From the newest Simpatica letter:
…remember how I told you a month or two ago that the new project will include a butcher shop in a restaurant? Well, as of Thursday, January 1st, Viande Meats & Sausage will no longer be located inside City Market. It will be… nowhere. We will be relocating to the new digs, but it’s going to take us a few months to get there. After much deep thought and soul searching, we have decided to consolidate our entire operation to the East side of the city. A few of you West siders are probably freaking out right now, wondering how you’ll be able to continue getting the highest quality and most delicious meats available in the city. First, let me say this – A HUGE heartfelt thank you to all of you who have supported us at Viande over the last five years. I will really miss all of you, and hope that you will be able to swing into the new location once it opens. But to answer the original question, here it is: I am proud to say that Paula and Eric will be taking over the butcher shop location inside City Market, renaming their new venture Chop. Good for them, eh? Again, I really will miss seeing so many of you folks that I’ve gotten to know so well. Come visit, OK?
Sigh. I liked going to City Market for meat, but I’m not likely to trek to the eastside. Back to Phil’s.
Paula and one of the other Viande employees who have been working there for years are keeping the space for themselves. I think it’ll be called ‘slab’, but I’m not sure.
Fear not! your meat counter happiness will still be sated in the City Market. Paula’s a great butcher.
Hey now! How about bringing Newman’s Fish Market back over to the East Side, too? We’re in serious need of a solid fish purveyor over here, no offense Belmont Zupan’s…
Hey, nothing wrong with Phil’s. Awesome service and terrific meats. Agree with Markovitch’s comments though. Paula and Eric will do an awesome job with Chop as they have with Viande. Well worth giving them a try if you like going to City Market.
And… let’s keep Newman’s right where it is, OK? :-)
I wonder how this will effect the Chinook Book coupons….
One more vote of confidence for Paula and Eric!
And Best of luck to Ben, Jason and the crew on their new venture.
Happy New Year to all!!!
For all who plan to venture to Phil’s, I offer this observation. Ask Phil where his meat comes from and you’ll be met with
a steely coldness. Ask Paula about the provenance of her products and she will tell you the farm, the farmer, type of feed supplied to the animals,and anything else you could want to know. Isn’t our quest for good food also bound with our desire to support local farmers who provide transparency in the raising of their livestock?
Right on!
After years of buying from Viande at City Market, I plan to continue doing business with Chop assuming that similar meat offerings will be available. It makes sense that Simpatica probably wants to focus on catering and dinners. I would think that a retail outlet is just distracting to the business. It’s a good thing that Paula and Eric will continue the business!
I think Chop is going to do great job. Eric has been a chef for years… he’s worked gigs in Alaska and Hawaii. Moved here to Portland cooking for Atwaters and later at Castagna with Kevin Gibson. He knows his stuff – and is always pushing for local and sustainable meats.
Yeah! I can’t wait to see where you are located on the east side! East side Rocks!
I have known Paula for years when she was cooking and during her time at both Pastaworks and Viande. She is incredibly knowledgeable in all things food and with Eric as her partner, they should do an amazing job with their own venture.
Good luck to the continuation of the Simpatica empire. I am sure those boys will do A Okay.
Hello my name is Eric Finley and with my partner Paula Markus we have bought the counter at City Market. I am writing in response to the all of the positive feedback that we have gotten on portlandfoodanddrink. First of all we are very excited for the boys at Simpatica. It has been a pleasure working for them over the years and wish the best of luck for them and hope nothing but great success for them all. We will continue to bring the same great customer service and product that was started when Fred deCarlo first opened the shop back in the day. We will assure you that nothing will change with the exception that we will produce more charcuterie items and will be working more with local farmers. Our goal is to know your butcher and to trust the product that we bring in. While we can never live up to the volume that New Seasons and Whole Foods brings in, we have a unique oppurtunity being a small butcher to supply our customers with meat that is truly local and sustainable. Over the next weeks we will be diving into more whole hog butchery, bringing in different farmers from both sides of the river. We will also be bringing in local duck, more grass fed beef, local lamb, and with the luck of my Irish soul local chicken that everybody can afford. With my partner, myself and our team Tom Daly and Mike Jennings we will hopefully bring back what it is to truly be a neighborhood butcher. We look foward to seeing some old faces and hopefully some new ones in the next coming months, and are looking foward to being at Portland Farmers Market starting in March. Whether you come to City Market to see us or get some fresh pasta at Pastaworks or to buy some awesome fish at Newmans I hope you stop on by and wish you all a very happy New Year
sincerely,
Chop Butchery& Charcuterie
Eastside? huh? what?
No appeal to me. Sorry.
Suburbs? Huh? what?
No appeal what-so-ever. Sorry
The Eastside has more and better food amenities on some of its streets than all of the suburbs put together. I thought that wrong-headed attitude toward the East side of the river had died.
We (the foodies of the eastside) deliberately ripped out the east-side food section of Suburban foodie’s issue of Portland Magazine Food Issue.
True story: Waiting in line for brunch at Screen Door, I overheard a younger woman (fashion victim if I’ve ever seen one) talking into her cell phone saying: “Yeah, I’m standing here at the corner of 24th and GHETTO”
Lol.
For the record, I have nothing against the east side. I just think it is fun to bash it.
Unlike the attitude towards the suburbs.
Actually I was just titting for tatting. The burbs actually have incredible food. Korean bbq, sushi, Indian, Middle Eastern, and taquerias. I just think it’s ignorant when people attack the Eastside when places like Pok Pok, Beast, Le Pigeon, Simpatica, Biwa, Lauro, Nuestra Cocina, Toro Bravo, Lovely Hula Hands, Lincoln, Roux, Broder, Sel Gris, Castagna, EVOO, Pastaworks, Apizza, Ken’s, Table, Pambiche, Navarre, Noble Rot, Screen Door, Authentica, Yakuza, DOC, Ciao Vito, Clarklewis, Podnah’s, and more are among the best restaurants in the city. I live in the Pearl District and I can only wish we had such creativity. Try finding good brunch in the Pearl; It doesn’t exist.
sure it has good restaurants, but the east side is just so east-sidey. a pearler has within walking distance good brunch at bijou, kenny & zukes, cha, papa haydn, besaws, ken’s bakery, byways …
Bijou brunch: fantastic
Kenny and Zukes brunch: love the place, but artless breakfasts
Cha: a sorry excuse for a taqueria
Papa Haydn: bigger does not mean better.
Besaws: Ardently average
Ken’s: phenomenal in every way
Byways: Average
The Pearl really needs better brunch.