Comments on: Where's the beef?

Question: Where's the beef?

jeffamaphone — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 20:35:38 -0800

Please recommend a butcher or meat market where I can get 100% grass fed organic meats in the Bay Area.

We don't eat meat often, but when we do, we'd like to eat the best.

Ideally I'd like one stop shopping for the best tasting, freshest, most local, most organically raised beef, chicken, lamb, and pork. It is very important to me that the animals have been fed their proper, natural diets they evolved eating.

Other animals, such as Ostrich, Alligator, Frog, etc. a bonus.

I live on the Peninsula, so I'd love for it to be somewhere between San Carlos and San Jose, but I will travel for the best meat.

By: ORthey

ORthey — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 20:40:29 -0800

I would recommend going to farmers' markets! You might have to go to various stands to find what you want, but I get amazing meat at my local market and chat it up with the folks selling it.

By: milkrate

milkrate — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 20:43:56 -0800

A list to start from, or Bay Area Meat CSAs, and Polarica (PDF) will have some more unusual stuff.

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 20:49:41 -0800

I've bought grass-fed beef at both the Sunnyvale & Mtn View farmers markets.

By: dws

dws — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 20:56:20 -0800

Since you're on the Peninsula, I'd try the Whole Foods near Hillsdale and 101. I'd also check Trader Joes. They've been known to carry grass-fed beef on occasion.

By: Ambrosia Voyeur

Ambrosia Voyeur — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 22:09:14 -0800

Here's a place in the city.

By: shoeman

shoeman — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 22:13:33 -0800

These cattlemen are in Oregon, I would contact them to see if they have a market in your area that buys from them. I promise you, once you have tried theirs you will never go back...

By: jeffamaphone

jeffamaphone — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 22:15:34 -0800

Thanks all.

By: paisley henosis

paisley henosis — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 22:21:39 -0800

Since this is answered, hopefully it won't be too rude to piggyback: what does free range, grass fed beef cost, in a big city like SF?

By: jeffamaphone

jeffamaphone — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 23:00:56 -0800

Not sure about all these places that have been suggested, but grass fed beef at the Whole Foods in Palo Alto is about $7 / lb.

By: zippy

zippy — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 23:22:37 -0800

Berkeley Bowl has grass-fed beef.

By: loulou718

loulou718 — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 00:19:44 -0800

If you're in Palo Alto, there's definitely a stand at the weekly Sunday morning farmer's market on California Ave that does grass-fed beef. They have lamb and pork, too, but I'm not sure about chicken. The stand is maybe halfway up the market on the right side if you're headed in the direction of the Caltrain station.

By: Dunwitty

Dunwitty — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 02:10:35 -0800

Since this has been answered, I'm going to register my disappointment that nobody came up with places to get "bonus" animals: Ostrich, Alligator, Frog and etc.

Unless the OP meant "It is very important to me that the animals have been fed their proper, natural diets they evolved eating: Other animals, such as Ostrich, Alligator, Frog, etc."

By: paisley henosis

paisley henosis — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 07:51:59 -0800

Thanks, Jeff.

By: BobbyDigital

BobbyDigital — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 08:37:53 -0800

I would strongly urge you to consider buffalo, it is a much lower impact meat, and is also healthier then beef.

I don't know where you could get it in S.F. as I haven't been there since I was little, but I would imagine anywhere that you can get high quality grass fed beef would stock it, or know where you can get it.

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 09:58:39 -0800

My local safeway often has 1 lb packages of ground buffalo next to the organic ground beef. As for an actual buffalo roast, I dunno.

By: paisley henosis

paisley henosis — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 11:21:17 -0800

+1 for bison (though it technically isn't buffalo). All of the local grocery stores here have it, and this isn't an especially progressive area. It is lower fat and higher protein, and we prefer the taste. Both the ground packs and the steak medallions are very widely available.

By: jeffamaphone

jeffamaphone — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:22:16 -0800

Yes, it wasn't on my list but I do go in for the buffalo.