Monday, April 03, 2006
The Meat Walk
Savenor's is a butcher shop that first opened in Cambridge in 1939. It was a family owned store that served quality meats and produce to the community and restaurants. Local resident Julia Child was a long time customer who frequently mentioned the shop on her program and in her books. Jack Savenor himself occasionally made guest appearances on her show and became a vital part of the Boston dining scene. In 1982, a fire destroyed the original location but the tradition lived on in a new location across the river on Charles St. in Boston. This past December, Savenors returned to Cambridge in the same location as the original store and the tradition of high quality meats, gourmet goodies and organic produce is going strong.
I came across the new (old) location in January after hearing about the opening. On a cold, snowy weekday when I was off from work, I went for a walk to check it out and found myself in a bit of glutton's heaven. I had been to the other location a couple of times but it isn't exactly convenient so I didn't make a habit. I was impressed with the selection and the obvious excitement that the staff had for the products. The butcher and I chatted about a couple of cuts and the finer points of veal stock before I walked out with a nice big pork roast, a head of cabbage and a couple of potatoes. After a stop down the street for a bottle of wine, I headed home to prepare a meal.
With the help of the silver spoon cookbook, I made a delicious pork roast braised in wine and mustard, cabbage and potatoes with pancetta and pecorino. A bottle of pinot bianco from the alto adige paired nicely.
I have since made that walk many times. It has become a routine of my weekday afternoon when I'm not at work. Because I work pretty late, I don't usually get a chance to cook very extravagantly so on these occasions, I like to go all out. I walk to Savenor's, see what looks good and form a dinner menu around that. On my way home, I may stop at the Wine and Cheese cask for a bottle of wine if I need it, the Shaw's super market for more banal items that Savenors doesn't carry, maybe the Petsi's Pie store if I want some dessert and finally home to start cooking.
In all the walk is probably about a mile and a half. I can take a variety of routes through the neighborhood or along the main roads, depending on my needs and whimsy. It is not particularly far but a nice way to work the muscles and get the heart going before I add another layer of fat and increase my cholesterol. I figure it all evens out by the end of the night.
I came across the new (old) location in January after hearing about the opening. On a cold, snowy weekday when I was off from work, I went for a walk to check it out and found myself in a bit of glutton's heaven. I had been to the other location a couple of times but it isn't exactly convenient so I didn't make a habit. I was impressed with the selection and the obvious excitement that the staff had for the products. The butcher and I chatted about a couple of cuts and the finer points of veal stock before I walked out with a nice big pork roast, a head of cabbage and a couple of potatoes. After a stop down the street for a bottle of wine, I headed home to prepare a meal.
With the help of the silver spoon cookbook, I made a delicious pork roast braised in wine and mustard, cabbage and potatoes with pancetta and pecorino. A bottle of pinot bianco from the alto adige paired nicely.
I have since made that walk many times. It has become a routine of my weekday afternoon when I'm not at work. Because I work pretty late, I don't usually get a chance to cook very extravagantly so on these occasions, I like to go all out. I walk to Savenor's, see what looks good and form a dinner menu around that. On my way home, I may stop at the Wine and Cheese cask for a bottle of wine if I need it, the Shaw's super market for more banal items that Savenors doesn't carry, maybe the Petsi's Pie store if I want some dessert and finally home to start cooking.
In all the walk is probably about a mile and a half. I can take a variety of routes through the neighborhood or along the main roads, depending on my needs and whimsy. It is not particularly far but a nice way to work the muscles and get the heart going before I add another layer of fat and increase my cholesterol. I figure it all evens out by the end of the night.
