Mount Vernon-area resident Alex Kilroy wanted to celebrate his birthday by grilling a high-quality steak, but he could not find one nearby that met his gastronomic requirements. That set him on a mission to bring a high-end butchery to the Mount Vernon area.
The Cut, a European-style butchery, will open Friday, Feb. 7 with a ribbon cutting in the former Top It Off shop in the Hollin Hall Shopping Center, just in time for the Super Bowl Feb. 9 and Valentine’s Day Feb. 14.
Kilroy has partnered with some Virginia farmers and vendors and will sell fresh, farm-to-table meats, including beef, pork, poultry, lamb, seafood, charcuteries, spices, some produce, wine and cheese. A Mount Vernon-area resident, he has analyzed the area’s demographics and believes his consulting experience has helped him zero in on potential customers’ needs.
The Hollin Hall Shopping Center on Fort Hunt Road is a perfect spot, he believes. “It has a Main Street feel, a dynamic that’s different from Old Town and Arlington,” he said. He believes that long-term establishments like the classic Hollin Hall Barber Shop and Village Hardware will help attract eager customers to the butchery.
To educate himself and fully understand his trade, he visited 20 butcheries on the East Coast and took a butchering class in Sperryville, Virginia. He visited farms to learn about cattle’s genetic lines, diets and water needs.
To be a true partner, “It’s important to shake the hand of the farmer and step on his land,” Kilroy contends. Spending time on farms gave him “great respect for what goes into farming and a better understanding of the life cycle of an animal,” he offered.
Non-meat eaters, like his wife, will be able to “round out their meal at this one-stop shop,” he argues.
Patrick Kirwin, a Torpedo Factory artist, is painting an eight-by-50-foot mural of a Virginia landscape for one wall of the shop. Two of Kirwin’s murals are now displayed in Alexandria, at the Union Street Public House and the Dogs of Del Ray. A large window at The Cut will let passersby observe the shop’s inside activity.
The Cut Butchery will be located at 7968 Fort Hunt Rd., next to River Bend Bistro and Walgreens Pharmacy.