Over a year ago I stopped posting the weekly Fatted Calf Newsletter. If you ain’t hip to their newsletter, it’s a weekly note to let everyone know what’s going on in their world and the upcoming menu for the Berkeley & Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Markets. It was something I did out of inspiration, love and devotion. But it was time to move on, times change. The only thing that didn’t change is their love & devotion for all things meat.
If you’ve been lucky enough to sample any of their meaty gifts, you know of what I speak. I fondly remember showing up each Saturday in Berkeley to see what was new, rely on what’s a family standard and to enjoy the market in general. Nearly each week Taylor and/or Toponia had cooked up something special for all, like a kid in a candy store I was! I thought I’d seen just about everything they had to offer over the years. And speaking of years, I triple dog dare you to use the search function here at Meathenge and type in newsletter. There’s about 4.5 years worth of posts, pretty crazy.
Earlier this year Fatted Calf opened up their new shop at the new Oxbow Market in Napa. I’ve been more than a few times and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Again, I thought I’d seen it all.
Jlee and I sped up early this last Saturday morning for another visit and to check out a small gun shop, just for fun. I found a cool wrist-rocket I knew the boys would enjoy, but guess what I found at the fancy charcuterie masters shop? That’s right, hands down the most badass salumi sammich of all time! Nabbed that one big time! I don’t know how many different kinds of hand-made pieces of meat were in there, but it was tremendous. The depth of flavor all delivered with a fresh made tapanade with a little more extra virgin all nestled in a wonderfully toothsome sammich roll. Luckily, Toponia was there and we got to hang out a bit and talk about stuff. The weather was cool, overcast with a chance of rain. Her eyes lit up and she reached behind the counter and produced a gratin! A hot, beautiful, steaming gratin that is! As with many items they have for sale, tasting each thing is a huge part of the experience. Floopf the spoon heavily laden with gratin went in to my mowf (I still have the spoon in my pocket, use it for flinging coffee beans at employees). A rich blend of delicious, gooey cheese, finished with some bright tangy version to finish. There’s pasta in there! There’s onions in there! “I’ll take 1 pound please.”
These are two things you cannot get at the markets, you have to visit their locale in Napa. You’ll probably have to drive, but go. Now. It’s worth it, every minute you spend behind the wheel embiggening your carbon footprint is worth it. I have no idea what it cost me, I don’t care. I’m going again and again.
Biggles
ps – Check out the pork belly roulade, the gratin and the sandwiches there, see?
MeatHenge
"If it ain't pork, it ain't sausage"
In which Biggles embiggens and makes my mouth water at the very idea of returning to Fatted Calf in Napa, which is a sort of Mecca. Wowzer.
Oohhh, ohhh, ohhh, I had the chance to stop at the Fatted Calf in Napa the last week of October, ona roadtrip to visit friends who recently bought a house in Mendocino County. During the drive, I was reading a fantastic book, Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, and what do you know, TFC was stocked with just about everything that whetted my appetite during the long drive from San Diego.
So hard to choose what to buy, but since I was equipped with a small cooler, I manage to get out of there with a pound of bacon, a few ounces each of pork and duck rilletes, a bit of rabbit terrine, a very nice dry salami, 2 doz pastured eggs, a quart of Clovervale’s raw milk, and some very nice butter, not to mention a Fatted Calf t-shirt. Meanwhile my man and boy chose several great cheeses at the cheesemonger around the corner. What a great cold plate dinner we had up in Mendocino!
Walking Chinatown at 5pm during peak market time was a treat, too, with all the fresh (live) seafood and roasted ducks in the windows, but unfortunately, our one night in SF was the only night Encanto is closed, so that wish list item still needs fulfilling. We had a superb dinner near our hotel at Fish & Farm’s bar, though, so all was not lost (it’s in the Mark Twain Hotel near Union Square). The pork cheeks were great, as were the house pickled veggies.
Hey Anna,
Wow, you really came away with a good load of yummies, smart move eh?
Have you or your friends visited the Mendo Bistro? I’ve been and have to say they do food right. Plus they’re really great folks.
Cheers!
whoah, looks flipping awesome. what is that meat with the knife and fork stuck in it? i want it.
Hey Doc,
That’s the pork belly roulade. Pork should stuffed with greens, crunchies and goodness. Then wrapped in a pork belly, roasted.
Crunch!
Biggles
That sandwich makes me cry, a little. Is that wrong?
Rev,
This is what I miss about CA. In fact food is the only thing I miss about CA.
I too recently visited this fantastic meaty wonderland last month… Sadly, it was on the second day of our foodie tour of napa & san francisco. So I couldn’t really take more than a tshirt and some of those yummy dried sausage thinggies with me. We also enjoyed a roasted lamb sandwich with arugula and carmelized onions that was just divine.
However, I hear that they are sending some product down to Los Angeles by way of the Divine Pasta Company/Cube. truth to the rumor? what products will be available?
Suggestion: make the smell of the fatted calf shop available in candle form or one of those air fresheners that hang in the car.
Hey Karen,
Don’t know about the rumor yet, I’ll have to axe. And, funny you mention the candle. A few years ago I used some of their glass jars that duck fat and sugo come in and made red candles in them. Sent them out to friends an junk. Don’t think they wafted any good fatty smells though.
Biggles