Ottomanelli's Meat Market

Ottomanelli’s is a classic, one of the last of its kind. When they opened eighty or so years ago on Bleecker near 7th there was a neighborhood butcher in every neighborhood in America — now it’s a rarity in New York, an anomaly in most places. Ottomanelli’s was one of the first butchers to source free‐range poultry and pasture‐raised meats, but the real contribution they make is their practice and maintenance of what has become a severely endangered set of skills, of artistry really, that bridges the wide gap between the animal in the field and the food in the pan. Frank, Peter and Jerry hand‐cut the best fresh meat and poultry in New York for over 35 years, and with all due respect to the creativity of the chefs and the perseverance of the farmers, these guys are the unsung heroes of the Slow Food movement. They are a real treasure.