Ridgewood Pork Store - The Real Thing
Based on the story in the Times http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/din... I went last Saturday to the Ridgewood Pork Store, 516 Seneca Avenue in Queens. It's hell and gone away from the BQE, or any other findable street, but it was worth the trek and more!
A single thin slice of the gypsy ham, quite lean and dry, is more than enough for my favorite Silver Bell rye, which is saying something. The wine salami with hazelnuts is amazing. Salami must taste like this in heaven. The double smoked bacon is another platonic idea. I also got some of the smoked duck breast, sealed in plastic, which I haven't tried yet, but it looks great.
The butcher was generous with samples, and I tasted some perfect garlic salami and chorizo. There were also great looking cappicola and mortadella, which I'll get next time.
A great chowish discovery.
KRS
May 06, 2008 05:15PM
This sounds wonderful. But you are correct, it would be a trek to get there. The nearest subway stops are on the L and M (I dont drive). That means a trip to the city and then a trip back out to Queens via a long local. There may be a bus that runs nearby. I'll have to check that option. I down for some sausages.
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try their Sunnyside location (mentioned in the article) - 7 line, either the 40th or 46th st stop (the shop is on 43rd st.)
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Is it as good as the Ridgewood store? The same? If so, I'll be stopping by this week :)
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I haven't been there yet, but you should keep in mind that this is apparently not really a branch of the Ridgewood store. The article states, "Some products are also sold at Sunnyside Meat Market, 43-10 43rd Street." Since Sunnyside has a significant Romanian community, I suspect (but don't know) that these selections may tend more towards the Romanian end of the Ridgewood Pork Store's products.
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It's definitely a branch of the Ridgewood store, his mother is the lady behind the counter in Sunnyside and he learned everything he knows from his father who opened the stores years ago. Indeed, the products are brought in from Ridgewood by Jonel himself (he's behind the counter on rare ocasions also).
While they might not carry everything, I'm sure that if there's anything you want to try and Sunnyside is more convenient for you, they'll be happy to oblige. They're very nice people, I've been a customer since '92, when I was living in Ridgewood - another neighborhood with a significant Romanian community, btw :). They even ship products overnight.
I know they carry the smoked duck breast and porchetta but on my next visit I'll make sure to inquire about the spicy French sausages and that wonderful sounding wine-hazelnut salami. There are always hand-written notes about new products at the counter, I should pay more attention to them.
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Interesting info for us Sunnyside residents - thanks! BTW, there is a bus that goes to Ridgewood that leaves from 48th Ave. in Sunnyside - it takes about 35 mins or so. I took it a few times to visit a friend who used to live in Ridgewood - it is MUCH more convenient than the subway. Not sure how close it goes to the pork store, though.
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If I remember correctly (I've been in Sunnyside for about 13 years now and didn't really have reasons to visit Ridgewood in the last 10) the bus (Q39?) runs on Forest Ave. - that would be about 5-6-7 blocks walk to the store.
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