messersmith

Ninth Avenue International Grocery | Image: Laura Messersmith

Word to the wise, if you don't see something: ASK! When I inquired I learned that they had three different types of pumpkin seeds and the whole vanilla beans were tucked away in one of the refrigerated coolers. A few scoops of toasted pumpkins seeds came home with me and I now have big plans for making vanilla sugar with the two beans wrapped carefully in waxed paper and now tucked in my own fridge. I'm excited to go back and explore the boxes and packets I couldn't get to on my first visit. Now I know where to find future inspiration. Stay tuned…

Ninth Avenue International Grocery | 543 9th Avenue, New York, NY 10018 | M-F 7:30 am – 6:30 pm, Sa 7:30 am – 6:00 pm

Scouting: La Boîte à Epice

La Boîte à Epice | Image:  Laura Messersmith

La Boîte à Epice | Image:  Laura Messersmith

I sometimes think that understanding why certain ingredients in a recipe are there and how they work is half the battle when cooking. Does the cocoa content make a dark chocolate bar taste better in this cookie than say, milk chocolate or semi-sweet? Would a finishing salt or using a vanilla bean really pump up the flavor? These are questions answered through experience (aka trial and error) but also by knowing the options.

New York, thanks to the many, many nationalities and ethnicities that call it home, offers a huge array of ingredients and this fall I’ve decided to explore my options and check out some of the international groceries and specialty shops around the city.

My first stop on this odyssey was La Boîte à Epice. The creation of Chef Lior Lev Sercarz; roughly translated it means "The Spice Box" and contains more than 40+ specially blended spice mixes with evocative names like N. 34 Orchidea, N. 23 Tangier, and N. 7 Pierre Poivre. The mixes are made of everything from Fleur de Sel, rose blossom, cocoa, and tea, to lemon grass, saffron, star anise, and sumac – in some cases I had never even heard of the ingredient. Fenugreek? Annatto?

La Boîte à Epice | Image:  Laura Messersmith

La Boîte à Epice | Image:  Laura Messersmith

La Boîte à Epice | Image:  Laura Messersmith

La Boîte à Epice | Image:  Laura Messersmith

I think I opened every jar on the rack and found myself both delighted and overwhelmed. I’m accustomed to using herbs and spices individually in classic combinations – basil + oregano + garlic; rosemary + thyme + lemon zest.

So, looking at a mix like N. 13 Galil, which has verbena, white cardamom, and sage I was stumped. Chef Lior to the rescue! He has written a cookbook – The Art of Blending – full of gorgeous photography and delicious recipes in collaboration with other well-known chefs and food personalities to help beginners like me. Whew!

I’m excited to make some selections with N. 33 Mishmash (crystalized honey, saffron and lemon) topping my list. I can already see my culinary horizons expanding!

La Boîte à Epice | Image:  Laura Messersmith

La Boîte à Epice | Image:  Laura Messersmith

La Boîte à Epice | Image:  Laura Messersmith

La Boîte à Epice | Image:  Laura Messersmith