I figured it was worth a visit to Meadow Lane now that the dust has settled — and boy has it. The gourmet market and prepared foods emporium, which also has fresh flowers, opened in mid-November to massive fanfare. When I finally clawed my way in there on day four, I shared the aisle with a Fox News crew.
But now gone are the lines, the hunky security guards and even the bare shelves. What’s left? Basically everything they opened with and from what I could tell, not a lot more in variety but plenty in the main draw: specialty salads, sauces and prepared hot foods.
And that clearly is still moving. Owner Sammy Nussdorf told financial influencer (yes, that’s a term) Haley Sacks, aka Mrs. Down Jones, in an interview (thanks to A. for the forward) that he is grossing $1 million a month. The slow days, he said, bring in around $16-18 million; a good weekend day is more like $50 million. It’s been four months since he opened, and he’s anticipating a $12 million run rate.
Holy cannoli.
So I contributed to that total on a random Tuesday in late February, spending $51 on three items: I finally got to the gluten free chicken tenders, and yes, they are tasty. Pounded flat and breaded but not greasy, they come lined up in the box along with a delicious mustard-based sweet sauce. At $15, they are no bargain — that’s about $3 each — but for sure worth a one-time purchase to see what all the fuss is about.
The Chinese chicken salad was excellent ($21) but beware: the chicken is beyond shredded — it’s almost like sand. It somehow still has flavor but your first thought will be, where’s the chicken? I also grabbed a turkey chili this time ($15 for a quart) and while that was the best bargain, it was the least inspiring.
So going back to my original assessment from November: Meadow Lane can be a solid spot to grab a snack and a coffee (the gluten free bakery items are special — I had the donut and the cinnamon swirl muffin — and there’s nowhere in the neighborhood for that) or lunch with one of the boxed salads, which were all original, robust and creative in their combinations of flavors.
The lack of indoor seating is still a bit of a mystery to me, but maybe that’s expected of a market. As a result the pilgrims have been sitting outside all winter with their parkas and tendies. That, of course, will be more appealing starting now.
Several neighbors have complained to me about the trash piling up. The new(ish) city regulations require that trash be in containers if it is on the street before 8p; after 8p, it can be in bags only. Clearly they do not yet have a handle on this — less fun, but critical — aspect of the business.
