More on Butchers
The link appears to be old on my other post, so I’m going to cut and paste the butcher story from our archives below. It’s long, so it’s going after the jump.
They’re a cut above
Karen Croke and Mary Lynn Mitcham
It used to be that everyone had a butcher – a professional you could rely on for hand-cut steaks, chops and chicken. The neighborhood butcher knew you by name, and exactly how thick you liked your T-bones or how much ground beef you needed for the week. Today, for many of us, the butcher is an anonymous person behind the counter at the supermarket, or worse yet, has been replaced entirely by pre-cut meat wrapped in plastic. How’s that for a relationship?
“Buying meat from a butcher used to be a habit, but it’s one people don’t have anymore,” says Phil Martino, the 90-year-old owner of Martino’s Meat Market in West Haverstraw, who said this week that he’s looking to sell his store. Perhaps there will be a new generation to take it over.
One upside of the down economy is that people are going back to basics, and that includes eating fresh and shopping local. Buying meat doesn’t have to be an exception. Knowing the person behind the counter is important for customers, says Paul Chietro of Mini’s Prime Meats in Bronxville. “They’re more aware of where it comes from, and how long it’s been out there.”
Shopping at a local butcher you know and trust means what you’re buying is as fresh as it gets. Mario Mancini of Jefferson Valley’s A&S heads to the Hunts Point Cooperative Market Inc., the wholesale market in the Bronx, every day to make sure his customers get the best. Same for Jack Neugarten of Ed’s in Pearl River. “I don’t sell anything I wouldn’t eat myself,” he says. And he’s been at this a long time – since 1962.
Buying your meat from a local butcher is not necessarily more expensive, either- a pound of homemade Italian sausage at Pilone’s Meateria in West Harrison is $4.59; at Cole’s Market in Montrose, flatiron steak is $6.99 a pound, the same price as a pound of beef tenderloin on special recently at the Super Stop & Shop in White Plains.
Don’t worry. You can find a relationship with someone like Phil, Mario or Jack. There are old-school butchers and butcher shops all over the Hudson Valley.
Just in time for Memorial Day, arguably the biggest backyard barbecue day of the year, we found several of them, who not only know how to expertly cut a side of beef into steaks of your choice, but will tell you what to buy and more importantly, how to cook it, too. Wouldn’t it be great if all relationships were that easy?
Phil Martino
Martino’s Meat Market:
69 Railroad Ave., West
Haverstraw. 845-429-2810.
Ninety-year-old Phil Martino runs what is likely Rockland’s – and maybe even New York state’s – longest running family butcher shop. But that may not be for much longer.
Martino said this week he’s looking for a buyer. But that’s been a long time coming.
When Martino’s opened in 1913, “I couldn’t tell a lamb chop from a pork chop,” he says. His father originally had a grocery store here but as a sideline 68 years ago, Phil added meat he picked up from a wholesaler in Haverstraw. He’s stayed with the meat since.
There’s room for about four customers in his small, well-worn shop, where the windows are plastered with signs and the walls are full of old photos.
An ancient deli case holds Boars Head cold cuts – and little else. The good stuff is safely stored in the meat locker. “You want steak, we bring out all our steaks and show you what we got,” says Phil, as the phone rings continuously with orders from a local restaurant (two dozen hamburger patties) and regular customers who call in to place their orders. “We custom-cut everything to your specifications,” says Martino, who still works at the store every day.
And if you have to wait for your order? Martino’s been known to offer a drink to help pass the time. The choices are “white wine, red wine, gin, vodka or sambuca,” he says, matter-of-factly.
He writes out his meat orders by hand, at 3:30 a.m., then passes off the list to George Diaz, who heads twice a week to the 14th Street Meat Market.
And Martino’s employees are nothing if not loyal. Two others – Tim Waldon and Steve Quattrocchi – have been with him 23 and 29 years, respectively. “They’re the only reason I’m still in business,” he says. At least for now, that is.
Specialties: Martino’s only offers USDA prime or choice cuts of meat, and he ages all his steaks in-house, including porterhouse, T-bones, sirloins and prime rib, with or without the bone.
Martino also makes corned-beef hash from an old family recipe, and that is only available on Saturdays.
“People come from all over the county, and even Westchester for that hash.”
Best tip: Even if you buy in bulk, don’t freeze your meat. Use a Food Saver, or better yet, have Martino do it for you in his vacuum sealer. “We’re the only butcher in Rockland with one,” he says, offering a demonstration. If you buy 10 filet mignons, cut to your specifications, Martino vacuum-seals each individually. They’ll keep up to three weeks in the refrigerator.
Favorite cut of meat: Martino’s favorite cut of meat is whatever you’re ordering. “I’ve got one regular who gets three T-bones, 3 inches thick, each week. That’s not bad.”
Jack Neugarten
Ed’s Meat Market:
17 N. Main St., Pearl River.
845-735-2029.
Please don’t call the butcher Ed when you shop at Ed’s Meat Market in Pearl River. His name is Jack Neugarten. And yes, he has been the butcher here for more than 40 years, but people do sometimes still call him by his predecessor’s name. “It was called Ed’s when we bought it,” says Neugarten, who runs the throwback store with his wife, Charlotte.
The expansive interior is exactly the same as it was back in 1962, including the sawdust on the green-and-white floors, an ancient (but still working) phone and the original meat cases.
Neugarten added the giant moose, deer and boar heads when he took over. But if the surroundings are the same, the business is not, he says. Working parents and families on-the-go mean fewer home-cooked meals, thus, less demand for his marbled steaks, chops and roasts. Some customers only stop in at the holidays, for a fresh turkey or filet of beef, “then we don’t see them again for an entire year.”
Neugarten started in the trade at age 19, in a Washington Heights butcher shop, where he learned to cut up chickens that “came in the old-fashioned way, with their heads and feet still on,” he laughs.
But the days of the local butcher are dying, he fears, as big-box stores lure customers with their giant packages and lower prices. What keeps them coming back to Ed’s? “It’s the pricing and quality, freshness and personality,” he says. “It’s like a marriage almost.”
Favorite cut of meat: His grandchildren swear by his steaks, so Neugarten goes with the family consensus; filet mignon is his favorite steak.
Specialties: Murray’s chicken, Kobe beef and amazing Schaller & Weber double-smoked bacon. You’ll find lots of German specialties such as smoked German salami, sausages and his own secret German London broil. “That’s one of our best sellers,” he says, without divulging the actual recipe. “It’s a trade secret.”
Best tip: There’s no such thing as a stupid question. “If you’re not sure of a particular cut of meat, or how to prepare something: ask,” he says. “That’s what we’re here for!”
Paul Chietro
Mini’s Prime Meats &
Specialties: 15 Park Place,
Bronxville. 914-779-1948.
Like a lot of butchers, Paul Chietro got his training early. “I started out working in my father’s store in Fleetwood (in Mount Vernon), when I was about 7,” says Chietro.
His father’s place, also called Mini’s, was a mecca for many of the Italian families in the neighborhood, who never made a meatball without first picking up ground pork, veal and beef from the Chietros.
“We’re a throwback to those old-fashioned butchers,” says Paul, who opened this Mini’s nine years ago. The store, modest in size, is upscale in taste. Along with the gorgeous hand-cut marbled steaks, chicken, pork and lamb, he’s got mozzarella, imported olives, fresh produce and a freezer case stocked with homemade sauces (the Bolognese is his father’s recipe). “I think what people want today is quality, service and convenience,” he says, as customers filter in. “If they want their beef ground, I do it right away. Most supermarkets don’t even have a grinder today.”
His customers love the personal touch. “Paul gives really give good advice,” says one woman. “You can take them a recipe and they’ll help you interpret it and, if necessary, prep the meat for the recipe.”
Specialty: Chietro is the Sandra Lee of butchers, meaning he has lots of things that are almost home-cooked.
A whole, stuffed Bell & Evans chicken, already marinating in a sealed plastic bag, is ready to pop in the oven. He also specializes in American lamb, including 1/3-pound lamb burgers, which are a healthy choice for the grill.
Favorite cut of meat: A veal chop. “I love them on the grill with just a little olive oil, sea salt, cracked pepper and fresh basil.”
Best tip: Shopping locally, and often, gives you the best variety in terms of meat and guarantees you’re cooking something fresh. “I have many customers who shop here two to three times a week,” he says.
Paul Chietro’s Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin
Serves 2 to 3
1-pound pork tenderloin
For the marinade:
Juice of 1 fresh lemon
Lemon zest
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 clove of fresh garlic, minced
3-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped
Fresh thyme, chopped
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large bowl, mix all the marinade ingredients thoroughly. Place the pork tenderloin in a casserole dish and pour in marinade; let it stand in the refrigerator overnight. On a grill set to high heat, place the tenderloin and cook it, with the top open, for 10 minutes; then turn and cook the other side for 10 minutes. Do not turn the pork until necessary.
Steve Campanella
Steve’s Prime Meats &
Catering: 27 Lake Road,
Congers. 845-268-7926
Sorry, Steve can’t hear you right now – there’s a train roaring right out the back door of his butcher shop. After 34 years, you get used to it. Owner Steve Campanella started working in the shop when he was 14, and eventually bought the place in 1996.
“It had been just a small, basic butcher back then,” he says. After doubling the space, he now offers customers a little bit of everything. He has a deli area with salads, sides and meaty sandwiches, like The Butcher( sirloin steak, roasted garlic, Jack cheese and onions), fresh cheese from Arthur Avenue and a small selection of produce, pasta and even fish.
All of his prepared foods are homemade, from the vodka sauce to the rice balls to the tons of prepared dinners – like grilled chicken and shrimp, and chicken bruschetta over broccoli rabe.
Who does the cooking? Four guys, including Campanella’s brother Michael, Phil Montone and Junior Saldano, who whip up Campanella’s recipes. “I just pick up things along the way,” he says modestly.
Favorite cut of meat: The turkey London broil – a 2- to 3-pound turkey breast cut like a meaty London broil. “We can’t make enough of that,” Campanella says.
Best tip: Don’t be afraid to try something new: “A lot of people tend to eat the same things over and over,” says Campanella. Next time, instead of traditional burgers, try a turkey burger. His come stuffed with portobello mushrooms.
Specialties: For barbecue season, he has prime skirt steaks, turkey chili and a turkey and chicken burger with portobello mushrooms, all in one burger.
Steve’s also does catering and this time of year, its Backyard BBQs are wildly popular. Steve and crew bring in everything from the hot dogs to the prime rib to the potato salad and sausage stuffed with broccoli rabe.
Steve’s Skirt Steak
1 pound skirt or flatiron steak
For the marinade:
1 cup of soy sauce
1/2 cup of red wine
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 bunch of scallions, chopped
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Lime juice
Combine marinade ingredients then pour over the steak. Marinate for at least four hours, but preferably overnight. Cook the steak on high heat on the grill, turning once.
Sal Biancardi
Biancardi Meats:
2350 Arthur Ave., the Bronx.
718-733-4058.
If you’re squeamish, look the other way when you head into this legendary Bronx butcher shop.
That pheasant hanging upside-down in the front window, feathers and all, will soon become the centerpiece of someone’s dinner. Biancardi is full of hard-to-find meats, from baby goats to tripe, to Delmonico steaks, which is one reason that customers flock here from Westchester and even Putnam.
Owner Sal Biancardi is the third generation to run this eponymous shop, which opened in 1934, and still sells many of the things customers clamored for back then, along with some additions that cater to a changing population, such as cevapa, tiny Albanian meatballs.
Women from the neighborhood chatter in Italian to Biancardi, who greets most customers by name. With his natural ease and skill with a cleaver, it’s no surprise he was born to the trade, but what is surprising is that he spent several years as a currency trader at Morgan Stanley before coming back into the family business when he was 33. “I really enjoy it,” is all he’ll say.
While he chats, a retinue of snappy dressed butchers behind him call out numbers and then fill orders, cutting and slicing to customer specifications – a little thinner for that sliced ham, a thicker pork chop, please – on a line of individual butcher blocks.
“Everyone has their favorite counterman,” says Biancardi (customers have been known to wait an hour for him, by the way). “It’s almost like a barber. If you’re coming all the way here, chances are you are very specific about how you like things, and when you a get a guy who knows, you stick with him.”
Specialties: Biancardi makes his own pancetta, and the shop is known for its lamb and veal. But he also has hard-to-find foods such as kid goats, rabbit, quail and Delmonico steaks, which are one of his personal favorites.
Favorite cut of meat: Delmonico steaks, and rib-lamb chops, which is “like a rack of lamb made into a chop.”
Best tip: If you love your butcher, let him know it. Customers actually tip their butchers here. “It’s not customary, ” says Biancardi, “but people have always done it in my store.”
Sal Biancardi’s Grilled Steak
“Steak is always the best thing to have on the grill, but I cook it with nothing but a little salt and pepper.”
1 (16-ounce) Delmonico steak
Salt and pepper
Salt and pepper the steak to taste, then preheat your grill to highest heat, about 400 to 500 degrees. Place steak on the surface; cook for 5-7 minutes for rare, then turn (only once) and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes.
Jerry Shallo and Mario Pilone
Pilone’s Market:
109 Gainsborg Ave.,
West Harrison. 914-948-0880.
Between them, Jerry Shallo and Mario Pilone have about 100 years’ experience as butchers, but that’s not the only reason why customers often stop in more than once a day: “Everybody in this neighborhood knows Jerry,” says Joe Pilone, Mario’s son. “He grew up here.”
And that’s the thing about Pilone’s, it’s a local mainstay that provides the close-knit Silver Lake community with the staples of everyday life, including prime beef and homemade Italian sausage.
But chances are, if you come in for meat or a sandwich at the bustling deli, you’ll probably pick up something else. And Pilone’s has it, from pasta to bread, canned beans to Italian beer, even milk and eggs. (There’s even detergent and paper towels.) “That’s what the store always was, an old-fashioned market,” says Pilone, who, with his dad, took over the store 16 years ago, after running Tremelli’s in New Rochelle for 20 years. “We give customers what they want, and what they like.” Weekends are busy, “especially Sunday when people come in for beef for the gravy, and for Jerry,” who only works weekends, says Joe.
He presides over a pristine butcher case in the back of the store, stocked with veal roasts and fresh hams, prime ribs, crown roasts, as well as baby lambs and goats for the holidays.
Specialties: The home-made sausage, which comes sweet, hot, with fennel, chicken and apple, or cheese, for $4.59 a pound. “We also are doing a lot of sliders, especially for the grill,” says Pilone. The most popular variety? Turkey.
Favorite cut of meat: A rib-eye.
Best tip: When it comes to steak, marbling is key to flavor. The higher the amount of marbling, the higher the quality of beef.
Pilone’s Shrimp Kebabs
Makes 7-8 kebabs
1 pound rice
1 (15-ounce) jar whole baby onions
1 pint container of grape tomatoes
1 (2-pound) package of cleaned, deveined shrimp, about 13-15 per pound
More photos
View a gallery of area butchers at http://jukebox.lohud.com/photos/refers/index.php?gallery=Old%20School%20Butchers%202009
Caption:Sal Biancardi, a third generation owner of Biancardi’s butcher shop on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx.
Mark Vergari/The Journal News
