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Roast’s Mouth-Watering Meats

Choice cuts of meat for the hungry and hurried

By Elizabeth Pagliacolo
Photography by Naomi Finlay

When did butcher shops get so beautiful? Roast Fine Foods is the latest to make us salivate over its naturally raised, locally farmed fare – and its good looks. At the entrance, against the wallpapered image of a kid being handed a roast dinner, is an old-school icebox filled with frozen treats by Fressy Bessie and Greg’s Ice Cream. Jeremy Gladstone designed the space – the marble counters, the tin ceiling, the award-winning typography – and it’s old-timey feel inspires you to linger a little longer to choose your protein.

At the back of the shop behind a glass partition, owner Ben Latchford and his staff prepare everything. The fridges along the wall are full of vacuum-packed meats, such as ready-for-the-grill bison steak and an assortment of burgers and sausages. A freezer holds heat-and-serve dishes, classics like short-rib lasagna and lamb stew. There are also stacked containers of broths and stocks, and a fridge full of dry aged beef. One of the store’s standouts is the roast chicken, dressed in any one of a flavour junkie’s paradise of bastes, like honey-chipotle, Cajun, piri piri, fresh herb, jerk and bbq dry rub – at least half a dozen uniquely flavoured birds are always on hand (from $7/lb). Roast Fine Foods is a great choice for bigger occasions, or when you need to impress guests on short notice, order the rack of lamb (from $26/lb), a fully trussed turkey (from $5.30/lb) or venison (usually served as racks, from $40/lb), all seasoned to perfection for easy at-home cooking. ROASTFINEFOODS.COM

786 St. Clair Ave W  416 657 6278  Mon-Tue 10-7, Wed-Fri 9-7, Sat 9-6, Sun 10-6

Originally published in our Winter 2015 issue. Check out our other featured gourmet-to-go joints: Honest WeightRoselle Desserts and Left Field Brewery.


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