Credit: Photo by John Anderson

The Meat House

3267 Bee Caves Rd. #103, 294-2530
Daily, 9am-7pm
www.themeathouse.com

This new arrival to West Lake is part of a franchise founded in New Hampshire in 2003 with the goal of reviving the art of the neighborhood butcher and providing hand-cut quality meats and personalized service. The concept was quickly embraced on the East Coast, and the company has grown at a fast pace. This is the first Texas location, but more are soon to come in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The Meat House offers prime and top choice, dry-aged, grass-fed beef, all hand-cut on the premises, as well as chicken, lamb, veal, and pork. Exotic meats (including a $70 Wagyu beef steak) are also available in a small freezer, and the staff proudly say, “If it’s not on the endangered species list, we can special order it.” Also available at the counter (or vacuum-packed and ready to go on the refrigerated shelf) are house-marinated meats in nine different flavors. The meats are tumbled in a large barrellike contraption in order to absorb the marinade as completely as possible. According to the butchers, their signature marinated beef tips will cook faster on a hot grill than a hamburger, an estimated five to seven minutes. I tried the teriyaki beef tips, and they were mouthwatering, tender, and tasty. Other specialties include chicken breasts stuffed with cheese and broccoli and a unique offering called the Wiseguy Roll: butterflied beef filled with salami, capicola, pepperoni, mozzarella, and provolone, sold in thick slices.

The product line here reflects an emphasis on barbecue and grilling, so there are lots of spice blends, rubs, marinades, and barbecue sauces – many Texas-made – lining the shelves. But as wine manager Kevin Bolling explains, the Meat House also strives to be a one-stop-shopping neighborhood store. It stocks a small produce section, offers local breads from New World Bakery and Serious Sourdough, and features deli meats and cheeses from Boar’s Head, plus in-house prepared side dishes, prepared foods by Emily’s Catering, gourmet cheeses, dry goods, frozen vegetarian entrées, beer, and a good selection of wine in all price ranges. Give this friendly store a try on your way to the lake or a poolside party, and keep it in mind for the upcoming tailgating season!

This article appears in July 9 • 2010.

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Mexico City native Claudia Alarcón has made Austin home since 1984. She worked her way through college in the local restaurant industry, graduating from the University of Texas in 1999. She has been a Chronicle contributor for 15 years and presents lectures and workshops on topics related to the foodways of Mexico, both locally and internationally.