ThayerAvenue.com

I know we have plenty of grocery stores with good meat counters. Snyder’s is one of the best, and it’s more affordable than Whole Foods (though WF has some good stuff of their own). But that’s just not cutting it any more. I want a guy who I can always rely on to be behind the counter. Someone who knows me by name and always has my favorite stuff behind the counter. Someone who I can call for half a pig and pick it up the next day. Someone who will take these charts and bring it down to a level I can easily understand and afford.

In short, I want a real butcher. A one-stop shop that has meat. And only meat. As much as I’m into barbecue, I’d fire up the grill even more if I had a resource like this. And if I could easily get my hands on a whole pig, I would buy one of these in a heartbeat. I would think an area this big – with such diverse, meat-eating cultures – would have enough people to support a dedicated butcher shop, and I’m sort of shocked we don’t have one.

If I’m missing something, please do tell. And while I know there are good halal and kosher butchers around, that’s not what I’m talking about (i.e., PORK). If I won the lottery tomorrow, I would quit my job and take an apprenticeship at a butcher in New York or something and do it myself. If there are any aspiring butchers out there thinking about taking the plunge, I can gather a small horde of carnivores to support you.

In other news…
Unfortunately it’s in Germantown, but it looks like Montgomery County is finally on tap to get a Wegmans grocery store. And while I continue to push for a Harris Teeter in the (will-it-ever-happen) Falkland Chase Development, a Wegmans a little closer to home would surpass (and perhaps eliminate) the Giant. And the crappy Thayer Avenue Safeway.

After having good ribs at both Fire Station 1 and Babes recently, I think we need to start planning for spring: when the weather is warmer, the beer tastes colder, and the barbecues start firing up. Between those two restaurants, *whatever* comes out of Diana Davila-Boldin’s kitchen at Jackie’s, and the plethora of other Silver Spring restaurants that serve good ribs (and other barbecue, for that matter), it’s high time we find a parking lot, bring in some trucks, and have an honest competition.

Of course, we don’t have to limit it to ribs, but we’d have to have plenty of categories to allow for pork, beef, and all their various incarnations. I’m sure we could get enough takers. We’d just need a place, some sponsors, and participants. I think Veteran’s Plaza would be a prime location. As for sponsors, this would be a great opportunity for AOL to drop some money and promote their local Patch news network. And I’m sure we could get Downtown Silver Spring (Peterson Cos), the Chamber of Commerce, the Silver Spring Regional Center, and a number of other secondary and tertiary sponsors (Hook & Ladder, anyone?). Attendees, of course, are a no-brainer.

Most important: the participants. I’ve named my top three, but start adding to the list and let’s see where this thing goes. These are some of my ribs from the backyard this summer (above), so know that I’m serious about this.

And if we’re lucky, maybe Billy Zane could use a gig and be the emcee.