Grove Market
242 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove 375-9581, grovemarketgrocery.com
We could go on and on about the quality of the meat – it’s fresh, there are grass-fed, organic options – but while the quality of the meat is a must, it’s really the people that set this neighborhood grocery store’s butcher counter apart. They’re friendly and helpful and are eager to sort how much you need per serving and how to prepare and cook whatever cut catches your eye. If it feels like the enthusiasm from this crew is sincere, that’s because it is. As Founder Charlie Higuera told the Weekly in 2018, half a century after opening Grove Market: “I love it. I just like seeing my customers and helping them.” Higuera learned butchering as part of a family tradition; it started with his father, who became a butcher in the 1880s, and then passed along the skills to Higuera, his brother and his uncle. That is a serious family business.