Where to Buy Cured Meat, Cheeses, Coffee, Fish, etc.

Like I mentioned before, Rob and I hosted our first Thanksgiving this year. We were determined to make it the best tasting Thanksgiving ever, so when shopping for the big event we had to rely on a few old favorites while seeking out a few new places, too.

I know Murray's is pretty much the standard as far as NYC cheese shops go, but Rob and I usually prefer the East Village Cheese Shop instead. Even though its cash only and they don't give out tastes, its easier to get to and (usually) less crowded than Murray's. They have a great selection, great prices, and the smaller space bumps up the funk factor. For Thanksgiving appetizers we bought some bleu cheese, a hunk of brie, walnut-studded gouda and my current cheese favorite, manchego. I gave the brie and gouda a little pre-Thanksgiving test with crackers the night before. All four kinds were wonderful, and just like I suspected, the walnuts worked great in the smoked gouda.

East Village Cheese Shop

40 Third Ave (Betw. 9th and 10th)

212-477-2601

Greg was in charge of the pork this year, and hit Emily's Pork Store for pre-meal soppressata and pancetta to spruce up the brussel sprouts. I haven't actually been in here before, but both meats were fantastic. I HAVE, however, been to the nearby Model T. Meats and cannot recommend their huge $5 skirt steak enough. They also sell excellent whole chickens (great for roasting), huge and juicy pork loins, and standard stuff like eggs, butter and frozen octopus.

Emily's Pork Store

426 Graham Ave (between Frost St & Withers St)

Brooklyn, NY 11211

718-383-7216

Model T Meats Corp

404 Graham Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211

718-389-1553

And while we're on the topic of meats, I have to spotlight the Nassau Meat Market for its insane collection of kielbasa. I wish they spoke better English there, but it's part of the charm to be the only non-Polish grandmother in their huge Saturday morning lines. We've tried to ask a few questions about what they have, but so far all we know to ask for is "double-smoked." Can anyone come with us and translate sometime?

Well, in case you're wondering, the double-smoked works great in mac 'n' cheeses, red sauces, potatoes, scrambled eggs and pretty much anything else that could use some cured, salty meatiness.

Nassau Meat Market

915 Manhattan Avenue (between Greenpoint Ave & Kent St)

Brooklyn, NY 11222

718-389-6149

Two days before Thanksgiving and we set out to buy our Tom Turkey in Red Hook, at Fairway Market. Rob had been before so I knew that I should brace myself for grocery store madness, but I was not expecting a full-on food funhouse. This place had everything and anything. Like bizarre looking tomatoes.

And jars of pink Himalayan rock salt (remember when I had some in my gelato at Grom?).

They had a huge cheese selection. They had a crazy olive bar. They had cuts of beef so big I'm fairly sure they were whole quarters of cows. They had oysters. They had lemon salt. They had all kinds of truffles. They had our organic, never-frozen turkey too, of course ("Murray") and a crazy selection of house-roasted coffees for post-dinner sipping.

Fairway Market

480 Van Brunt St.

Brooklyn, NY 11231

718-694-6868

Thanksgiving came and went in a blur, and Friday morning we woke up hungry and exhausted. Since it is very rare that we have Fridays off, we made our first trip to Acme fish market for smoked fish to go on our bagels. We've had Acme fish at Roebling Tea Room and probably at a lot of other places, but they only open their wholesale warehouse to the public on Fridays. They have a few samples out and I tried a bit of smoked tuna. We stuck with the salmon.

Acme Smoked Fish Corp
30 Gem St.
Brooklyn, NY 11222
718-383-8585

A Sandwich and Gelato; Perfected

This past weekend I found myself wandering around a winding street fair in the West Village. It's impossible for me to shop without getting hungry, so Rob and I began searching around for something quick yet quality to eat. He suggested we hit up Faicco's Pork Store, next to Murray's Cheese Shop. I thought it was an odd suggestiong seeing as how I didn't even know they provided quick meals like sandwiches. But they do. And it is amazing.

There are tons of fantastic meats to choose from here, and they aren't just limited to pork. There's housemade roast beef and frozen pastas and other fantastic looking treats. But mostly pork. Cured meats, bacon, sausages, even a pork roast, which is a juicy little slice of porky heaven. I know because I came back to try it.

We finally settled on the hot sopressata with fresh mozzerella and artichokes, drizzled in olive oil and topped off with lots of pepper. Wow. When they handed us each a fresh piece of meat right off the slicer, we knew we found a quality place. The sopressata had the right amount of lean and fat, the perfect amount of spice that gets you in the back of the throat. We get to eat a whole sandwich of this stuff?

This quick meal sparked a sandwich obsession that has lasted all week. I constantly wanted meat and cheese on a baguette, or something equally crusty yet hard to bite. After a few lame deli sandwiches, I finally caved and went back for my second visit to Faicco's today. I ordered the same exact thing, except unfortunately they forgot the artichokes this time. That's okay. Still amazing, even though the artichokes lended a good amount of moisture and a subtle taste that complemented the fresh cured pork and cheese well.

I don't think the sandwich obsession will stop here, although I sort of hope it will. There aren't enough good sandwich stops in midtown or Greenpoint that cut the bill, especially now that I have been spoiled by Faicco's.

After the sandwich today I stopped for some gelato at Grom. I've had gelato here a couple of times now but nothing has stood out as much as the caramello -- carmelized sugar with pink Himalyan sea salt crystals. I thought the sweet/salty combo would be a bit overpowering, but it was actually quite creamy and mellow, with a soft aftertaste that was maybe vanilla or egg yolks. The pink salt wasn't visible, but that's ok. You have my heart anyway, Grom.

Faicco's Pork Store
260 Bleecker St. (between Cornelia St. & Morton St.)
New York, NY 10014
(212) 243-1974

Grom Gelato
233 Bleecker St. at Carmine St.
New York, NY 10022
(212) 206-1738
www.grom.it/eng