[My Favorite Park Slope...]: Place to Buy Cold Cuts

I grew up on the Upper West Side. It was here that I'd visit a little vegetable and grocery store that also employed a butcher. I can still remember excitedly reaching up for the slice of bologna I was handed as I waited beside my mother for our order to be ready. It always tasted so great, and made me feel like I’d been good and deserved a treat. 

Imagine my surprise when, decades later, I was handed an even better slice as I stood among olive paste and Jacques Torres chocolates in an upscale Park Slope store. Luckily, I had grown enough to reach the counter and therefore was able to look the owner of Blue Apron Foods on Union Street in the eye as I thanked him. Turns out the bologna was a Polish kind that he gets from a secret source, and I am telling you, if you are a fan, the not-too-salty slices are worth a special trip.

Likewise, there’s a further array of cold meats that are all super yummy: ham still on the bone (among five or so other kinds), real Canadian bacon sliced on demand, Hungarian sausage (very hard to find, it’s kind of like a smaller less spicy salami, and includes paprika) and authentic franks that come in those long strings (they even sell fresh rolls to go with them). Blue Apron’s pickles and German potato salad go great with any of these. Also good is the liverwurst, smoked and roasted turkey, and roast beef, although I find that because the latter is not chock full of preservatives, it is best eaten within a couple of days.

It’s a joy to see something other than the relentless cases of Boar’s Head brand in this neighborhood, and surprisingly, it's pretty inexpensive to buy a quarter or half pound of something you crave. Try making your own sandwich again as in ye olden times!  You will be shocked at the money you save and how much it feels like a treat.