Spices & Herbs in NYC . . .

[beauregard]

So Aphrodesia on Bleeker Street has finally closed . . . and I have no idea where to buy good spices and herbs in NYC. I went to the Indian place on Lex at 28th St and, fool that I am, bought a bunch of things because they were so inexpensive, took 'em home, tried 'em, threw 'em out. What junk.

Where's a good store in the city? I'm looking for quality -- I want my herbs de Provence from Provence ! )

~ beau

[David A. Goldfarb]

You might find yourself shopping around for different things in different places.

Mediterranean items might show up at O & Co. in Grand Central Terminal (one of the only places in NYC that carries AOC Piment d'Espelette, for instance) or Sur La Table in SoHo, for instance. There are fairly good spices available at Zabar's and Fairway and also Sahadi's on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn.

Then there are internet suppliers like Zingerman's, L'Epicerie, TerraSpice, and Chefshop.

Edited May 13, 2010 by David A. Goldfarb (log)

[kathryn]

So Aphrodesia on Bleeker Street has finally closed . . . and I have no idea where to buy good spices and herbs in NYC. I went to the Indian place on Lex at 28th St and, fool that I am, bought a bunch of things because they were so inexpensive, took 'em home, tried 'em, threw 'em out. What junk.

Where's a good store in the city? I'm looking for quality -- I want my herbs de Provence from Provence ! )

~ beau

Did you go to Kalustyan's or Foods of India? Some people report that Foods of India has fresher spices.

What about S.O.S. Chefs? Great customer service but pricey and they're closed on Sundays.

104 Ave. B, nr. 7th St.

212-505-5813

http://www.sos-chefs.com/

[jpr54_]

Aphrodesia on Bleeker Street \\

It is sad that they closed=

I have been purchasing my spices from savoury spices in Colorado-

great spices, selection and service

joanne

[ChickenStu]

I wandered into S.O.S. about a month or two ago, having lived just down the block from it for nearly a year and never seeing it. Seemed crazy expensive and didnt receive any greeting or customer service at all. I think i remember a generic bottle of sesame oil being about 3$ more than the local asian place.

Probably best bet is the internet.

[kathryn]

Huh, that's odd. I don't doubt that staples are very expensive there, but I don't go there for the staples. I go there mainly for their mushroom & produce selection, which is kept in the fridge in back. They'll often have specialty items like morels, white asparagus, etc. from overseas.

[Fat Guy]

Not sure which place you tried on Lexington Avenue, but I've had great luck at Foods of India. I find their products to be very fresh and of high quality, at good prices. Not that I've ever had a bad experience with Kalustyan's.