Dave’s Full Service Meats

When’s the last time you walked into an actual butcher’s shop?
I’m not talking about the deli at your local Ralph’s…or the back section of your neighborhood Costco where they keep saran-​wrapped packages of beef and pork (although those are good cuts). I’m talking about a family-​run, mom and pop, old-​school establishment dedicated to serving up choice cuts of meat at fair prices.
To me, that’s Dave’s.
I must have driven by Dave’s literally thousands of times during high school. I always knew it was there, but I never had any reason to actually go in. Today seemed as good a day as any to give it a try, and so I did.
I’m not going to lie and say that Dave is the warmest person I’ve ever met. He’s not. What he IS however is a butcher, and a butcher knows his meats. And Dave knows his meats. I asked him to give me a quick rundown of the different cuts of a cow because I’ve always wanted to know. I usually go with the ribeye but I felt like taking advantage of an expert’s knowledge.
After 10 minutes of chatting and perusing, I walked out of Dave’s with a 14oz. NY steak ($ 13) and a bottle of house steak rub/​seasoning ($ 4). (Dave let me have a sample and it was delicious!). I brought the steak home, cooked it on medium heat for 4 minutes on each side on a stainless steel frying pan with plenty of butter and OH MY GAWD! SOOOOOOO GOOD!
Dave told me he’s been at his location for the past 37 years… I hope he has at least that many more to come.

Looked like the meats were just ok. However, the tri-​tip looked very good.

I moved to the area 4 months ago and finally found a real butcher. I walked in on Friday afternoon and was immediately impressed by the selection of dry aged and marinated beef. I took a porterhouse steak home and the results were fantastic. I will be back.

I had a question about corned beef and figured Dave’d be the guy. Once in the door I was welcomed with the fragrance of Funk. And the dude behind the counter seemed irked that I’d interrupted his solitude.
This is the type of business that I’d love to see thrive but I’ll leave Dave and his Funky meat alone.

went here to make osso buco and when he told me the cost of a veal shank I almost fainted (it would have made each shankd $ 5 – 6 each. Well the guy behind the counter suggested I buy a beef shank at half the price and adjust cooking times. Well it was half the price and by cooking slower came out fantastic non-​the-​less. They also have boars head which is the best sliced deli meat and hot dog purveyor AT A GOOD PRICE! Like the other person said I hope they are around for a long time.

Dave’s Meats is a throwback to another time in a strip mall full of old-​timey business that shout back to the Santa Clarita that was — an abandoned movie theater, a shoe repair spot, an old laundromat, a hand car wash, a mom and pop appliance store and a handfull other places that I might not remember until they’re gone.
Every time I think of going to Dave’s, I get a little nervous that they might have closed. I rarely see another patron and the meat cases that were once abundant are now sparse and what little meat is left is often wrapped it plastic. I live on the other side of the valley now, so I confess that the combination of price, distance and selection keeps me away except for a couple of times a year. There is a butcher closer to my home that is much busier, even more expensive and are quick to say no to a non-​routine request.
So I’m a customer of Dave’s. Not the sort of customer they need, but I like to think I would be if I lived closer. This is the sort of place that any cooking Santa Claritan should be aware of. You might need raw meat sliced paper thin, a bag of chicken backbones, beef suet, some marrow bones for dinner or some custom ordered veal bones to make some demi-​glacé. Maybe you don’t, but sometimes I do, and for most requests like these, Dave’s is the only place that has come through.
The local supermarket meat departments are a joke, aside from Bristol Farms and Whole Foods, but the modern practices of the meat packing industry have made places like Dave’s less and less relevant, but they are not obsolete. I’ve bought many incredible Thanksgiving turkeys here and my questions are never met with a blank stare, but rather a plainspoken can-​do confidence. More blue-​collar and old-​school than yuppified and flashy. Let’s hope they stick around for a while.