Carnivore’s Guide: Charcuterie

The six best 100 percent locally house-cured charcuterie plates

By Allison Austin Scheff December 31, 1969

We can’t talk charcuterie in this town without a nod to Salumi, the Batali family business that put Seattle on the map in terms of boldly seasoned cured meats. The charcuterie plate (or “cured meat sample plate,” as listed on the chalkboard menu) comes with a rotating taste of everything from the sopressata (garlic-flavored salumi) to the mole (flavored with chocolate, ancho and cinnamon). The excellent lomo (whole cured pork loin) sometimes remains elusive to all but the most regular customers, which is an excellent excuse to dine here at least once a week. $14.50 per platter, with cheese, olives and bread

Earth and Ocean is one of the few restaurants in town committed to a full-scale charcuterie operation. The pork charcuterie starts with Skagit River Ranch’s organic pork, so you can be assured of its attention to sourcing the best. Five selections for $17

Cured by Visconti is Leavenworth’s only producer of artisanal charcuterie, though one taste of its black-peppered, Chianti- and fennel-scented finocchiona should have Seattle competitors quaking in their boots. Sample the salumi porcini for a taste of this luxurious wild mushroom, combined with rich pork fat that caresses the tongue. $6/quarter-pound
            
They have only a tiny kitchen in which to make it all, but somehow Kylen McCarthy and his team at Marjorie do a delicious and varied charcuterie plate. One recent selection included buttery smoked duck breast, cured and poached pork sausages and beef tongue, along with homemade brioche and rye toasts and brandied prune mustard ($18).  
   
We love the incredibly smooth chicken liver terrine and the blood sausage on Le Pichet’s house-made charcuterie plate, and at $12 it’s by far the least expensive n the city. But not everything was stellar: On a recent visit, several sausages had a slightly crumbly texture.
 
At Campagne (and Cafe Campagne), the gorgeous—and generous—charcuterie platter ($30) features mostly pâtés, but we aren’t complaining. We’ll gladly stop by for the silken chicken liver mousse and house-cured duck breast, among the six ever-changing selections, served with house-pickled vegetables, marinated olives and French mustards.

Published November 2010

 

More articles from our Meat issue
Carnivore’s Guide: Bacon!
Carnivore’s Guide: A Burger for every budget
Carnivore’s Guide: Charcuterie
Carnivore’s Guide: Chicken
Carnivore’s Guide: Duck, Turkey, and Goose
Carnivore’s Guide: Game: Venison, Elk, Wild Boar
Carnivore’s Guide: Lamb
Carnivore’s Guide: The Meatless Meats
Carnivore’s Guide: Offal
Carnivore’s Guide: Pork
Carnivore’s Guide: Sausages
Carnivore’s Guide: The Steakhouses
Carnivore’s Guide: The Art of Butchering
Carnivore’s Guide: Butcher Shops and Meat Markets
Carnivore’s Guide: The Seattle Meat Directory

 

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