Crumbs in my 'Stache: Finally, a market for townies

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

By Ben Cannon

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-I finally got over to the new Pearl Street Meat & Fish Co., and what I found, upon first inspection, is a lunch counter and specialty food market that more than fills the void left when Chef’s Table shut its doors for good last fall.

PSMF is more than just a little evocative of Chef’s Table, with a soup and deli counter, a selection of imported cheeses, exotic seasonings and some surprising oddities. It also will compete with the valley’s larger grocers for people who live in central and East Jackson, not feeling able to battle their way down Broadway.

Granted, we’re talking a limited selection of produce, and for a little more than you might pay at Albertson’s, but some essentials – potatoes, onions, melon, pineapple, dairy products and more – are there, and so are a few items you would never find anywhere else in this valley.

If you have company on the way and you forgot a sack of potatoes or need a pie, and if you live, say, east of Flat Creek Drive, PSMF has you covered.
On a recent afternoon, the counter was stocked with beautiful-looking meat and fresh seafood, including sashimi-grade ahi tuna and mussels. But wait, there’s more!

When was the last time you saw local morels – the single most exquisite food indigenous to this valley – in the produce section of your local grocer? PSMF has them, albeit for a limited time (while in season), and 30 bucks a pound. 
A study of the frozen meat section revealed a freezer of delicacies for carnivors: andoullie, pheasant, venison and wild boar sausage. More surprising to find were frozen poussin, or delicate young chicken, a poultry touted on the menu of the venerable Snake River Grill.

If you need burgers to throw on the barbie, PSMF has stacks of frozen ground game already in patty form. 

Now, you may be wondering about something I actually had to eat. I did try a barbeque beef sandwich for lunch. It wasn’t exactly what you would find in a Texas strip mall but, with a slightly sweet sauce, red onions and cheddar cheese, about what you would expect around here.

The sandwich was filling and, at $7.50, about average for what you normally pay for a lunch in town to-go (you can eat inside PSMF). I also brought home a couple tamales – one pork with red chili, one chicken with green chili – which made for a nice little $6 dinner.

Lurking by the cheese, I overheard one customer delighted to discover a tall wheel of Tete de Moine, a strong and nutty cow’s milk cheese from a mountainous region of French-speaking Switzerland.

“It’s so rare to find this,” he told a companion. “But it’s also tres cher. Very expensive.”

For the fromagophile on a budget, PSMF also carries wheels of brie for $6.50. Tres raisonnable. JHW

Pearl Street Meat & Fish Co. Is located at 260 W. Pearl Street. Call 733-1300.

Photo by Ben cannon
There’s the beef. Barbecue on a whole wheat bun.

PERMALINK:
Crumbs in my 'Stache: Finally, a market for townies | Planet JH News Article: Restaurants And Dining

Leave a Comment