Meaty Conversation: New cuts of meat enter the everyday lexicon

Grid’s March issue will include a 16-page insert done in conjunction with PASA (the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture). The best thing about working on this section was getting to go out and visit a bunch of amazing, family-run, sustainable farms. I came away with much more information than could be contained in those pages.

This article from the New York Observer made me think of one specific issue that didn’t make the cut. I had a very interesting conversation with Paul Crivellaro of Country Time Pork about changing appetites for certain cuts of meat. With help from his wife Ember, Paul sources some of the best restaurants in the city, including Vetri, Osteria, Standard Tap, RX and Rose Tattoo. I asked if chefs were asking for different things as tastes change and diners become more adventurous. He said the two things he can barely keep in stock are pork belly (no surprise) and pigs head, which is no doubt making its way into terrines across the area as we speak.

Sean Weinberg at Restaurant Alba expressed something similar. He has a pig trotter appetizer on his menu, and has noticed that consumers are more willing to try new things. His menu also features a goat entrée, and whereas he used to sell three or four a week when he had goat on as a special, he now sells twelve to fifteen per night.