Have you heard of Piccone’s Corner, the new butcher shop and restaurant on NE Sandy & 34th? It had been on my list for awhile and I finally checked it out this weekend for a late lunch. I like this new trend of butcher shops/restaurants serving sandwiches (and other food). Both Pasture and Piccone’s Corner have opened up in the last year, in addition to other classics like Laurelhurst Market. With locally sourced meat butchered in house, you know the quality of the meat will be higher than your standard sandwich shop. Although not turning out sandwiches as magical as Pasture, this is a nice chill place to get lunch or dinner. They have generous hours, friendly folks and a nice dining room. The menu is Italian informed, with large meat dishes (lamb chops, steaks), pastas, sandwiches and sides. Plus a full bar. Plus a solid looking weekend brunch. Definitely worth checking out at various times of the day.

What I ordered: Mushroom Arancini and the Italian Grinder sandwich. I am a sucker for arancini. They had two versions, pork shank and mushrooms. Arancini are deep fried rice balls stuffed with something, like ragu, cheese or mushrooms. These were pretty good, served with marinara. Maybe they could have been seasoned a bit more, and the flavor of the mushrooms didn’t come out as much as I’d like, but it’s hard to go wrong with this appetizer. Then I got their Italian Grinder sando with a side salad. I’m used to a “grinder” being a hot sandwich and an “Italian” being the same sandwich but cold, but I realize the etymology changes throughout the country. Theirs had smoked ham, mortadella, salami, provolone, gremolata aioli and greens. The good: the meats, which were delicious and balanced between the 3, the aioli, though it could have used more. The “meh”: the bread was a bit thick and a bit dry and threw off the balance of the sandwich a bit. The salad was too acidic and vinegary. I always test out a sandwich joint by their version of a classic Italian. Unfortunately in this town of excellent sandwiches, no one makes a truly great Italian. This one was pretty good, but my standards are high. While I won’t be rushing back, I do want to go back and try a couple of other things, like their weekend brunch. And maybe a steak. Mmmm…..steak. Happy eating.