"The anticipated whole animal butcher shop Beast and Cleaver opened in Ballard on New Year’s Eve, with a full meat case of pasture-raised local pork, lamb, rabbits, duck, and more. Owner Kevin Smith is a London native who has worked for the swanky, acclaimed steakhouse The Butcher’s Table and gets premium cuts from local farms, such as Rochester, WA’s Heritage Meats and Ephrata, WA’s Pure Country Pork. Customers can find terrines, porchetta di testa, and European style pâté en croûte as well, the latter of which Smith has been trying to perfect over the past six months — a pastry “crisp on top, but just set around the edge” with a texture “like a brioche.”" - Gabe Guarente
