Meat their match: Readers offer favorite sites for prime cuts

OK, we get it: Taste of the Town readers love Village Meat &Wine.

We already knew that; over the years, the independently owned shop at 5025 S. Eastern Ave. has frequently been recommended by readers to their cohorts searching for fairly obscure items. But after a query from August L. Darata appeared June 24 in which Darata said he was looking for “homemade Italian sausage, without nitrates or fillers,” and asked, “Whose sausage is the ‘taste of the town?’ ” I heard from a bunch of Village Meat fans.

Recommendations came from Jayne Kozich, Greg Smith, Thomas Garetto, Sam McCool, Ralph Parker, Mary Novello, Cody Wilshire, Marilyn Basinger, Maria Romano, David Pierce, Jenny Chapman, Jordan Hall, Stephen and Diane MacMillan, Barbara Krit, Lizbeth Stell, Shirley M. Penzel, Sandy Hernandez, Evelyn “Theresa” Leeds, Lizeth Barboza, Cynthia Drew, Danielle Morin, Jeff Boley and Dan Miller.

Many of them recommended Village Meat’s other sausage varieties, and several elaborated, like Kozich: “Just bought 75 for my daughter’s high school graduation cookout. Everyone was raving. And everyone wanted to know where I got them.”

And we did get other recommendations; Darata has a bunch of sources to choose from. Ann Brown recommended Glazier’s Food Marketplace at 8525 W. Warm Springs Road, Phillip Mlynek and Jo Ann Paladino Cappellano recommended the Tap House at 5589 W. Charleston Blvd., Richard L. Rodriguez likes Montesano’s at 9905 S. Eastern Ave. (and noted that the sausage needs to be ordered in advance), Michele Bonelli and Valerie Duffley recommended Cugino’s Italian Deli at 4550 S. Maryland Parkway, James Nevill recommended Sprouts Farmers Market (which has multiple valley locations), Bob Drabicki recommended the Colosimo’s brand available from Winder Farms home delivery and Ron Lutz, owner of The Butcher Block at 7625 S. Rainbow Blvd. and 6440 N. Durango Drive, emailed that he makes sweet and hot varieties with no fillers or nitrates. …

For Richard Sigal, who’s looking for Bubbies Kosher Dill Pickles, Thelma Bernard, Evelyn Austin, Marla Goldberg and Karen Langbert reported finding them at Whole Foods Market (which has four stores in the valley), Austin and Barbara Schwartz at Vons, Langbert and Brown at Glazier’s and Langbert at Sprouts. …

For Richard Markus, who’s looking for soft oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips, Bernard recommended Uncle Eddie’s Vegan cookies at Whole Foods Market.