Florida Wagyu beef, Lake Meadow Naturals Rhode Island Reds, artisanal sausages, Sunshine State craft brews, local produce, boutique wines. Only one place in town offers this all in a single setting: Proper Sausages in Miami Shores.
See also:
- Make Some Proper Thanksgiving Stuffing With Local Proper Sausages
What began as a farmers' markets stand has evolved into a full-fledged butcher shop. Freddy and Danielle Kaufmann, the husband and wife team who founded the flesh-centric brand, opened the shop in a quiet section of 2nd Ave. about a month ago.
The store may be new, but this much can already be said about it: Miami needs more places like Proper Sausages.
At the shop, you can purchase a six pack of Holy Mackerel Panic Attack for $9.60, or grab lunch to-go -- either hot or cold -- with options such as a rainbow kale salad, packed with local kale, radishes, beets, spinach, red pepper, carrots, apples, and almonds for $7.50.
Hot lunches include Florida Wagyu NY Strip sandwich, stuffed with sautéed onions and cheddar cheese between a Portuguese muffin ($8.50). You can pick up a bunch of dinosaur kale from Little River Market Garden ($3.50) or a dozen local eggs.
But you probably didn't go to Proper Sausages for the salad. (Although you should.) At the butcher shop, lamb and harissa ($14 per pound) sausages combine flavors such as coriander, anis and garlic. There's prune and cognac ($12 per pound) and specials including whiskey cherry venison.
If sausage isn't your thing, then visit the Miami Shores store for its Berkshire pork belly, Colorado lamb shank, Florida Wagyu filet mignon, or tubs of duck fat.
What's important to note, though, is that Proper Sausages represents much more than a butcher shop. It symbolizes the maturation of South Florida's local food movement.
The desire to source locally progressed from chef-driven kitchens to burgeoning CSA programs and farmers' markets. Today, local artisans such as Proper Sausages can amass sufficient support to flourish beyond tents at a market.
Miami already knows the value of a local heirloom tomato. With this store, the city will learn the importance of exceptional and local meat. And the Magic City sure could use more shops like it.
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