A Tasty Trifecta

So my last post was about the perfect pairings. And while one may be the loneliest number, three doesn't have to be a crowd. In fact, there's a Spanish saying, "no hay dos sin tres" (literally there aren't two without three, but basically meaning good things come in threes).

A mirepoix consists of three ingredients. Bread also consists of three. As do countless cocktails! And one of the best things about working in the West Village (along with having the Hudson River Park at my disposal), is the plethora of mom and pop shops and old standby's. Fish, produce, imported cheese, meats, salamis, olives, tomatoes, lobster, I could go on...

But with that said, I introduce you to the Holy Trinity of Bleecker Street:

1) The Lobster Place (252 Bleecker Street)
I like to call this the Lobster PALACE because, though it may not look like much, they are the self-proclaimed Lobster experts, the largest purveyors of live lobster in all of New York City! Yuh-huh! Granted, you might not be regularly dining on lobster in times like these, which is why I love the fact that they carry a large selection of fresh fish including Mahi-Mahi, Wild Salmon, Dorade, Escolar and Arctic Char, as well as clams, shrimp and crab. PLUS they prepare fresh sushi to-go. I mean, hello! Do you need more of a reason?! www.lobsterplace.com

2) Murray's Cheese (254 Bleecker Street)
One of my favorite movies has a line in it that goes, "There are no cats in America, and the streets are paved with cheese!" and while I would love to imagine a world with fewer cats (hat tip to my mom) and streets paved with gruyere, manchego, queso fresco and brie, I'll deal. And here's the thing about cheese: HOW could you not love it?! I mean, if I had to have a last supper, I might skip the filet mignon, and skip right to the cheese course. Just a big 'ole plate of cheese. Mmm mmm.... Ok, enough dreaming. Murray's. Not much to say: it's a cheeselover's heaven. Domestic, foreign, soft, hard, strong, sublime, Murray's has it all. One of the few stores I never leave empty-handed from. www.murrayscheese.com

3) Faicco's Pork Store (260 Bleecker Street)
Faiccio's is one of those places you walk into and immediately know is special. It makes me sad to think that 50 years ago, neighborhood pork stores/butchers/meat experts existed all over the city, and it's becoming harder and harder to find a well-rooted, community-revered pork and meat store in Manhattan. Luckily, Faicco's is the real deal and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. They make their own sausage and brasiole, they import pasta, roasted peppers, tomatoes and canned products from Italy, and have all the fixins for your December 24 Vigilia (dinner of seven fishes). One guy even posted a mouthwatering pic of their stromboli (**warning: not for the faint of heart)

And with countless other neighborhood darlings like Rocco's (their cannolis are TDF), Amy's Bread (to go with all that cheese), Ottomanelli's (another fantastic butcher) and John's Pizza (arguably the best pie in NYC), why not stick around??