Unlike mass market grocery stores, where they've relegated the meat cutting to behind swinging plastic doors, or mini-marts, where they sling pre-processed plastic-wrapped low-grade burgers, the butchers at Gepperth's still have blood on their hands.

Peek over the counter, and you'll see a well-worn butcher block, its center bowed from years of cutting and refinishing. Crane your head to the right, and you're likely to see owner Otto Demke contemplating a length of natural casings and mashing his fingers through a recent mix of fresh sausage.

Open for a hundred years, Gepperth's is a full service affair that slices its house-smoked bacon to your desired thickness and trims pork chops to your whims. With five housemade versions, Gepperth's slings more bratwurst than a German beer garden, and the prime-aged New York strips are considered the best in town.

If you're looking for specialty game like rabbit, ostrich or elk, or rare offal like sweetbreads, call ahead; if Gepperth's doesn't have it, it'll get it within 24 hours. (We've even seen whole lobes of Hudson Valley Grade A foie gras in the meat case post-ban.) During the holidays, you can score fresh turkey, and if you're contemplating homemade stock, it always offers a fresh assortment of bones.

Centerstage Reviewer: Michael Nagrant