With work deadlines upon me, we decided not to head out to
the Hawksbill Cabin last weekend. We did
carve out some time for a little urban adventure Saturday, however, and went
into town to visit the Red Apron Butcher at Union Market in DC. Mary and I were introduced to chef Nathan
Anda’s work there when we enjoyed a butchering demonstration and charcuterie
tasting at a Living Social event last month.
We had a great visit to the butcher – we chose the
Porkstrami and Italian Beef sandwiches.
I saw a couple of folks having the meatball sandwich that looked like a
winner too. And of course, there was the
display case with the sausages and other delicacies.
What I didn’t expect was how much attention was given to the
beers on tap at the Red Apron – there were at least 8 to choose from. I took the Avery IPA, which was tasty – and I
saw a number of folks getting something that was poured in a pint style
glass. I didn’t get a chance to ask
about it, but they were enjoying it as much as I did mine!
The butcher shop is located in the Union Market – a restored
market in DC up in the area of Galludet University. Traditionally there had been a farmers market
in this location, and the building that houses the current establishment dates
to 1931. In 1962, the city banned
outdoor sales of meat and other farm products, which killed off the operation –
but lately, these kinds of establishments have been making a comeback all over
the country.
Union Market in particular reminded me not only of nearby
Eastern Market on Capitol Hill, but also of the Flower Market area in San
Francisco, and the “Rynok” Market I visited in 1995 in Kiev. While we were in the vicinity, we also
visited a warehouse store and picked up some supplies I can use for next year’s
hog butchering – some knives and a couple of food grade plastic storage
trays. Those are things we always run
short of in the heat of the moment.
All in all, a good day trip to DC. Make a point of getting out to check in at
the Red Apron Butcher and Union Market.
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2 comments:
How much were they overcharging?
The porkstrami was delicious, the Italian beef was incredible, the beer was good, and the venue was great. I couldn't count how many meatball sandwiches were going out to the crowd, but I didn't see anyone who was disappointed. The pricing seemed pretty reasonable to me for all of that, to be honest!
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