Belmont Butchery

1/26/13:

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Service, Selection, Quality

Cons: 

     My final stop on Saturday was someplace I have been wanting to go since I moved to Richmond. So, after AC headed home I walked up Belmont St. to Belmont Butchery (Belmont Butchery). I always have enjoyed stopping in butcher shops, if just to browse. I was hoping, after all I had heard, that Belmont Butchery could maybe entice me to buy.

     Belmont Butchery has a nice little store front. It's not big and it's not pretentious. It's also mostly glass, which lets in a lot of light. Smart, as things always look better in good lighting. When you walk in the front door, the register is immediately to your left. To your right is a selection of local wines and a cheese cooler. Directly in front of you is the happiness. The 2 giant meat coolers are right there, beckoning you to stride on up and gaze in wonder at the treasures they hold. So that is what I did.

     As I stood there, in obvious awe at what I was looking at, a very friendly butcher asked me if I could use some help. Could I ever... He then said, "If you would like, I can walk you through the case." DONE!! We started in the charcuterie section. He went through the pate (which they make in house), the salami (which they bring in from trusted makers), and bacon (which they make in house). It all looked fantastic. But then we moved on to the second case. This was the case filled with the fresh grass-fed beef, the grain raised pork, the free-range chicken, the cage-free rabbit and the house made sausages. Talk about meat overload... I was simply blown away with the selection. I also really loved that they could tell me the origin and diet of all of their meats. A butcher should know where their product comes from and Belmont Butchery's staff does.

     After my tour of the cases I was drawn back to the pate and the bacon. I have always been a fan of Pâté  For all who don't know about pate, let me drop some knowledge on you. Pâté  in this case pork, is basically liver, pork and spices ground up together. It is then shaped into a brick and chilled. Don't worry, everything is cooked. Pâté can be served warm or cold, but it's best flavor is reached after a few days of chilling. I got the Pâté Maison, which is their house pâté. I also bought a loaf of french bread from a local bakery (sold at Belmont) and some Tallegio cheese to go with it. Tallegio is a spreadable soft Italian cheese. It complimented the pâté very well. The pâté itself was rich and flavorful. It was excellent and I will certainly get some again.

     I also had to buy some of their house cured bacon. It's bacon! Thick cut and smokey. I went with their peppercorn maple bacon. The butcher suggested I bake it instead of fry it due to the sugar content in the flavoring. He said it would burn if I tried to fry it. So, I baked it at 325* for about 20 minutes. Amazing!! Again, I will be back for some more of that.
     Now I will say this about Belmont Butchery, it's certainly not cheap. They charge more then Kroger or Martins, but you are also paying for product. You get what you pay for. They have a great product. It's worth the extra money. As a friend of mine said, "You should pay more for meat. You should know where it came from. It shouldn't be $5 for a chicken. Pay for quality if you want quality." She is 100% right on this. That's why I will certainly return to Belmont Butchery and pay for their products. They do things right. I suggest the next time you need to make a nice meal or even just want to treat your tastebuds, head to Belmont Butchery.