Every once in a while, you will pull up to a meat market and just by looking at the exterior you will get that special feeling you have arrived at the new ‘Meat Mecca’. “Willowside Meats Inc' is located in a rural area of Santa Rosa California. You will need to slow down on this country road or you will drive right past this meat market. A small sign proclaiming; “Your Local Family Owned Meat Market”, will be your clue to slam on the brakes and turn into their driveway.
Once inside, you will notice a beehive of meat activities. Several people are slicing, dicing and wrapping various cuts of meat. There are several meat cases displaying their wares. One meat display case was full of 25 different varieties of nitrate free frozen sausage.
Don and Darlene Alberigi have owned Willowside Meats since 1986. They process local ranch meats and wild game. They will custom cut and wrap your meat projects. Don gave me a tour of the meat lockers and meat smoking area. Don had some prime and choice rib roasts hanging and aging for the holidays.
Willowside does have slab bacon. It is house cured and smoked with hickory wood. We picked up some beautiful pork chops that Darlene told me that these pigs are fed a diet of acorns. Jalapeno cheddar sausage was one meat tube that had to be tried. I would have purchased the other 24 varieties of sausage, but the credit card limit was getting low. I did pre-order a (prime) prime rib roast for the New Year.
We returned home with a sleigh full of meat. The bacon smells so smoky good. It was cubed and put into some slow baked beans. We had a wonderful meal of pork chops and baked beans. This was just a little sample of some great meat from our newly discovered find. Willowside Meats is a destination meat market. We have already planned our return trip to pick up our prime rib roast. This was a truly wonderful meat market and will be looking forward to trying more of their products.
Willowside Meats Inc.
3421 Guerneville Rd.
Santa Rosa, Ca. 95401
707-546-8404
Eureka! There's your Christmas gift - the discovery of a reasonably nearby meat Mecca!
ReplyDeleteZoomie, that would be okay, but I was actually hoping for a big green egg. I am looking forward to the aged prime, prime rib roast.
ReplyDeleteThat bacon looks really tasty. Somehow I think that between the bacon and the prime, prime rib roast you'll have earned enough points to qualify for Santa's 'good' list.
ReplyDeleteSigh, I drank a container of liquid superfood (no bacon) for lunch. Gasp.
ReplyDeleteI wanna go there, then to the Willie Bird Cafe. I'M HUNGRY NOW.
xo, Biggles
You're not getting the egg? Poo.
ReplyDeleteZia, Bacon was great. I may get a lump of coal.
ReplyDeleteReverend, What is liquid superfood? It sounds, like, well different.
cookiecrumb, It is not even Christmas yet. Have you been talking to Ms. Goofy?
I want my sleigh full of bacon! Merry Christmas Chilibrown.
ReplyDeletehighlandsranchfoodie, Merry Christmas to you and yours. You know I am in the Holiday spirit. The next time you bump into Elway would you wish him a Merry Christmas too!
ReplyDeleteWhile some people might find it off putting, I love the smell of a clean meat cutting room. (My first career was in the retail grocery arena and I went from a 16 y/o bag boy to working in corporate so I got to see many a back room operation.)
ReplyDeleteI wish we had half the quality meat markets that you have. We have our choice of two, which have their days.
Hey - Merry Christmas to the Chilebrown family
ReplyDeleteChris, We are on a mission searching for meat markets just like this one on the West Coast. This was a find.
ReplyDeleteGreg, Right back to you. I hope you get some black iron for Christmas.
mmmmmm- Willowside meats. We are blessed in Sonoma County with several fabulous meat markets with talented butchers. We get a 1/2 locally grown grass fed steer every year and have tried most of the local butchers - Willowside, Martindales, Ibleto and Bud's.
ReplyDeleteColleen, Bud's is very very good. You did not mention Angelo's. I now have to find Ibleto. Thanks for the tip.
ReplyDeleteHey Colleen, I just called Ibleto and talked to one of the owners. She say's Angelo her brother-in-law from Petaluma does their bacon and sausage. WooHoo!(small world) She told me they make their own pasta and ravioli. We are going to stop there next week for a looksy and ravioli. Thanks Again
ReplyDeleteOnly live 2 miles from here and I will echo the authors comments that they have some incredible meats and very reasonable prices. I love their grass fed steak (any type) and being British, they are the go to place to get a great cut of beef for a traditional British Sunday Roast. All in all, a great place.
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