UPPER WEST SIDE — Mustard on tap and $99 jars of the condiment infused with black truffle are the highlights of French-owned Dijon mustard purveyor Maille, which opened its first U.S. boutique this week on Columbus Avenue.
Customers can fill up ceramic jars from the four taps on site or peruse and sample dozens of flavors — from black currant to saffron to blue cheese — at the French-style shop at the corner of West 68th Street.
An 18.6-ounce jar of Black Truffle and Chablis mustard runs about $99, while the Whole Grain Chardonnay mustard costs $63.
The mustard-challenged can also get advice from "mustard sommelier" Pierette Huttner, who trained for months at the company's headquarters in Dijon, France, to become a mustard expert. Curious shoppers can also simply pick up a bread stick and start dipping into the array of open jars.
The shelves of the store are lined with little jars of mustard, as well as vinegar and small French pickles called cornichons.
In France, mustard is a fundamental part of cooking, said manager Michael Olsen, and that's something the company is trying to share with American foodies.
A baker could incorporate a saffron and crème fraîche mustard into an apple tart, for example, by brushing it onto the bottom crust before layering on the apples, Olsen explained.
"It gives a nice piquant quality to the tart," he said.
In addition, Maille's fig and coriander flavored mustard could be added to a batch of poached pears or stewed prunes, Olsen suggested.
Many of the shop's mustards have not been sold by the company online and therefore weren't available to Americans unless they traveled to Europe or bought them through another retailer, he noted.
Maille's Paris shop boasts more than 40 mustards, and the company hopes to introduce more of those at the Columbus Avenue store, as the taste for more diverse flavors develops here, Olsen said.
"It's really our point to reintroduce what mustard should be," he said.
Maille is located at 185 Columbus Ave., at 68th Street.
