Recommend a butcher in the East Village?

[InfoMofo]

I moved from Chelsea to the East Village last year. I had a number of great butchers near me (Dickson's, Florence, etc.). Now that I'm in the East village (2nd and 13th) I haven't found a butcher that I like. There's Russo's for cured meats and italian specialties, but can anyone recommend a good butcher that I could find a good selection at?

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Russo's Mozzarella and Pasta
344 E 11th St, New York, NY 10003

[Hey19]

Ill add on to this post. I want to make merguez and couscous this weekend for football, where are some good places to get merguez sausage? I think one of the stalls in tompkins on sunday usually has it, but Im not sure. For me, anywhere roughly below 23rd would be an easy bike ride to pick it up.

[mitchleeny]

I'll second the greenmarket.

One or two meat vendors sell nice merguez.

Whole rabbits in Chinatown markets are usually under $10.

[sugartoof]

You're getting a lot of good suggestions, but you're not going to find anything like Dickson's where they're breaking down animals in house.

The closest is Japan Premium Beef, but I can't recommend that anymore after a bad experience that I would have previously thought uncharacteristic of their normally ultra clean shop.

You are a couple blocks from Union Square's greenmarket, where there are some interesting options if you time the right days to visit. I think that's a really good bet. You'll find you just have to run around more than you used to, and certain places are better for certain things.

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Union Square Greenmarket
Broadway and E 17th St, New York, NY 10003

Japan Premium Beef
57 Great Jones St, New York, NY 10012

Dickson's Farmstand Meats
75 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011

[meinNYC]

Citarella on 9th ave and 6th street has really nice meat. Good turnover and will special order whatever you need,

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Citarella
424 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011

[loratliff]

6th Avenue and 9th Street.

If the OP is going to go that far, he/she might as well just stick to their old haunts of Florence and Dickson's.

[foodwhisperer]

I'd take a walk to the West Village and go to Ottomanelli's on Bleecker St. I go there from Tribeca, no big deal and worth it.

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Ottomanelli and Sons
285 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014

[sgordon]

Heritage Meats at Essex Market for most things - although I find their prices a bit wonky. They'll have some good deals here and there, but occasionally things that are simply overpriced beyond belief - i.e. recently their whole rabbits were, like, $24/lb. Sorry, but anyone who's gonna pay dry-aged beef prices for a rabbit (half the weight of which is bone, to boot) is out of their freaking mind. I don't care what heritage breed it is. It ain't like it's wild hare or anything. (Actually, wild hare from Dartagnan would be cheaper, pound for pound, even including the shipping...)

But their pork is good and usually pretty reasonable for what it is. They also keep a fair amount of off-cuts in stock. I bought a bag of cheeks and jowls recently for, like, $11/lb - spectacular quality, great flavor.

Otherwise, Whole Foods on Bowery ain't bad for most basic things. And there's Japan Premium Beef for Wagyu and fancy stuff.

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Whole Foods
95 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002

Japan Premium Beef
57 Great Jones St, New York, NY 10012

Heritage Meat Shop
120 Essex St, New York, NY 10002

[InfoMofo]

Wow that is crazy. I think in the past I had seen whole rabbits (about 2.5 lbs) for that same price - $24 at my old butcher's (although their stock was unpredictable). I will definitely check out the Japan Premium Beef one. That Whole Foods and Essex Market are a little far from me, and the Whole Foods in USQ has a pretty disappointing meat selection.

[penthouse pup]

For certain items, the East Village Meat Market (2nd Ave and 9th Street) will be useful...
http://nymag.com/listings/stores/east...

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East Village Meat Market
139 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

[InfoMofo]

I do live quite close to that one, and I had walked by it. I hadn't heard much of it and it looks a little intimidating, so I haven't even gone in, but I will give that a shot.

[penthouse pup]

You can uptown for a few blocks (2nd Ave/ 22nd Street) and try Grammercy Meat Market, too:

http://nymag.com/listings/stores/gram...

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Gramercy Meat Market
383 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10010

[decayny]

I think Gramercy Meat Market changed names, and maybe owners? I was in there 2 weeks ago and I forget the name, something with a C? I tried a 28-day dry-aged bone-out rib-eye which was excellent.

[ukitali]

The EV Meat Market is a family run Ukrainian/Polish place and they are very friendly....do not be intimidated at all. They have some butchers that speak English really well and can explain what everything is. They have all the usuals but the kobasa and kobanoc are really great.

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East Village Meat Market
139 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

[oliver_selwyn]

EV Meat Market really is lovely. They'll cut anything they have to spec... and you can special order many things which they don't. Fantastic prices as well.

[howdini]

Whole Foods is infuriating: they have such good-quality beef, but it's butchered by hacks (hahaha). I've gotten bone-in ribeyes that looked good in the case, then realized upon inspection at home that they're 1 1/2" on the bone side, and half that thickness on the other. Never again.

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Whole Foods
95 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002