This weekend we went to the Bowery to shop for small wares in anticipation of finally getting a working sink today. The place we really wanted to go was closed through the new year so we hit up a couple of alternate places. The first one we went to was well organized and tidy, which sort of threw me off since the Bowery is not supposed to be tidy. Then a big group of tourists came in on some sort of New York restaurant tour. I liked that that was what people coming to the city were doing, instead of Times Square or one of those buses, but it still made us run to the next place, a much more chaotic and lively place called Chef’s Supply.

This was my kind of place. What the joint lacks in square footage it makes up in vertical space. Danielle, Cam and I each took a bus tub and filled it with all the small stuff we need to get started. I have always wanted to do this, since my first trip to a restaurant supply store when I was 20. I didn’t take too many photos, but I did get a shot of some of their knives, which I kind of loved. They had one that was just a long blade with some shoestring wrapped around the handle. It looks like something you grab to kill zombies!

At the end of the trip we had piles of spoons, strainers, bench scrapers, and thermometers. This is a shot of one of our piles.

We didn’t get pots and pans, but that’ll happen today and after the new year. But for now we have plenty to start with.

As a last note, yesterday I went on a more personal shopping trip to the greatest knife store I know of, Korin Japanese knives.

This is a temple to sharpness, a beautiful store where the quality of blades starts at high and goes up to samurai level. I was looking for a long slicer, and decided to go with the same brand as my chef’s knife, Togiharu. The real treat at this place, though, is looking at some of the huge tuna knives that cost more than some cars. These are more like swords than knives, and here is one of the best of them. If anyone ever has six grand they want to throw away, I wouldn’t say no this one.

This is a great store to stop in even if you just want to ogle the blades and buy yourself a benriner mandolin or some nice chopsticks. 

Now all I need is some shelves to put this stuff on, which is much less fun to shop for.