Liz Crane has written a book on food in Portland, and has included The Meadow in it. An Excerpt:
"…. Mark Bitterman opened The Meadow in the summer of 2006 as a small floral shop with a decent section of specialty salts in the corner that he'd acquired during years of travel. The small North Mississippi shop is now home to more than 90 specialty salts, a wall of hard-to-find wines, ciders, bitters and vermouths, more than 300 types of chocolate bars, edible flowers such as acacia, apple blossoms, hibiscus and more. It's the kind of place where you crouch down to see what's on a low shelf and discover what Mark Bitterman deems, "A game changing soy sauce." Then you turn 90 degrees and discover a tin of the couple's favorite anchovies. The wooden table toward the back of the shop nestled in the wine section is usually topped with a taster or two for you to nibble or sip on -- a local hard cider that they can't get enough of, a just-in deep sea salt from Kona reminiscent of champagne, some rare Icelandic sea salt slowly evaporated and chock full of minerals and flavor. The Meadow regularly hosts classes in the evenings on everything from Himalayan salt block cooking, to an introduction to artisan salt or salted caramels. These small classes usually cost $15-$20 and fill up fast…"
I bought this as part of a flight of Japanese and Hawaiian salts to "snack" on during a prolonged fast. It tastes very unique and I enjoy it on cooking too.
I tried a sampler box of smoked salts and found the Pecan Smoked Salt amazing. As a result, I purchased a large bottle that now sits on my counter in easy reach while preparing food. I have always liked the smoked salts that The Meadow carries and have gifted them to others. But when I tried the Pecan Smoked Sea Salt for myself it was an unexpected delight. Now the salt finds its way into many of the foods I prepare. My new favorite.
Love the Meadow...been shopping with them since they first opened their New York store 20 years ago. Lately I've been driven to the dark side... dark chocolate. The darker the better and this is pretty dark. Most local chocolatiers will only go to 72%. This is 92. Not for everyone.
This single origin chocolate from Kona, Hawaii is perfection. One only needs to try a small nibble to be filled with the aroma and taste of a tropical treat.