Final touches before the doors open to the public for the first time.
The Mount Vernon area got a special valentine on Feb. 14 when The Cut, a new European-style butchery opened in the Hollin Hall Shopping Center.
The sleek new shop with a distinctive black and white checkerboard tile floor has big windows for would-be shoppers outside and providing plenty of light inside to peruse fresh farm-to-table meats -- beef, poultry, lamb, pork (including pork bellies), seafood, charcuteries, spices, produce, wine, cheese and other products. A Tomahawk ribeye cut of beef is being dry aged for 40 days over four blocks of salt in a glass refrigerator, intriguing many customers.
The butchery also offers products like scone mix, Japanese fish sauce, pasta and 88-ounce-cans of tomatoes from Italy and sardines and squid in olive oil from Spain. Shoppers can choose from several kinds of salt: butcher’s, fisherman’s and sel de Jardinier. Translation: French gardener’s sea salt, a salt and herb blend “with tarragon, garlic, parsley and chervil, the perfect seasoning for anything, including sautéed vegetables, sauces, soups and meats,” says the Les Fleurs website, a vendor of French products.
“It’s going great,” said Alex Kilroy, the owner who lives nearby. He expects customer traffic to pick up once the weather warms up and the grills and smokers come out for more outdoor cooking.
Kilroy got the idea to open a butchery when he wanted to grill a high-quality steak for his birthday, but he could not find one nearby that met his culinary standards. He believes people will want to shop in The Cut because “customers are more educated than ever and are asking more questions about where food is sourced,” he said in an interview. “We give them an alternative to the grocery store, something much fresher and meat that can be cut on demand.” He cited as examples, a one- or two-inch thick steak, a trimmed brisket, a whole chicken cut up, an ounce of salmon or a whole filet. “We can tailor it to the needs of the customer,” he emphasized. “Our focus is on the highest quality and freshest products for our customers.”
Classic European butcheries typically offer high-quality products, some meticulously curated and cut and products sourced from local farms.
For the non-meat eaters, Kilroy believes his shop “supports all at the dinner table. We sell seafood, pasta and vegetables for people with dietary restrictions. We can fill out a meal for the entire family.”
High Visibility
Kilroy says he chose the spot facing Fort Hunt Road because the Hollin Hall Shopping Center “is the closest to a main street feel. It’s in a densely populated area and the customers in the area are very supportive of neighborhood businesses. I believe that what we are trying to cultivate in the shop is a good fit for the dynamic and support of the neighboring communities.”
To sharpen his knowledge and management and marketing skills, Kilroy took butchering classes in Sperryville and studied 20 butcher shops on the East Coast. He visited farms to learn about cattle genetics and dietary and water needs. Talking to farmers bolstered his respect for their work, he offers. “It was a learning curve,” he said.
That self-education effort led to a row of crystal clear glass cases offering juicy red cuts of beef, glistening seafood and other products that are drawing many admirers with taste buds tingling.
Behind and above the meat counter is an eight-by-fifty-foot mural of a Virginia landscape painted by Patrick Kirwin, a Torpedo Factory artist. “The mural could be anywhere in Virginia,” Kilroy said. “We wanted to have a little bit of mystery behind it.”
Kilroy has partnered with Virginia farms, local seafood and produce wholesalers and others.
The Cut Butchery is at 7968 Fort Hunt Road, next to River Bend Bistro and the Walgreens Pharmacy. Visit https://thecutbutchery.com/.