For those who have had the pleasure of shopping or dining at Rain Shadow Meats, Seattle’s full service butcher shop, they know the cool architectural interior built of bricks, steel, wood and ceramic tile. Expansive glass cases are filled with alluring cuts of meat, and a fastidious crew of butchers and cooks are busily plucking away at their various house-made goodies such as sausage, charcuterie, and whole animal butchery.
It’s an incredible spectacle, and to some it can be quite intimidating; but when you get to the heart of what Rain Shadow Meats really does, you find a love-story about a young man that set out to honor the history, beauty, and craft of butchery. His name is Russell Flint, a professional chef and butcher, and maybe the most unlikely Martha Stewart you’ve ever met.
“It's the one thing in my life that just makes sense. I love food and understand it,” says Flint. He also understands entertaining is an art, and Flint has perfected it by way of beautiful cured meats, and ripe cheeses with accoutrements. Perfectly charred vegetables piled high alongside toothsome sandwiches that are as lovely to look at as they are to eat, and salads please the crowds. When Flint sets a table it’s always with style, and never a grain of salt out of place. It’s by no accident that he has such a talent for his craft as he was trained in French cookery by none other than James Beard Award Winning Chef Renee Erickson at the Boat Street Café.
While Flint makes entertaining on the go look so easy, most of us might find these endeavors to be such an ominous task. The secret to his success? Simplicity! His go-tos are classics such as cold roasted chicken with mayonnaise, or a charcuterie platter with mustard and a hunk of peasant bread. Maybe a pan bagnat, the perfect picnic sandwich filled with all delicious ingredients that are ‘pressed’ so they won’t fall apart on the first bite. These are the cards up Flint's sleeve. Sure, the beautiful wood planks he’s employed and cold rosè close at hand help to complete the picture, but those are the details that make the magic unparalleled. Throw a beautiful blanket (or two) into the mix and et voilà! A masterpiece.
Written by Anna Wallace
Platters featured from Rain Shadow Meats:
Rainshadow Press Sandwich- House-made roast beef & mortadella, Fra'mani salami sopprasatta, provolone, Mama Lil’s Peppers, red bell pepper, cucumber, arugula, dijonaise, ciabatta
Cold Roasted Big Bluff Chicken with mayonnaise
House-Made charcuterie with Dijon:
Rain Shadow Meats Country-Style Pork Terrine
Pork Rillette
Mortadella
Assorted Salumi:
Fra’mani Salami Sopresatta
Jamon Serrano
Speck (lightly smoked proscuitto)
Assorted Cheese with fennel mostarda and Boat Street pickled figs:
Mont-Jura Summer Comte, Cow - France
Mt. Townsend Creamery Sea Stack, Cow – Washington
Rain Shadow Meats
http://rainshadowmeats.com
Email:
info@rainshadowmeats.com
Address:
Capitol Hill
1531 Melrose Ave
Seattle, WA 98122
206.467.meat (6328)
Pioneer Square
494 Occidental Ave South
Seattle, WA 98104
206.467.4854
Baby & Company's Top Five Picnics in the Park
Seattle
Discovery Park
Seattle’s largest park, on Magnolia Bluff overlooking Puget Sound, has more than seven miles of hiking trails and miles of beach with a historic lighthouse. The 2.8-mile Loop Trail, circling the park through forests, meadows and sand dunes, is the most popular walk. Picnic tables close to parking lots and on the lighthouse grounds. One of the most beautiful spots in Seattle for a great summer afternoon picnic. 3801 Discovery Park Blvd, Seattle, WA 98199
Paris
Buttes Chaumont Park
The Buttes-Chaumont Park, in the north-east of Paris, is one of the biggest and original green spaces in Paris, measuring 25 hectares. Visitors can appreciate stunning views of the city from this hilly setting, especially in the Montmartre district. The layout gives it a particular charm: caves and waterfalls, a suspended bridge, and a high viewpoint. 1 rue Botzaris - 75019 Paris/Buttes-Chaumont - Belleville - 19e Arrondissement
London
Victoria Park
Known as ‘the People’s Park, this East End spot is an old favorite – in fact, it’s the oldest public park in London, opening in 1845. Once you’ve tucked into your hamper, may we suggest a leisurely trip on a row boat, which can be hired from 11am to 5pm, seven days a week. Grove Rd, London E3 5TB, UK
NYC/Brooklyn
McCarren Park
Picnicking in McCarren Park is fun for the simple reason that it will probably be easy to get a lot of your friends to join you because of its location, and there’s tons of good food in the immediate area with which to furnish your picnic basket. In fact, there’s so much good food options nearby where you can get a variety of to-go dishes or an array of cheeses, crackers and olives and charcuterie to enjoy on your blanket in the park. 378 Metropolitan Ave, Williamsburg
Los Angeles
Griffith Park
Spanning an impressive 4,210 acres, it's easy to get lost in LA's largest public green space, much of which remains unchanged from the days when Native Americans settled here. For more activity-minded folks, there are myriad attractions (Griffith merry-go-round, LA Zoo, the Observatory), plus hiking routes, horseback riding trails and three sets of tennis courts. 4730 Crystal Springs Dr, Los Angeles, CA