I admit it - I go to Ithaca less frequently than once upon a time - but when I go, I go to Red Feet Wine Market and, as importantly, the Piggery. I love both of these places -- for various reasons. Red Feet is a smallish well curated wine collection, with a bit of liquor as well. We used to participate in clubs in which they provided assorted wines -- and introduced us to wonderful options. The service is kind, thoughtful, knowledgeable, and wow. Yes, a great place to buy wine.
And, then, the piggery. We have bought their bacon various places for years, and on occasion from the store itself. But, recently, I went wild and bought a range of products that we had not tried previously. Every one of the items was over the top terrific.
First: sausage. There were many versions and I went with the frozen (because why not?) lemongrass and ginger sausage. When we eventually dined on it, I was amazed, pleased, and happy. Yes. More. Just the right amount of spice, and the pork was both tender and ground the right level of fine-ness to give perfect mouthfeel.
Second: pork loin. I like pork loin. Why? Well, because pork! And also because they are the right size for two people to have a reasonably controlled but expansive meal. So: when I saw I could get one from the Piggery I was thrilled. And, I bought a frozen one. I made a vietnamese pork dish with it that we often dine on -- thinly thinly sliced, marinated, and served with rice. (The recipe is from a Madhur Jaffrey cookbook that I love. Click here for an earlier discussion of the recipe from CookingwithIdeas.) What can I say? A dish that is often wonderful went up even further in my estimation because of the quality of the pork, which tasted like pork. I know that sounds obvious, but alas, it is not always the case.
Third: and somewhat more oddly, I purchased tortillas! I already had some in the fridge, but these were recommended by the cashier and it turns out she was right. These tortillas are both beautiful and tasty. Again, this should always be the case, but all too often corn tortillas taste like. . . cardboard? These taste like. . . .wait. . . . corn!
Where are these places, you ask? In Ithaca, of course. Here are the addresses:
The Piggery
423 Franklin Street
Ithaca, NY 14850
Phone 607 – 272 – 2276
and, you can shop online here: http://www.thepiggery.net/
Red Feet Wine Market
435 Franklin St.
Ithaca, NY 14850
Yes, they are right next to one another so you can park once, and shop time.
