Carnivores on the hunt for high-quality cuts of meat and exotic game should stake out Lucky’s Market.
The new chain bills itself as “organic for the 99 percent.” It’s hard to get excited about a mere two tables of organic produce, but the butcher shop is where the store puts its money where its mouth is.
The grass-fed beef at the long counter is advertised as being “100 percent grass-finished,” an impressive distinction. If this seems like a matter of semantics, it is not: Much of the grass-fed cattle marketed in the U.S. are allowed to eat grain at the end of their lives to fatten up (and paradoxically lose some of the marbling in their meat). “Grass-finished,” on the other hand, means the cows have spent all of their days chomping on prickly spears—and consumers can easily taste the reward.
The exotic meats cooler in the center of the store also is a trove of goodies. It had been almost impossible to find goat in Southwest Florida; here, it comes as bone-in cubes. Have a hankering for a wild game Bolognese? You have your pick with packages of ground elk, bison, venison and wild boar.
Don’t worry, there is an abundance of “normal” meats as well, from prosciutto to a giant bag of jumbo wings. But the out-of-the-ordinary stuff is probably what will pull you down the East Trail from your regular trip to Publix.
To plan a visit:
Lucky’s Market
3815 Tamiami Trail E., Naples
(239) 330-3012
luckysmarket.com/naples-fl
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