Piece of Meat Opens Saturday With Old-School Cured Meats and More

Piece of Meat, an unpretentious new butcher shop and eatery from Cochon Butcher alums, Leighann Smith (a former Eater Young Guns finalist) and Daniel Jackson, swings open at 3301 Bienville in Mid City this Saturday, April 21 at 10 a.m. with a butcher case filled with European specialties like prosciutto, pancetta, and salami; plus pastrami, corned beef, and deli meats; and French terrines — all made at the butcher shop. Sandwiches, like fried bologna, and small snacks will also be on offer.

“We like the old-school approach to making and curing everything ourselves. The menu itself is a combo of those really cool old-school products mashed up with a brash, irreverent American aesthetic,” Jackson told Eater NOLA.

The majority of the meats come from “sustainable, ethical farms,” with much of it from Homeplace Pastures, a family-owned, pastured farm in Mississippi.

The pair have applied for a liquor license and are planning to serve wine, beer, and a couple specialty cocktails.

Smith and Jackson met while working at Cochon Butcher, Donald Link’s highly regarded butcher shop and sandwich counter in the Warehouse District. Smith ran Cochon Butcher for six years and Jackson started working there in 2014.

“We get along really well. We opened the shop together because we work so well together,” Smith told Eater.

They partnered with the folks behind Bayou Beer Garden and Bayou Wine Garden to open the shop, and will supply both spots with charcuterie.

“We just really like meat,” Jackson said of the partnership with Smith. “This is something that Leighann and I have really wanted to do for a long, long time.”

Do you have a hot restaurant tip? Send an email. Let us get the facts.

Looking for restaurant recs or a place to chat about favorite restaurants? Join Eater NOLA’s Facebook group.

• All New Orleans Restaurant Opening Coverage [ENOLA]
• All Mid City Restaurant Coverage [ENOLA]