Ahh, grilling season is finally upon us, and what better way to ring in the warm weather than to take a look at the best butcher shops and meat markets in your area? Whether you are searching for the basics, like beef, pork, or poultry or are in desperate need of more exotic meats, such as alligator, frog legs, or wild boar, Connecticut has a number of places that can fulfill all of your butcher and meat desires. From nose-to-tail shops to small, family-owned markets that offer delicious, quality meats, this list has it all…and then some. Goodbye winter coats and dreary soups, hello flip-flops and beautifully cut and marinated steaks!
What happens when a chef, a butcher and a fisherman walk into a bar? Stay tuned and I’ll tell you…
If you’ve noticed some activity behind the brown paper covering the windows of what was once Westport’s Saugatuck Craft Butchery, it’s not just wishful thinking. Big things are happening behind that masked facade …big things that involve a culinary power team including Chef Matt Storch and Susan McConnell (Match Burger Lobster, Match) in partnership with Jimmy Bloom of Copps Island Oysters, and butcher, Paul Nessal, whom you will recognize if you spent any time at the nose to tail butchery, Saugatuck Craft, back in the day. After 5 years of discussion, this group is finally getting ready to open the doors to Saugatuck Provisions, a new concept offering customers a curated selection of the very best ingredients from the land, sea and grocery, enabling guests to create beautiful restaurant quality meals at home.
Saugatuck Provisions is conveniently located next to Match Burger Lobster in Westport, and will be ready for customers in early November, with Thanksgiving pre-ordering already live here.
Avon Prime Meats, located in Avon, CT, was voted “Best Local Food Market,” an honor awarded for excellence as a butcher, but also due to their loyal following and footprint in the local community. In addition to having a reputation for top notch meats, they also serve as a specialty grocer, deli and caterer, but as of this week, things are heating up at Avon Prime Meats. Two smokers have been added to the kitchen, and their chefs have been honing the craft of smoking their prime cuts to get ready for the big launch of Avon Prime Smoked Meats. Why are we excited? Here’s what’s coming off those smokers hot and ready Sun-Wed: brisket, pastrami, baby back ribs, pulled pork, heritage slab bacon, and Old Spot pork are on the menu - and their deli customers are going wild. Not only can guests score these smoked meats by the pound (with some tasty BBQ sides), but the deli situation has done some leveling up with the addition of these house smoked sandwich meats.
The iconic Po Café is located in the heart of Washington CT and lives in a charming historic white clapboard house right next to the town’s post office – hence the nickname. The building, once home to a pharmacy and grocery store, sits across from the idyllic town’s church. The area served as the inspiration behind fictional town Stars Hollow made famous by Rory and Lorelei Gilmore. As soon as you walk through the front door you can almost imagine Luke standing behind the counter of the old fashioned soda fountain pouring a cup of coffee.
A posh five-star inn located in “the country” of Connecticut may be the last place you’d expect to stumble upon a former two-time Michelin star chef doing her thing in the kitchen.
Expect it. And expect to run into April Bloomfield.
Yeah, THAT April Bloomfield. The April Bloomfield who won a James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: New York City in 2014. The April Bloomfield who owns the British gastropub The Breslin. And the same April Bloomfield of the now shuttered, but acclaimed West Village haunt, The Spotted Pig.
And since mid-September she’s been spending her time away from the concrete jungle as the chef-in-residence at the Mayflower Inn & Spa where she’s firing up the refined pub fare that she is so lauded for and marrying that style with the bounty from local farms.
If you visit—and you absolutely should—there are a few dining experiences to be aware of.
There’s a seasonal, constantly changing four-course dinner tasting in the brightly lit, plant enshrined Garden Room. The $150 tasting’s polar opposite has been the occasionally offered bonfire experience where Bloomfield comes out to chat over cocktails, savory snacks, and gooey s’mores.
Then there’s the meal I elected to have, a lunch in The Tap Room. If the weather obeys, it’s a great idea to dine out on the back deck that overlooks the Shakespeare Garden, equal parts beautiful and haunting on an overcast autumn day.
“If you don't like outstanding music, fresh chef cultivated sandwiches, farm and forest hand-picked produce, local artisanal product, NYC vibes, an incredibly friendly staff, and whole animal butchery then DEFINITELY do not go to Chef Emily Mingrone and Shane McGowan’s new Provisions On State,” says Chef Jes Bengston.
Emily and Shane, owners of the award-winning “restaurant of the year” Tavern on State, in New Haven, decided to expand the brand and recently opened this sister spot just down the street from the restaurant, bringing an old school nose to tail butchery and a small grocery store to the East Rock neighborhood. As I took the two steps down into the store front ( like so New York I was like omg) I was immediately over taken with a vibe and energy that can only be created by this tag team duo who met by working together in a local restaurant in 2018, opened a restaurant in 2019, and now this. The store is so small I could lay eyes on all 4 walls at the same time but it took me 3 circles to absorb all the curated culinary greatness going on in here.
Who do you picture when you hear the word "butcher?" For many, a grizzled older man with strong biceps comes to mind. Butchery is undeniably male-dominated, with only 27% women, only slightly higher than the 25% of women farmers and ranchers. But times are changing, and the rise of craft butchery has meant more opportunities for women. For International Women's Day (Mar. 8), Fleisher’s Craft Butchery (locations in Westport, Greenwich & Brooklyn) interviewed some of the many women in the Fleishers family.
Connecticut Magazine shares a unique find in Mystic. Half sandwich shop, half butcher, these guys know a thing or two about meat. Check it out.
A sandwich is a common thing. Delis and grinder shops can be found throughout our state. But once in a while a new sandwich comes along and causes us to look with fresh eyes at this most classic of foods. Down in Mystic, the brains behind the operations at seafood-focused Oyster Club and burger-centric Engine Room have launched a new venture called Grass & Bone, structured around making the best sandwiches they can, with the freshest, most locally sourced ingredients they can muster.
We are excited to announce that Community Table Restaurant and Bar will be reopening this spring. We don’t have an exact date yet but, we are hoping to open our doors before Memorial Day and work out any ‘kinks’ before the busy season kicks in.
We have spent the past months contemplating what direction Ct should go in next. We turned to Adam Riess, a Washington native and restaurant consultant, to help us define our goals and offer us options. Though many interesting ideas were discussed, hearing from so many of you who simply wanted Ct to come back the way it was, eventually swayed us to move in that direction.
Fleisher’s Craft Butchery is collaborating with Leyla Dam Jenkins from Lorca cafe, on opening a sunny new location in early November inside the Fleisher’s Greenwich butcher shop at 160 E. Putnam Ave. Cos Cob.
Like the beloved Stamford original, Lorca's new branch will be offering a variety of specialty coffee drinks and Spanish-influenced sweets, like their signature alfajores (shortbread cookies with dulce de leche and coconut).
This spring downtown Westport will see the opening of M.EAT Organic Beef and Provisions, an old school meat market with new school fundamentals. Founded by Beto Esteves and Rodrigo Echeverrigaray, the business partners saw the need for a boutique organic meat shop.
I sat down with the two in their Southport offices, eager to learn more about this concept. “There is no one in the US market involved with both the importing and the retailing organic meat, explained Beto. Generally, it’s a process that involves many, the importers, distributors and suppliers. So by the time the organic product hits the shelf the prices are astronomical. We have the unique ability to source meat from Uruguay, Australia and New Zealand, directly from the producers. We decided that we wanted to be able to offer these products in the States. The partners decided to take this concept one step further and have a dedicated retail space specifically designed around these organic meats, a unique concept here in the states. The first of these locations is scheduled to open in Westport at the beginning of June.
Custom Meats, a 100% locally-sourced, traditional whole-animal butchery, is slated to open this spring at 1903 Post Road in Fairfield.
This next-door neighbor to Isabelle et Vincent French Bakery plans to serve non-GMO, nitrate-free, fresh meats raised on organic principles.
Sourcing beef, pork, lamb, and poultry from small farms in Connecticut and New York, everything will be cut and prepared in house, including dry-aged beef, sausages, and various prepared foods. Farm-fresh local eggs, raw milk, and seasonal vegetables will also be offered.
This Saturday will be the last day of service at Fleishers Craft Kitchen, the restaurant adjacent to the beloved Saugatuck butcher shop. In 2013, co-founders Ryan Fibiger and Paul Nessel opened the restaurant to further the company's commitment to nose-to-tail eating. Every dish featured cuts of meat from the butcher counter famed for its quality, ethics and transparency. Fibiger, who recently left his position as CEO but continues to advise on long term vision and growth, says, “The restaurant and staff have been integral to teaching people how to prepare Meat Raised Right. But, we've always been a butcher shop first, and we think it's time to get back to our roots and refocus on providing a truly remarkable customer experience.”
South Avenue Butcher offers an assortment of burgers that are ready to be brought home and prepared in the manner of one’s choosing. Current burger selections include lamb with rosemary and garlic, lamb with shawarma spices, and dry-aged beef. To showcase the patties, South Avenue Butcher is teaming up with local chefs and food personalities. They will put their own culinary twist on the burgers, describing the perfect cooking method, bun, and accompaniments for the meat.
Darien native and chef Peter Crawford is the culinary braun behind lower Fairfield County's newest destination butchery, The Darien Butcher Shop. The shop focuses on high quality meat and gourmet specialty products, as well as events and catering, not to mention hot pressed sandwiches if you're looking for a new lunch option.
We had a chance to chat with Peter, and wanted to know what this carnivore cooks for himself, his preferred cut of meat, and his most memorable meal.
New Canaan, Connecticut is excited to welcome an old fashioned butcher shop to its already impressive culinary offering. South Avenue Butcher is the creation of businessmen, long-term friends and Darien residents Dermot Flynn, Alan Griffin and James Farrell. The friends grew up in southern Ireland where rural towns would have a butcher shop and locals would go in for special cuts of meat and advice. The concept, which was inspired by a nostalgic chat at the bar, is a direct nod to their farming heritage and reinforces that consumers care about their meat source. They strongly advocate the community and have plans to support local town events.
The proper old-style butcher specializes in home-made sausages and burgers - they will even make some to a specific family recipe. Heading up the operation is Head Butcher, Michiel Hutten who hails from the Netherlands. He worked at Darien Butcher Shop, and has over 30-years of butchery experience. Inside the store he will serve prime cuts and order in specific meats. The meats are sourced from animals that are free to roam and will be organic wherever possible.
Beginning her journey as a chef in Switzerland, Ki Delicia’s owner Fernanda Ferreira had the drive and determination to turn her dreams into a reality by coming to America with nothing but a suitcase and two sets of clothes. Fast forward to 2016, and her customer base has grown exponentially with people traveling from all parts of Connecticut just to get a taste of her incredible edibles. Upon visiting this hidden gem, I witnessed customers lining up around the block in their cars just to get their breakfast essentials. As a family run business both her son and her daughter, Clara Gaspar, help out with the intention of helping Ki Delicia thrive. “I think it’s still a hidden gem to many,” says Clara Gaspar daughter of owner Fernanda Ferrara.
When walking into Ki Delicia Bakery and Deli, you are drawn in by the welcoming aroma of Brazilian delights. Travel a few steps more into the building and it feels like home. Almost immediately, I was greeted by Ferreira and her staff who welcomed me into the establishment with a warm and welcoming presence like a mother who invites guests into her humble abode.
Community Table & Kent Falls Brewing Co. are teaming up for a special evening of food and beer on July 26. Executive Chef Marcell Davidsen has collaborated with Barry and Derek at Kent Falls Brewing Co. on a summer-inspired menu fit for Connecticut locavore beer lovers.
"We are very excited to host this event, and share some great beers and great food. And there might be a few surprises too," said Marcell Davidsen.
We have a sneak peek of the menu, which at last count is 7 courses and 6 beers, and as many reasons to get excited for this evening at Community Table. Tickets are $75 per person. Reservations are available on OpenTable.com.
July 26 Menu
Sourdough Bread Toasted hay butter
Smoked Trout & Squash Blossom Hazelnut crème
Beer: Lade Øl 4.8 % Abv.
A farmhouse ale brewed with smoked hay. This beer takes on delicate notes of sweet grass, vanilla and spice notes from the hay complementing our house yeast culture.
Back 40 Kitchen will celebrate the release of Edible Nutmeg’s spring issue by hosting an afternoon launch event on March 24 from 11 am to 1 pm, a day before the issue’s official release date for a 'meet & greet' with Dana Jackson, Editor and Publisher, Edible Nutmeg and Bill and Lesley King, Owners, Back 40 Farm Group. Guests are invited to pick up a free copy of the new issue and enjoy organic light bites provided Back 40 Kitchen. Back 40 and Edible Nutmeg share a mission of appreciation of regional food, farming, and sustainability.
The Back 40 Farm Group is closely aligned with Edible Nutmeg’s vision, which is helping their readers engage the Connecticut food community. We have long appreciated this publication and are happy to provide the venue to launch the issue that officially ‘kicks-off’ the 2016 agricultural season. – Bill King
Back 40 Kitchen is a farm-to-table restaurant dedicated to using the highest quality organic ingredients in all of its dishes. Back 40 Kitchen is also committed to sourcing local by partnering with CT farmers and vendors including sourcing from its own organic Back 40 Farm in Litchfield County.
