A must-visit for any baker, cooker, or food-lover in the city is Kitchen Arts & Letters, a cozy nook on the Upper East Side specializing in cookbooks and other culinary literature. It is organized into sections according to subject, including soups, salads, chocolate, baking, and books by big-name chefs. Hard-to-find and out-of-print books can be had as well.
What I find most charming about this shop is that it is a destination, and that seems to breed a certain enthusiasm within its walls. You don’t get the casually-interested shopper, as at Borders or Barnes & Noble; customers here agonize over which bread-baking book to buy, or which new cuisine they’d like to venture into, starting with a cookbook. If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll spot a prominent New York chef rooting around for inspiration. My favorite find was a book in French from Poilane bakery in Paris–definitely not something you will find at the local book megastore.
Kitchen Arts & Letters
1435 Lexington Avenue, near 93rd Street
212.876.5550
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