The Hungry Hoosier

Joe Won't Say "No"

Joe Lazzara, of Joe's Butcher Shop and Fish Market, is like the girlfriend I always wanted. Let me explain. As a sixteen year old boy I wanted a girlfriend how never said "no." I never found that girlfriend and in the hindsight of responsible adulthood, I'm glad I never did. At the time, however, that was the ultimate quest. Joe is like the butcher equivalent of the girlfriend who never says no.

I am doing some writing on the "mother sauces" and I'm currently working on espagnole (brown sauce). I needed about seven pounds of beef bones cut in two-inch pieces. I was hoping to find these somewhere in the Lafayette area but after four calls, I got four "no's." One place needed two-weeks notice for an order like that. Another place had the bones but would only cut them in six-inch pieces. I decided a drive to Carmel would be needed. So, I called Joe and all he said was, "What time do you want to pick them up?"

Well, the stock is at a lazy simmer this evening and I have Joe to thank. I'm so glad to have a go-to butcher who doesn't know how to say "no."

November: Time to Talk Turkey

Originally published in moist and juicy newspapers on November 1, 2007

For those of us who like to cook, much of our spare time in November will be spent planning for and procuring needed supplies for Thanksgiving Dinner, the Super Bowl of cooking and eating holidays. In years past, I’ve encouraged readers to bypass the grocery store birds to try a farm-fresh turkey. This year, your hearing more of the same from me.

Here in central Indiana we have several options for local birds, from both farmers and now a couple retailers. Here are a few of those options.

Promised Land Farms (9781 W 275 N Thorntown) offers free-range birds that can be ordered and picked up a couple of days before Thanksgiving. You can arrange a pre-Thanksgiving visit to see the turkeys in action and meet Jim and Nancy Whelan. It is a fun trip for the whole family. They can be reached by phone at 765-483-9268. Their website is www.promisedlandfarm.us.

Humphrey Family Farms (3981 S. Grant St, Williamsport) raises all sorts of birds - geese, ducks, chickens, and turkeys. The Humphreys take orders at the Traders Point Creamery Winter Market in Zionsville (www.tpforganics.com) and deliver the birds there for pick up. The Humphreys can be reached by phone at 765-762-3160. You might want to also keep them in mind for a Christmas goose if you want to have an old fashioned Charles Dickens sort of holiday.

Purple Rock Farm (2282 E. 250 N, Frankfort) is also selling an all-natural bird. Gina and Travis Sheets have already processed their birds. They are frozen and ready to pick up anytime. Proceeds from Purple Rock sales go to support the Sheets’ missionary work in third-world countries. Gina and Travis can be reached by phone at 765-659-5310.

Joe’s Butcher Shop (111. W. Main Street) is Carmel’s butcher extraordinaire and Joe is selling all-natural free-range turkey’s raised across the state line in Ohio. Even though it is not an Indiana farmer, I think this is a good choice. Joe has a commitment to quality and sustainable practices. This is guaranteed to be a delicious bird. Joe is taking orders until November 10, 2007. He can be reached by phone at 317-846-8877 and online at www.joesbutchershop.com.

Goose: The Market (2503 N. Delaware St., Indianapolis) is a brand new retail shop in Indy’s Fall Creek Place specializing in top-rate foods from both near and far. They have a terrific year-round selection of meats, cheeses, and all sorts of delicious foods. For Thanksgiving, they too have gone to Ohio to procure all-natural, pasture-raised turkeys. You can count on Chef/Owner Christopher Eley to provide you with a quality product. Goose is taking orders through November 5th. They can be reached by phone at 317-924-4944 and online at www.goosethemarket.com.

The last several years I’ve gotten my bird from an area farmer. I can honestly say these have been the best turkeys I’ve ever had. This year I decided to order from Joe’s Butcher Shop in Carmel. I wanted a whole bird and an extra bone-in breast for plenty of white-meat turkey sandwiches! Joe was able to handle that request. Next week, I’ll provide some tips for how I’ll be preparing my bird this year.

Frtiz's Beef Jerky

(Photo used by permission from Michelle Jones) I'm a big fan of Joe's Butcher Shop and Fish Market. Life doesn't usually take my near Joe's on a regular basis but it is one place I'll go out of my way to visit. I always walk away with a great piece of meat or a fresh bit of fish. On my last visit, I spotted something new - beef jerky. Yep, Butcher Fritz Albright is making his own beef jerky. I'm usually not a jerky consumer but I wanted to try this so I bought a small bag.

This is really good stuff - peppery with a strong beefy Worcestershire-accented goodness. I don't have a hiking or camping excursion coming up anytime soon but if I did, I would have a backpack full of this stuff. I've been snacking on Fritz's jerky the last few days in the comfort of my home and car. This protein-rich snack stays with me much longer than the more typical carb-laden snack. Leave it to a meat-genius like Fritz to come up with the perfect beef jerky.

Joe's Butcher Shop and Fish Market, Carmel

I'm not sure if they have a baker or candlestick maker, but the people of Carmel, Indiana have one heck of a butcher. In January of this year, Joe Lazzara dropped out of the corporate rat race to open this throw-back meat and fish shop, in Carmel's Arts and Design District. Joe enlisted the help of Fritz Albright, a butcher veteran who for 30 years had a successful shop near Fort Wayne.  Joe, his wife Kathy, and Fritz have done a great job mixing the traditional with the contemporary. Joe's is, without a doubt, the only place in central Indiana where you can get both a top-notch T-bone and sashimi-grade ahi tuna.

The Hungry Hoosier side of me feels a special simpatico sort of thing with Joe and company because many of their products are produced in Indiana. Their chicken, for instance, is raised in Northern Indiana on Amish and Mennonite farms, where the birds are fed special vegetable feeds without hormone or chemical additives and shipped fresh within the day after Joe orders it. The pork also comes from Northern Indiana farms. Joe also sells pre-breaded pork tenderloins that are ready to fry up. The beef is raised on natural farms in Nebraska. And the fish is shipped in fresh daily from the waters around Florida and Hawaii. On my visit I picked up a whole chicken($1.65 per pound), two tenderloins ($1.49 each), a chuck roast ($3.49 per pound), and a bone-in ribeye ($11.99 per pound).

I had the ribeye tonight and it was top-of-the-line. In fact, I can confidently say that it was the best non-steakhouse ribeye I have ever had. The only thing I did was to hit both sides with Kosher salt, fresh-cracked pepper, and garlic powder. Even though it took all the fatherly love I could muster, I shared the steak with the boys. Today may have been my first visit to Joe's but it will certainly not be the last.

Joe's is located at 111 West Main Street, #110 in Carmel and their phone number is 317-846-8877. They are open Monday - Friday 9 am to 7 pm, Saturday 8 am to 7 pm, and Sunday 11 am to 4 pm. They also have a website.