Written by Karen Talbot

Mini's Prime Meats & Specialties: 15 Park Place, 914-779-1948

Feb. 25, 2015: We are so lucky to have a bona fide butcher shop right here in Bronxville. Paul Chietro, the owner, has been here for 13 years and offers a wide array of oven-ready dinner items that come with cooking instructions!

The most popular meat items are the chicken burgers, which come seasoned with cheese and parsley or spinach and onion. The "Everything Burger" has all four of these ingredients in it and it is delicious! He also offers a cordon bleu, which is flavored with ham and Swiss cheese. These burgers are hefty, at two pounds each for $8.99/lb. 

Their "Perfect Roast Chicken" is immensely popular. It is a Bell & Evans chicken that has been marinated with lemon, herbs, and garlic and runs about four and a half pounds for $21 to $22. One of these chickens should feed three to four people, but my husband and I devoured this delicious, tender, and flavorful dinner entrée at one meal!

Their classic meat loaf is also a favorite, made of beef, pork, veal, peas, and carrots, at two pounds for $8.99/lb. Also try their Italian meatballs for $9.99/lb.

A good friend of ours absolutely loves the pork tenderloin stuffed with prosciutto, spinach, and gruyere, which weighs about one and a half pounds for $12.99/lb. Of course, Mini's has American lamb, pork, and veal and many different kinds of steak. Their teriyaki skirt steak is big, bold, and flavorful, at $21.99/lb. for a half to three-quarters of a pound. I can't wait to get rid of the ice and snow on my deck to enjoy their grilled meats again!

To go with your meat entrée, you can choose from fresh broccoli, potatoes, onions, zucchini, carrots, and asparagus. Freezer items include twice-baked potatoes, Dufour pastry, hors d'oeuvres at $12.99 a box, and homemade Bolognese, vodka, or marina sauce from $4 to $8. 

The shop also carries gluten-free pastas by Garofalo for $6.99, Sarabeth's jams, imported olive oils, balsamic vinegar, and more. Don't forget to pick up an Italian loaf of bread that comes from Zurro's Bakery in the Bronx for $2.99. 

Mini's lets you do one-stop shopping for your dinner!

Pictured here:  Columnist Karen Talbot

Photo by N. Bower