Esposito Pork Shop

Yesterday, Kevin and I decided to take a walk to K-Mart to buy some toilet paper, as well as a few other things that we needed at the apartment. But mainly for toilet paper. It was a beautiful day out. We strolled down 9th Avenue. We happened upon a little known gem in Hell's Kitchen.



According to Kathleen Squires, "...Even the most unusual requests can be met within 24 hours at this family-run butcher, a West Side favorite for more than 100 years. The bone saw is always awhir inside the clean, fluorescent-lit room, dominated, of course, by the meat showcase and the amusingly dated celebrity photos on the walls (Brenda Vaccaro and Pat Cooper, anyone?). The men in white coats may even offer cooking tips as they coach you through cuts of meat, poultry and game. Esposito's is primarily known for its pork, however, so much so that it manufactures 10,000 pounds of sausage for area restaurants each week. So don't go home without some house-made links, like the hot Italian varieties or meat, broccoli, and mozzarella-stuffed tubes, all great with the selection of fresh-baked breads brought in from Valente Bakery of Fairview, New Jersey. Anyone who wants to test-drive the terrific combo can visit the shop's long-standing booth at the annual Ninth Avenue Food Festival—the only time you can buy the sausage ready to eat."

In the picture, it's a little hard to read the specials, so I made sure to get a bigger view of a few of my personal favorites.



Pig toes? Do pigs even have toes? I thought that they had hooves. Weird. But also very yummy. Even better than that though....



WHAT!?! Do you eat them? Do you use them for sick, perverted playthings? I don't get it!

I asked a good friend of mine, a chef, about it. And he said, "Anyway, like I was sayin', suckling pig is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sautee it. Dey's uh, suckling pig-kabobs, suckling pig creole, suckling pig gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple suckling pig, lemon suckling pig, coconut suckling pig, pepper suckling pig, suckling pig soup, suckling pig stew, suckling pig salad, suckling pig and potatoes, suckling pig burger, suckling pig sandwich. That- that's about it."

I hope you enjoy! And if you're looking for some good pig toes or suckling pig, try the store at 500 Ninth Avenue at 38th Street, New York, NY.