If you are looking for the finest quality meat, poultry and seafood in close proximity to Reston, look no further than The Organic Butcher of McLean. This mecca of artisan foods is just a mere 20 minutes away and stocks the crème de la crème of organic and locally raised meats and sustainable seafood. Native Virginian Don Roden and his brother-in-law, Ryan Ford, founded The Organic Butcher in 2005 after a serendipitous meeting with an organic farmer. Both saw an opportunity for a career change and a need for true old-style English butchers in Virginia. Don opened one shop in McLean and Ryan simultaneously opened the second in Charlottesville and an empire was born!
The Organic Butcher Don Roden
You can’t miss this small shop, the aroma of grilling meats calls to you before you lay eyes on it. Once inside, you’ll find all sorts of goodies including gourmet mustards and spreads, cheeses, seasoning blends made in-house and a well-edited selection of wines.
The Organic Butcher also carries a limited assortment of produce and small batch syrups, tonics and bloody mary mixes.
But, of course, the main attraction in this boutique is the glorious meat and beautiful seafood.
Vegetarians need not worry, tucked amongst the fois gras and ground wild boar we found healthy packages of No Bull Gourmet Veggie Burgers. The Organic Butcher also takes care in clearly labeling their gluten-free items such as the above meat loaf.
If cow and pig are too pedestrian for you, try some of their more obscure meats and wild game such as elk, antelope and bison. The butchers behind the counter can special order anything for you, even alligator and ostrich.
The Organic Butcher is one of the only purveyors of the Big Green Egg grill/smoker/oven in the area. This cooker comes in various sizes and is basically the Le Creuset of grills. It can grill a steak, bake a loaf of bread and smoke a ham to perfection. I know a certain someone who has just added this to his holiday list!
Organic Butcher founder Don Roden tending to whole chickens on the Big Green Egg.
The Organic Butcher is now taking orders for turkeys for Thanksgiving. They have options for organic birds and all-natural locally raised birds for $4.99/lb. as well as Kelly Bronze turkeys — the wild, beauty-queen of the poultry world. Kelly Bronze turkeys are heritage birds brought over from England by Paul Kelly. They are dry hand plucked, hung upside down for tenderness and retail for $10.99/lb.
Photo credit The Examiner and Kelly Bronze.
The Organic Butcher is located in McLean, 6712 Old Dominion Dr, McLean, VA 22101 703-790-8300
What exotic cuts of meat have you tried? Where do you plan to order your turkey this year? We’d love to know!
