Salt

I've always had a love-hate relationship with salt. I don't cook with it because too much is supposed to be bad for you. Plus, there is enough salt added to all New York restaurant dishes to corrode everyone's arteries. I throw salt over my shoulder if I spill it because mum scared me once when I was little, by sharing the old wives tale about bad luck following me. And of course, every day in the news is a segment about how our kids are getting obese and diabetic and everything else because of the absurd amounts of salt and sugar added to all processed food.

But then think of all the wonderful things in our lives with salt. There's nothing better than the feel of salt water on your skin. And how many hair products have tried to replicate what salt water does to your hair! It's brilliant for sinuses when used in a neti pot. and the smell of salty sweat on the man you love is also pretty fabulous. Thrown directly on a red wine stain, it virtually eliminates it from your tablecloth. And we all take salt baths when our muscles are aching.

So it was with great interest that I stumbled upon a little store in the West Village that specializes in salt. Called The Meadow, it is the most gorgeous store, with shelves stacked with salt reaching up to the roof.

Who knew there were so many kinds of salt and in so many different colors! Here you can find granules, flakes and blocks of salt from places as far flung as Japan, Bolivia and the Himalayas.  There's sea salt, volcanic salt and Antarctic salt. Some are infused with truffles or saffron. The shade palette ranges from the whitest of white through pink, orange, grey and black. And they all differ in use: finishing salt, grinder salt, curing salt and cooking salt. It is really quite wondrous. For the beginner, you can buy salt sets; six gourmet salts packed in little tins to get you excited about the incredible versatility of this amazing mineral. They almost look too good to use!

The store also sells all manner of salt accoutrement's that help the serving of the salt look so much more beautiful. From salt bowls to cellars, teeny silver spoons and different types of grinders.

After browsing in the store for 15 minutes, I discovered a new-found love and admiration for salt. So much so, I bought this lovely book written by the 'selmelier' and owner of The Meadow, Mark Bitterman. It takes you through the history of salt before explaining 150 different salts, and is full of wonderful images of salt in its purest from around the world.

And for those who become passionate about this subject, don't forget Mark Kurlansky's book, simply called 'Salt'. It maintains that wars were fought over this precious mineral, trade routes established and empires secured. Riveting stuff. And all this interest in a much mal-aligned foodstuff! Perhaps we should all have another think.

images: all posters, (2-3) salt news, (4) NY racked, (5-7) at the meadow (8) amazon

Bergdorf Windows 2010

Ahh Bergdorf. Your holiday window dressing is as exquisite as ever. Perhaps a little too detailed this year with the props taking over from the fashion, but a delight nevertheless.
The theme is "Wish you were here" and focuses on fantasy travel to far-flung places, in many an exotic mode of transport. From a caboose to Equus to a magnificent flying machine, these windows transport us not only into a world of heavenly fashion, but also to some fantastical destinations.

Day tripping

Full speed ahead

Ready for takeoff

Wish you were here

 And here's a video taking us behind-the-scenes of the making of the windows.

Images: bergdorf goodman

Santeria in Spanish Harlem

If crucifixes or menorahs aren't your thing, head to East Harlem to partake in the ancient Santeria rituals of the Caribbean. I happened upon one of the most famous "botanicas" on 104th St. It has been providing spiritual advice and religious artifacts for those practicing santeria since 1930.

The origins of Santeria stem from the african slaves who were sent to Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic to work in the sugar fields. It is a mixture of the Yoruba beliefs and traditions from South West Africa, with Roman Catholic elements. Some of these slaves were babalawos or high priests who were denied their rituals in the new world and forced to embrace Catholicism. But they continued to worship their Orishas or black gods by disguising them inside Catholic saints.

There are a number of different items used for worship in Santeria; beads, herbs, statues of saints and animals. Animal sacrifice is a large part of Santeria. Who can forget that scene from the film Angel Heart with Lisa Bonet and the chicken?

Judging by the number of "Botanicas" in Spanish Harlem, Santeria is alive and well in New York. In fact, apparently the park rangers of Inwood Hill Park (located at the northern most tip of Manhattan) regularly find black garbage bags full of sacrificed animals. I was nervous even entering the Botanica for fear of some evil spirit descending upon me. But it was worth it just to fossick amongst the fantastic shelves of dust-covered goods.
The store is full of voodoo dolls, religious icons, beads, plants, stones and prayer cards. There is "shut up" soap, candles for all occasions, a can of good luck and even "dragon blood" bubble bath. There are tiny bottles of oil that ward off jinxes and offer hope and riches. The owner who has been there for 30 years, can even perform witchcraft for you if you're game.....

Images: flickr, variety, flickr, city noise, steve giralt,

Cute as a Button

Another thing I love about New York are the specialty stores you find tucked away on side streets. Now I'm certainly no dressmaker or weekend seamstress, but you have to fall in love with a store that calls itself Tender Buttons.

Located on the Upper East Side at East 62nd Street, this little gem was started in 1968 and named after a 1914 culinary essay by Gertrude Stein, which ruminates on small objects. Apparently the essay's title came from a sign for button mushrooms seen in a French produce market. There's your connection!

This amazing store holds literally tens of thousands of all kinds of buttons and clasps and things that hold your clothes together. They are all snugly housed in rows of little wooden boxes, each with a very carefully hand written description and provenance, like "faux horn chunks from Italy".

Who would have thought the humble button came in so many guises? As a starting point, the store stocks over 400 different styles of blazer buttons, vintage enamel buttons and 18th Century French carved ivory. Prices start at 50 cents and go up to $2000 for one button!

Even if you're not looking to match a button from your vintage military coat or give an old shirt a new lease of life, it's worth dropping into this exquisite store just to marvel at the sheer range and history of buttons.

Images: Flickr, cashmere woman, new york magazine

Bibliophile

Any of my friends will tell you that I am a book fiend. I spend hours in bookshops wherever I am. I feel a gravitational pull through the door even if it is full of languages I can't speak.

Part of the charm of living in the West Village is that I am literally surrounded by the most wonderful if not eclectic group of bookshops. Most of them are independent and all are trying to stay afloat in this age of kindles, i-pads and nooks. I wanted to share my faves.

First up is a tribute to a shop no longer with us. The Oscar Wilde Bookshop was a Christopher St icon that unfortunately, fell victim to the past year's financial blowout. Founded in 1967 by Craig Rodwell - who was an early lover of Harvey Milk's - it preceded the Stonewall Riots and became America's first gay bookstore. It was a haven for gays at a time when most gay activists used fake names for fear of arrest and New York's first gay pride march was planned here.

Now the space has been taken over by what I have to admit is a lovely store called Albertine General. It sells gorgeous flea market-type pieces, like antique jewelry, vintage glassware and bronze paper weights.

Next up is my fave, Three Lives and Co. It's your true neighborhood bookstore that is frequented by local writers whose signed books grace the wooden bookshelves (Peter Carey is reputed to live nearby but I am yet to bump into him). It has a wonky wooden floor and a little step up to the novels section at the back that I continually trip up due to looking at the book spines rather than the floor. The way they display their books means that every time you enter the store, you see something you have never seen anywhere before or it looks more enticing here than at Barnes & Noble, so you just have to buy it. And there is usually someone in earnest dialogue with the person at the till, so you overhear fascinating snippets of literary conversation. It's a bit like getting the goss when you have a ciggie outside the office (I do miss those days).

If you are into suspense, murder and whodunits, look no further than Partners & Crime on Greenwich Ave. They profess to have read every book they recommend and host regular readings and signings. They stock first editions, hard-to-finds and out-of-prints all in a little basement store.

If cooking is your thing and you are looking for that book of your mother's mother that you threw out too hastily, or a rare 18th century culinary tome, Bonnie Slotnick's ramshackle space on west 10th St is the place to go. Entering via what can only be described as a stable door, this tiny shop is jam packed floor to ceiling with every food author worth his or her salt. I actually reconnected with my childhood here when I found 'my' Winnie the Pooh cookbook first published in 1969.
"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?" "What's for breakfast?" said Pooh.

Staying on cook books but going a little further southwest, there is a rare find on Greenwich St, almost to Tribeca. Joanne Hendrick's Cook Books is housed in an 1850's townhouse. It is so tiny it is easy to miss, save for a metal plaque on a beautiful old wooden door.

Joanne specializes in antiquarian, out of print and unusual food and wine books, menus and tableware!

This city is full of beautiful book stores. I think my faves up town deserve their own post at a later date.

Images: Arts Journal, Oscar Wilde Books, on the inside, endless banquet, flickr, mine

Chocolate Fiend

I have to admit that because the winters are so cold over here, I have become a chocoholic. Maybe it's the lure of the rich, warm chocalatey colors and delicious textures, or the comfort factor of hot, thick, milk-laden cocoa sliding down your throat and warming every inch of your body.  Whatever the reason, I find myself drawn to any store or cafe that can feed my obsession.

I have recently come across a little gem in Williamsburg; Mast Brothers Chocolate. It certainly isn't a secret - google it and you get pages of mentions - but it is a heart warming story in this age of big chocolate corporations being swallowed up by even bigger food corporations.

The Mast Bros came up with the idea of starting an artisan chocolate business in Brooklyn when they were experimenting with different recipes in their apartment. Rick Mast had already done a stint with the chocolate maestro Jacque Torres (who also has a divine store in DUMBO), so was no stranger to the complexity of taste and texture in chocolate. Now they are apparently the only "bean-to-bar" chocolate makers in the city. Using cacao beans from small family farms and coops in the Dominican Republic and other South American countries, they create 60 - 81% cacao delicacies in the form of chocolate bits and bars, all in a tiny kitchen behind the store. They add ingredients such as pistachios, sea salt or cranberries, depending on the cacao beans used at the time. This also means that each time you visit the store, the selection is different. And if you are lucky, you can see them sifting through the beans while you are browsing the choices.

Each bar is lovingly wrapped in gold foil and exquisite florentine-style paper, some of which are designed locally.

They are also so keen to remain local, that the sugar they use comes from Domino, once a working factory down the street. Ok, this factory has long been shuttered, but it's a nod to local enterprise and the Domino logo is certainly still a favorite icon of the city.

And whilst on chocolate, I have to mention Chocolate Celeste. Based further afield in Minnesota, I need to show you their most exquisite asia-theme chocolate assortments. They look like beautiful Mah Jong pieces. Not sure they deliver to Oz, but if you have a friend in the US who loves chocolate.......

Images: design files, bobguskind, morale agency, good housekeeping, gothamist

Be My Valentine

I'm a bah humbug when it comes to celebrating Valentine's Day - commercialism at its worst, marketing gone overboard, that sort of thing - and there is nothing worse than receiving an anonymous bunch of long-stemmed, red, hothouse roses that have absolutely no smell at all and die after 24 hours! (Actually, that's probably a good thing.)

In saying that, I adore flowers in general, so I thought I would take this calendar moment to share my favorite florists in this city:

First up is a nod to fellow aussie Antony Todd. Predominantly known now for his interiors and event planning (try Elton John's Oscar party and the UN's 50th anniversary party) Todd was originally known as a florist. He can still count Martha (Stewart) and P. Diddy as fans for his beautifully simple if not very structured arrangements.

If you prefer something more wistful and natural, you will adore Jessie Weidinger's arrangements from Rountree Flowers.  She does the most awesome table decorations for Karen Mordechai's Sunday Suppers, one of my fave blogs and desperate-to-be-at dinners. I love the way she mixes florals with fruit and creates a nostalgic wildflower kind of feel.

For a more extravagant impact, we use ZeZe Flowers for all our work dinners and functions. ZeZe is a larger than life Brazilian who began life on a Rio stage. He favors bright colors and orchids and is the darling of the UES social set, who regularly use him for their charity galas. ZeZe recently opened a heavenly cafe on the Upper East Eide, where you can nibble on pastries and breathe in the intoxicating scent of lilies, hyacinth and freesias.

On a more local level, I have VSF (Very Special Flowers) around the corner from home. Apart from personifying your typical West Village boutique store, VSF is famous for fabulous arrangements combining "unusual" blooms.

Over in funky Williamsburg, you can't help but enter Sprout Home when you pass it. The way they arrange the flowers so simply at the front of the store just makes me want to pick a bunch immediately. And without the pretense or high prices!

If party planners and sometimes overpriced store fronts are not your "thang", there is always the Chelsea flower market which runs for two blocks at 28th St and 6th Ave. There are endless warehouses full of dried flowers, silk flowers, enormous blossom boughs (perfect for those cavernous Tribeca warehouse spaces), indoor plants and freshly cut flowers of all colors and types.

Or, if you want to pride yourself on a small carbon footprint, try the greenmarkets. My local is at Union Square. Every Saturday I wander up to choose my blooms from a nearby grower who tootles in from Jersey or Hudson Valley and sells their seasonal florals from buckets out of the back of a truck. Now that is quite authentic for this town.
Happy Valentine's Day x

Images: Antony Todd, Karen Mordechai @ Sunday Suppers, Rountree Flowers, New York social diary, David Fratianne, nyc loves nyc, nymag, disdressed, wedding aces, mine