Three Little Pigs Charcuterie and Salumi
#1
Posted 07 February 2012 - 01:25 PM
#2
Posted 07 February 2012 - 05:11 PM
Chef at Market: Jason Story from Three Little Pigs, 11am - 12noon on Saturday, February 11.
#3
Posted 07 February 2012 - 09:28 PM
From what I understand, this event has been rescheduled for some time in March.At the Silver Spring Market:
Chef at Market: Jason Story from Three Little Pigs, 11am - 12noon on Saturday, February 11.
I'm still curious to know when Story's store on GA is opening. Updates from the Prince of Petworth?
#4
Posted 07 February 2012 - 10:04 PM
I'm still curious to know when Story's store on GA is opening. Updates from the Prince of Petworth?
A few days ago, but no firm date yet: http://www.princeofp...cuterie-salumi/
#5
Posted 13 February 2012 - 02:14 PM
#6
Posted 15 March 2012 - 07:14 PM
leaf lard
and duck eggs
and venison sausage
and numerous pork belly preparations
and vanilla soda from scratch
and smoked, head on shrimp
Go. Soon. This prices aren't crazy. The neighborhood is fine. There is a lot of street parking and the place is next to a fire station. They use local products whenever possible. The next time you feel like going for a drive come check out this part of DC. Moroni Brothers is a few blocks south; make a kick ass eating day out of it. The owners are living the dream.
Will schmooz for schmaltz-qwertyy
Just keep on smiling-Mrs. Brown
She never promised that life would be easy, but she did promise that if I hung with her the food would be good. -Joan Bauer
...the craving of a Jew for pork, in particular when it has been deep-fried, is a force greater than night or distance or a cold blast off the Gulf of Alaska.
-Michael Chabon
#7
Posted 15 March 2012 - 08:05 PM
#8
Posted 07 April 2012 - 04:06 PM
The country pate is finely ground with no solid pieces of meat in it, the smooth texture broken only by little bits of onion. It has a not-unpleasant liver-y flavor to it.
This was my first experience with ventreche, which is cured pork belly, originally from Gascony apparently. I was expecting a melt in the mouth experience like with the best lardo, but the fat here (it's mostly fat) has more chew to it, though perhaps due to the thickness with which it was (laboriously, and by hand) sliced in the store. It had distinct herbal notes.
Nice store, with plenty of other things to try on my next visit.
--
Dan Metz
#9
Posted 11 April 2012 - 10:52 PM
Carolina and Jason are a young but experienced couple with real passion and focus around what they're doing.
VENUE
Their facebook page tells the construction and permitting story familiar to most of us. Originally expected in December, they finally cleared all the hoops in March. The space is minimalist but attractive; utilitarian but smart.
First, their theme of a chalkboard ties together the online and offline. It reinforces the handmade, craft, artisan nature of all the products and the creative, fun, multi-faceted philosophy that gives structure and soul to the business. It emphasizes the seasonal and daily changes driven by different farms' availability, weather and all the other factors. While the inventory won't be as predictable as a grocery store, it seems very likely to always be as carefully sourced as it is prepared. For the venue, in keeping with the chalk theme, all the meats in the refrigerated case sit on black slates. Menus over the back wall and case are chalkboards. Even their bright blue main entry door carries changing chalked messages each day.
Second, the spare nature of the space with plenty of light also supports focus, authenticity and simplicity, all qualities inherent in their approach. Entering from Georgia Ave, there's a decorative table at front along the window. The large open wood floor has a big carved line pig in it that you walk across to the case and counter. Original art figures prominently in the design. At right above a great, natural light wood 6 or 7 stool counter is a custom colorful pastel mural of...well, what else?...three pigs. There are photos capturing the mural's creation on the Facebook page.
Finally, the location right in Petworth is yet another peg in the board of an up and coming food neighborhood with Moroni, Qualia, Domku and today's WaPo Food Section cover story (Fish in the Hood) all nearby.
PRODUCT
Others have already posted the different things they've had on offer so I won't repeat that. I bought three things and sampled two so can comment on those:
- Maple Bacon. Carolina suggested this be used in cooking as a component of other dishes due to the sweetness imparted by the maple syrup in curing. So we did. And it made some pretty awesome BLTs.
- Breakfast Bacon. Evidently this is pretty popular in terms of the volume of requests they get. Haven't tried it yet but it looks great. And of course great that you can buy this, like anything, in block form or have it sliced however preferred.
- Polish Sausage. This long, narrow diameter dry sausage reminded me of some of the dry Italian sausages I've bought at Vace. Still need to track down some Stachowski sausages but haven't yet. Carolina gave me a sample of this in store and I bought one to take home. It's a very nicely seasoned and composed sausage. I have a lot to learn about sausages (future class I'm thinking) so lack the right vocabulary to describe this. Similar in flavor to better Italian dry sweet sausages but not as sweet and with some bite from black peppercorns and not sure what else. I could see it maybe pairing well with a variety of full, fruity wines and stronger hard cheeses.
- Tasso Ham. I had a sample of this but didn't take any home...this time. In the case, it looked like a big bundle of braided meat that might have been braised. But of course it hadn't been. It was a ham with just a moderate amount of fat. Really tasty and on my list for a future visit.
Some of the interesting things on display not referenced above include lightly pickled (so must be refrigerated) radishes and one other vegetable I'm forgetting (maybe carrot) along with four big trotters right there in the case. A wonderful looking pork liver pate was right in the center and also available as one of the day's three sandwiches. As with all the meats, these items will change regularly according to season and availability.
SERVICE
I wouldn't necessarily write about this for a store but a writeup about Three Little Pigs would be incomplete without it. Jason and Carolina are both CIA-trained chefs. But Jason has a deeper charcuterie background so the division of responsibilities has him downstairs doing all the curing, pickling and preparation. Carolina isn't just incredibly friendly and helpful; she actually studied hospitality as part of her CIA program. First and foremost, she really knows her stuff on product, farms and cooking. But, beyond that, she's incredibly nice and really goes above and beyond to help customers. The website gives many examples of this, ranging from them encouraging after-hours emails and custom requests to their active engagement with fans on Facebook and small group classes they're beginning to offer this month.
FUTURE PLANS
Pretty clearly, this is just the beginning and I was glad to hear about some of the plans since they'll need to broaden and diversify some to ensure enough revenue and profit to endure. The sandwiches and low-sugar, house made sodas are one move in that direction. Though charcuterie is the heart of the business, providing a few great lunch items each day will attract even more customers. Classes are yet another and with just a single monthly class currently mostly sold out through June, it's easy to imagine how this might grow. Topics like "Spring Chickens," "Fresh Sausages" and "BBQ Basics" currently occupy the schedule into summer. Carolina also shared their plans to sell dry aged beef. Right now, they only have beef jerky and I think this is about finding the right source. They're serious about their relationships with the right local farms with just a few current relationships including Evensong and Polyface. Finally, I mentioned Qualia to Carolina since Joel & Co are just down Georgia about a mile from TLP. Carolina mentioned an interest in selling a local quality coffee. Joel, are you reading other threads?
BOTTOM LINE
Count me as a fan. Like Zora and others, I really hope they make it. From a business perspective, I think they are off to a great start. Carolina's roots here in DC ensured a ready, built in base of support. Their intelligence about growth augurs good things. And, most of all, their clear passion and obsessive commitment to product and service excellence is the foundation upon which a great business can grow.
#10
Posted 12 April 2012 - 08:03 AM
I mentioned Qualia to Carolina since Joel & Co are just down Georgia about a mile from TLP. Carolina mentioned an interest in selling a local quality coffee. Joel, are you reading other threads?
The thought has crossed my mind, although I generally eschew a retail relationship, where I can't guarantee the coffee won't sit on the shelf more than three days. However, 3LP is about a mile up the street from the shop, but just blocks from my house, so might be manageable.
Owner, Qualia Coffee
Head Roaster, Fresh Off the Roast
3917 Georgia Ave. NW (Petworth Metro, between Randolph and Shepherd St.)
website - Facebook - Twitter (Qualia) Twitter (Fresh Off the Roast)
#11
Posted 16 April 2012 - 11:13 PM
- Breakfast Bacon. Evidently this is pretty popular in terms of the volume of requests they get. Haven't tried it yet but it looks great. And of course great that you can buy this, like anything, in block form or have it sliced however preferred.
- Polish Sausage. This long, narrow diameter dry sausage reminded me of some of the dry Italian sausages I've bought at Vace. Still need to track down some Stachowski sausages but haven't yet. Carolina gave me a sample of this in store and I bought one to take home. It's a very nicely seasoned and composed sausage. I have a lot to learn about sausages (future class I'm thinking) so lack the right vocabulary to describe this. Similar in flavor to better Italian dry sweet sausages but not as sweet and with some bite from black peppercorns and not sure what else. I could see it maybe pairing well with a variety of full, fruity wines and stronger hard cheeses.
Just an update on the two items above now with more experience. The breakfast bacon didn't work as well for us as the maple bacon, which we liked. One of the issues with the breakfast bacon was that the fat percentage was especially high creating a lot of grease in the pan. Leaving it in leads to a deep-fried and not-so-great outcome. Draining it as it cooks led to better texture and flavor but very reduced bits of bacon. Will ask them about this but, based on this one experience, we prefer several others incuding the basic "Wellshire" sold at Whole Foods.
The polish sausage was good but, after using it for a few days, I think just a matter of personal preference for a somewhat sweeter sausage.
#12
Posted 17 April 2012 - 11:24 AM
The best bacon I have tasted in years is the one that Bev Eggleston sells at Dupont on Sunday--Bev's pork belly cured and smoked by Alan Benton. Get the thin-sliced if it's there, otherwise the thick sliced.
#13
Posted 22 April 2012 - 10:29 AM
I really hope they develop some relationships with other retailers around the city. But maybe that's already the plan.
--
Dan Metz
#14
Posted 22 April 2012 - 07:48 PM
We got some pate, and with a stop at La Caprice DC over on 14th St for a wonderful baguette, had delicious pate sandwiches. (baguette, mustard, pate).
We also tasted the ham off the leg in what I think of as "that Spanish bar contraption" and really enjoyed it. Also got a nice Alsatian (I think) style sausage, but haven't eaten it yet.
This will become a regular stop on the food shopping circuit.
Is the Chinese sausage the 'ndj something or other? My friend got that, and it looked about to run out.
#15
Posted 22 April 2012 - 08:49 PM
I don't think so -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/'NdujaIs the Chinese sausage the 'ndj something or other? My friend got that, and it looked about to run out.
--
Dan Metz
#16
Posted 23 April 2012 - 10:02 PM
The few new things tried:
- Italian Country Bacon: bacon is probably the best example of a charcuterie category with virtually unlimited versions through which 3LP can cycle. This one was my second favorite of the three I've tried so far but with an asterisk. The asterisk has to do wtih the breakfast bacon we didn't so much like but I'm now convinced that it was due to too high a fat to meat ratio. I had a great and very instructive (to me) talk with Jason about this and he encouraged me to specify which cut from a block I'd prefer when ordering. That hadn't occurred to me because I wouldn't have thought so cool to ask them to cut apart a block looking for the part with higher meat-to-fat. Nevertheless, Jason did just that in front of me with this bacon. The part I took was great on the ratio dimension. Good fat but not overwhelming as was the case with the breakfast bacon. 2nd to the maple bacon only from a personal preference on seasoning/curing standpoint. This one is a bit peppery but very good.
- Argentinian Chorizo: Very interesting and not really anything like the spicier types of chorizo one might find in a paella. This is a relatively mild, quarter-sized diameter sausage. We liked it quite a bit. It's cooked as purchased but of course can be used in cooking and heated.
- Saucisson d'Alsace: Best sausage yet had at 3LP. This is a sweeter, dark red, highly marbled dry sausage. Great flavor. As I guessed, we liked this much better than the Polish dry sausage we'd purchased last week.
Loving their maple bacon. Personal taste, I know, but I think this sweeter style compliments the taste of the pork better than some of the super smokey ones. They also had a really nice olive assortment yesterday, served with bits of thinly sliced orange rind.
Big agreement on both points above. And, you beat me to it on the olives. We took some of those home a few days ago also. Really good. Maybe the most loved thing in our house yet from 3LP.
#17
Posted 25 April 2012 - 07:36 AM
Joel
Owner, Qualia Coffee
Head Roaster, Fresh Off the Roast
3917 Georgia Ave. NW (Petworth Metro, between Randolph and Shepherd St.)
website - Facebook - Twitter (Qualia) Twitter (Fresh Off the Roast)
#18
Posted 27 April 2012 - 10:18 PM
A selection of coffee beans will be available for sale at 3 Little Pigs starting this weekend.
Joel
Excellent! Next I hope some farmers markets execs discover 3LP, the Qualia beans there and reconsider their thinking about what to allow into the markets. You never know.
#19
Posted 28 April 2012 - 10:08 AM
I went down to Dupont Circle last Sunday to hand our free samples. One of the market managers stopped by to chat and take several samples. While I remain skeptical that they will change their tune any time soon, I feel like maybe there has been some progress in breaking through their resistance a little.
Joel
Owner, Qualia Coffee
Head Roaster, Fresh Off the Roast
3917 Georgia Ave. NW (Petworth Metro, between Randolph and Shepherd St.)
website - Facebook - Twitter (Qualia) Twitter (Fresh Off the Roast)
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