Fleisher's: Now Open!

OK. So let's talk about vegetarianism for a moment...

Do you believe that eating animals is wrong because humans have no right to assort our superiority over another species?

Do you shun meat because you think that supporting the corporate meatpacking industry, with its usual filth & shitty standards, is tantamount to murder?

Have you given up meat for health reasons? Maybe you’ve watched a documentary or two?

Personally, for as long as I can remember, I've hovered dangerously close to vegetarianism. In fact. my FIPS profile describes me as "78% vegetarian." For years, I've limited my red meat-eating to once a month if that. My diet usually features a ton of veggies & a bunch of chicken and fish (usually in sushi form) & the occasional "fuck, I’m broke" McDonald’s burger. When you can't guarantee the origin of your meat & sort of have a conscience, it makes opting for a veggie dish all that easier. To be honest, dishes not loaded with meat often taste better.

I mention all this because yesterday marked the soft opening of Fleisher's, the butcher shop at 182 5th Ave that, prior to today's opening but based on the reputation it's gained from their Kingston, NY shop, has many already considering them "Brooklyn's best butcher."

It has the feel of an old-time butcher shop with a local twist. We're talking locally bred meats. Meats that consider the role of the carnivore in society & come to you in the most humane way possible. Meats that actually have flavor. Unlike most butchers, Fleisher's gets whole animals that their butchers break down. They have butchery classes. They have a book titled The Butcher’s Guide to Well-Raised Meat. When it comes to meats, they want you to care about what you eat.

Fleisher's was started back in 2004 by Joshua & Jessica Applestone, a husband-and-wife duo who, though I haven't met Joshua yet, appear to perfectly fit the Park Slope demographic. Earlier this week, I sat down with Jessica at the Applestone residence to find out why people seem to go crazy for their meats. While I was there, their son was perhaps the most well behaved child I've come across this decade. Park Slope breeders take note. Get your breedlings in line!

One of the first things Jessica told me about Fleisher’s was that "(they) sell trust, not meat." As a cynical bastard spoiled by three-plus decades of buzzwords & buzz phrases, this initially put me on guard. By the time I'd heard the entire story though, my cynicism had greatly diminished.

The Fleisher’s tale started back in 1901 when Josh’s great-grandfather, who went by the TOTALLY AWESOME name of "Wolf," opened Fleisher’s Meats on 18th Ave in what’s now known as "Kensington." The family carried on the tradition for years until earlier this decade when Josh and Jessica kept it going by opening a Fleisher’s in Kingston, a Hudson Valley city that Jessica described as "Park Slope North." At the Kingston shop they source all of their meats from ethical farms that are within 150 miles of the shop. They practice a "nose-to-tail" philosophy (using the whole animal) & make it their goal to educate people about what they’re eating while doing so at a relatively-reasonable price. Three people touch their meats—the farmer, the abattoir & a butcher at Fleisher's.

They're bringing these same attributes to the Park Slope store, which will feature meats from the same farms at the same prices as the Kingston locale. Plus, since Park Slopers demand more, Fleisher’s will also feature a numerous dry goods, a line of frozen prep foods (Shepherd's pie!) & a cheese case curated by Saxelby Cheese.

They’ll even have dog food, so I guess Oliver will have to adjust his diet or something.

As to why they chose Park Slope, in addition to the return to Brooklyn, they saw a little bit of y'all Slopers in both themselves & their typical Kingston customer. You’re family-minded & economically-minded & politically-minded. You're relatively educated about the food you eat. You'll pay 15% more for a cut of steak over what you'll get Associated as long as it tastes better & feels better.

Why should you pay 15% more? Well, for starters, price-wise Fleisher's cuts are on par with Whole Foods. You should just assume that Whole Foods has an edge on the aforementioned Associated & if you live in Park Slope & can rationally defend buying your meat at Whole Foods over Fleisher's, you should probably just head on over to Wall Street NOW and pepper spray some defenseless girls in the face. You ARE the man.

Will Whole Foods talk with each & every customer for 15-20 minutes, educating them about how they can feed a family of four on tasty, sustainable meat for a week for under $50? I’m pretty sure the answer is "no."

Does Whole Foods have a delivery bike that'll deliver locally throughout Park Slope & features a grass-topped fridge box on the back? Oh wait...there isn't even a Whole Foods in Park Slope.

I guess Whole Foods is low-hanging fruit but seriously., after chatting with Jessica I can't see a reason why you wouldn't get your meat from Fleisher's over Whole Foods. As she explained, meat should NOT be the centerpiece of your meal. When you eat meat, you should stop being a typical Amercan & exercise portion control. When you're buying meat from Fleisher's, you don't need to buy a boatload of it. They hope that you know where it's coming from & why you should choose their stuff over anywhere else. They'll give you suggestions that'll ensure that you don't buy $50 worth of meat only to take it home & fuck it up.

Since they have such a large selection of cuts, for the average Joe, it might be a bit daunting to walk in there & pick out a meat. Jessica suggested getting the lamb (which is perfect for a small roast) or one of their sausages, specifically the "Rockin' Moroccan," a sausage that contains onion, apricots, honey, garlic, salt, cilantro, parsley, tumeric, cinnamon, ginger, & black pepper. It's a sausage that Joshua created for their son & it's since become their most popular one. There's a good chance that your breedling will approve of its sweetness level.

As family folk, Fleisher's will feature a "Kid’s Corner," which is a small space in the shop with chalkboard walls for your breedling to draw a picture of a cow or a Smurf or whatever it is that breedlings draw these days.

There will also be stroller parking out front. Basically, they decided that rather than fighting all the Park Slope negative energy surrounding breedlings & strollers & whatnot, they'd embrace & have fun with it.

…and since I've gone 1000+ words without making a juvenile joke, let's just end this by saying that if you're a Park Slope carnivore, you should stop by Fleisher's. From what I can tell, you CAN'T BEAT THEIR MEAT. Trust me...or trust Fleisher's...whatever works for you. After all, they're selling trust. I'm just giving it away for free.

Read way more from Shawn at eatdrinksnack.com.