Let’s Meat For Dinner

No, there are no misspellings in the title, and no, I am not talking about Delray Beach, FL aka DelBocaVista.  I am talking about Del Ray which is a neighborhood of Alexandria, VA,  a suburb of Washington, DC.  The Let’s Meat part of the title refers to the name of the old world, old school butcher shop I went last to weekend called Let’s Meat on the Avenue which is owned by an old friend of mine Steve Gatward aka Steve the Butcher

I have know Steve since 1999, I believe.  He came in to eat at Jake’s, the restaurant I was running in Guatemala City, Guatemala at the time.  He was working for the Washington Times.   Steve is one of those people you meet who have led a colorful, multi-career life but at some point go back to their roots and become successful and happy.

Here is what his website has to say about his life and background…

“Steve Gatward was born and raised in Colchester, the oldest recorded town in England. He apprenticed for a master butcher near the town square, known for its weekend market. It was there that he learned the importance of purchasing and serving fresh meat from local farmers. In his early 20s, he moved to Australia and after traveling around, he settled in Sydney and fully enjoyed living, “down under.” In the early 1990s, Steve began what became a year long trip around Central and South America. In 1991, he moved to Arizona, where he lived for almost two years. After teaching English in Taiwan, he finally decided to settle in Washington, DC in 1994. He is fluent in Spanish and continues to be an avid traveler, and even though he’s visited more than 80 countries, he travels frequently.

Steve is the co-author of two guidebooks, The Other Side of Sydney, and The Pub, Club and Grub Guide to Washington, D.C. While working for The Washington Times, Steve traveled throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, writing and developing business, political and cultural reports.”

In regards to the quality of the meats he serves, here is what his website has to say about that…

“Let’s Meat on the Avenue is dedicated to becoming Your Neighborhood Butcher Shop. Steve Gatward, the butcher/proprietor, sells pasture-fed, free range and hormone-free meat and poultry at 2403 Mount Vernon Avenue, Del Ray, Virginia.

READ ON for more on Let’s Meat on the Avenue…