Astoria’s Butcher Bar

got grass

In late December, I stopped by Butcher Bar, a new spot in Astoria focusing on local, organic, and grass-fed/pastured meats. It’s part butcher shop, part barbecue restaurant. The barbecue is pretty dang good, but I must admit that it’s the butcher shop aspect that excites me the most. I order most of my meats through my CSA or online, so it’s really cool to have a place I can just walk to if I want some fresh pastured meats.

While I was there, I got into a conversation with the owner, Matthew Katakis, about the shop and his reasons for opening it. Essentially, he came to understand that grass-fed/pastured meats are superior in many ways, and felt that now was the time to bring them to Astoria. I agree with him on all points, and am particularly happy to see someone who is so much a part of the community doing this. The people behind Butcher Bar are the same ones behind Pita Pan, a popular Greek spot on 30th Ave in Astoria.

They head upstate every Monday and visit the farms and pick up their meat. This allows them to have a closer relationship with the people that raise the meat, and since a lot of the farms are local, the meat fresher. They also work with Heritage Foods, and stock D’Artagnan products. Across the board, they are sourcing from places that humanely raise their animals, which is important to me.

 local farms

The sell a number of cuts, some whole and some of the meat is ground up. I hear from very reliable sources that the “Bob’s Burger” is fabulous – 80/20 brisket and… bacon. The delicious smokey bacon fat melts into the rest of the meat and makes for a real taste sensation.

butcher bar pastured meats collage

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Soaking Nuts Makes a Difference

pepitas soaking

One of the things I want to do this year is to get back to eating in a NT (Nourishing Tradition) style more regularly. It is this “template” that makes the most sense to me, and is the way my body prefers to be nourished. I already have incorporated raw dairy, fermented foods, healthy fats (pastured lard, tallow, olive oil, raw or pasture butter), and pastured meats into my diet, as well as adhering to the practice of preparing my grains properly – by soaking, souring, or sprouting them.

One missing link from all is this properly preparing nuts by soaking them in a salt water solution, then dehydrating them to increase digestibility. I must admit – I didn’t always think this was necessary. But now I think differently, thanks to the positive feedback from my digestive system – for me, it makes a big difference!

soaked pepitas waiting to dry

When I eat raw nuts (not roasted), I sometimes wouldn’t feel all that well in the belly. Kind of a sour stomach and feeling a bit nauseated. In short, I wasn’t able to digest them very well. Gassiness would sometimes ensue (TMI, but oh well). This was probably my digestive tract reacting to the enzyme inhibitors present in the nuts. Enzymes help start the digestive process, so anything that blocks that process puts a strain on the digestive system.

Soaking the nuts in salted water deactivates those enzyme inhibitors, and thus makes it easier for our bodies to digest them. According to Nourishing Traditions, “All enzymes are deactivated at a wet-heat temperature of 118 degrees F and a dry-heat temperature of about 150 degrees.”

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Food Lover’s Cleanse Is On

Happy new year, everyone!  I hope you had a lovely New Year’s Eve and that your start to 2011 has been a beautiful one.  I spent my NYE with some good friends at a local gastropub (grass-fed burgers, yum), then relaxed at home til midnight – no heavy partying for me.  We started the morning with sprouted wheat pancakes – pastured eggs and raw sour milk added extra goodness to them – and real maple syrup. Coffee, yes.  I expect to take a walk later today, and other than that, I plan listen to music, watch movies, fiddle around online, in no particular order.

So, I’ve decided to take on this “food lover’s cleanse“, which starts tomorrow!  On that first day, I’ll be enjoying an omelette, a date shake, sourdough cheese toasty (with raw smoked cheddar cheese), crudités with shallot vinaigrette, and an amazing sounding couscous dish.  I’ll write more extensively about it after tomorrow.  Really looking forward to learning a bunch of new dishes and flavor combinations that I hope will inspire me for later times during the year.

Speaking of date shakes, they always remind me of the now gone Santa Claus Lane in Carpinteria, which advertised their famous date shakes, visible from the freeway.  I lament that I never had one, to be honest, so I’m especially looking forward to trying the one I’ll make tomorrow.

Traditional Food for Urban Families

Trad Urban Lecture

Later this month I’ll be giving a talk at the August meeting of the Queens Holistic Moms about eating and preparing real, traditional food, entitled Traditional Food for Urban Families.  Specifics include how to:

  • Soak beans and lentils for increased nutrient assimilation
  • Sprout and soak grains for easier digestion
  • Lacto-ferment produce to boost the immune system

I’ll also bring up the subject of raw milk, traditional sugar alternatives, pastured meats, and encourage people to eat a more unrefined diet in general.

And although I do not have children, I have a very busy life schedule, from my day job, to my work with my CSA; from  running to writing; to spending time with family and friends, and more (including getting back to playing music)!  So, I know what it’s like to be pressed for time.   My goal is to help people understand that eating whole, real, traditional food is totally possible even with time constraints and demands, with a little planning.

If any of you reading this are local, please join us!  Women and men are welcome, as are those of you that don’t have kids. You can RSVP here.  Here are the logistical details:

Traditional Food for Urban Families
Talk by Meg Cotner for the Queens Holistic Moms
ARROW Community Center
35-30 35th Street (between 35th & 36th Aves) in Astoria
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010, 6:30pm – 8pm

Hope to see you there!

Photo credit:  image by Queens Holistic Moms