Coming Soon to San Diego’s Little Italy — Blue Box Butcher’s Take Out, Pre-Boxed, Restaurant Quality Meals
There is a neighborhood butcher shop coming to Little Italy. Blue Box Butcher is bringing a one-of-a-kind, modern iteration to an age old tradition on India Street. The new butcher shop, next to Pali Wine Co., is set to open in mid-March and will sell the highest quality meats with the highest convenience.
During a time when adventuring to restaurants is limited, Blue Box Butcher will bring restaurant quality meals directly to the neighborhood. Enjoy the simple pleasures of fine dining through Blue Box Butcher’s pre-boxed, restaurant quality meals that you can grab and cook in the comfort in safety of your home.
SanDiegoVille reports that you can “expect a warm interior with subtle nods to the modern farmhouse style through use of wood tones and decorative accents.” Orders can be placed online or over the phone and picked up within ten to fifteen minutes. Deliveries can be scheduled through services like Uber Eats, Postmates, and DoorDash.
Blue Box Butcher is being opened by local real estate developer AJ Tangsoc. Consultant Rick Wright shared, “We’re bridging the gap between the suppliers and our end consumers, where traditionally only higher end restaurants have access.” How did you identify Little Italy as the best location to sell these high-end meats to consumers?
The initial reason for Little Italy was that AJ lived in the area for about ten years and couldn’t understand how there wasn’t a decent option for a good steak within five miles or so. Little Italy and Downtown is dense, urban living, comprised largely of younger professionals who appreciate good food, so we’re convinced it will be a natural fit.
Marketing and advertising. Social media. One-of-a-kind. Call in or order online, pickup outside in the fridge. What will be your approach to build your brand identity in San Diego?
We’re hoping our concept and our platform resonates with people and kind of speaks for itself. What we’re doing in its essence is connecting people with the highest quality meat in the most convenient way possible…that’s our brand. We are obviously doing everything we can to make sure we’re being seen, but we’re hoping that the brand is built on the quality products and services we offer.
After a quarter of a century, Grab N Go Subs vacated the 300-square-foot standalone location on India Street in 2018. How has Mia Sher Development & Design remodeled the space from a sub shop to one for a butcher?
From our designer, the talented Mia Sher: The space has been updated to reflect the personality of Blue Box Butcher-warm and genuine balanced with sleek and modern. The distinct yet inviting exterior has been streamlined and defined by Blue Box’s signature hue with crisp white accents. The interior includes modern farmhouse elements such as wood herringbone porcelain tile, terrazzo, and attention to detail throughout the retail area that encourages an interactive customer experience.
Can you share more about the different cuts, including certified halal meat, and American and Japanese wagyu, that you will be getting from the local suppliers, Brawley’s Brandt Beef and Creekstone Farms?
While Creekstone Farms is not a local producer, they put out a really excellent, all-natural product. The same is true of our local Brandt Beef who has figured out a creative way to feed corn to their herd in a manner that isn’t harmful to the animals’ digestive system. We plan on offering Brandt and Creekstone among other producers based on what is looking good and what’s priced right. We hope people come to embrace and trust our discerning eye when it comes to selecting the meat they’re taking home to cook. In terms of variety of cuts, we’re offering all the high-end heavy hitters you’d expect, including American and Japanese Wagyu (American from Mishima Reserve in Washington), in addition to a well-rounded selection of more casual, everyday options that won’t break the bank. We’re also determined to be an open source of information and education for all things related to meat.
San Diego is home to celebrity chefs Richard Blais, Brian Malarkey, Melissa D’Arabian, and Marcela Valladolid. Chef Valladolid said, “I love going to the Little Italy Farmers Market where Mark Lane from Poppa’s Fresh Fish pops open a sea urchin and makes me ceviche on the spot. You can literally taste the ocean.” As part of bringing restaurant quality meats to the neighborhood, will the shop be part of the weekly Little Italy Mercato Farmers Market, one that has continued through the pandemic as an essential service, featuring certified farmers, groceries, and modified shopping directives?
I’ll start by saying we LOVE Little Italy’s Farmer’s Market. Having lived and worked in LA and having frequented the Santa Monica Market, I prefer Little Italy… which is saying a lot. We think our location should hopefully complement the market nicely and we plan on promoting the business from within the Mercato, as well as potentially carrying some Farmer’s Market goods and products in the shop, to make some of the local favorites available all week. People coming into town for the Mercato can easily stop by the shop on the way back home to complete their weekend meal.. and we’re in striking distance for everyone who lives in the neighborhood.
Little Italy is also an area known for its trendy and one-of-a-kind restaurants and bars, including Herb & Wood and Juniper and Ivy. The yearly Taste of Little Italy allows consumers to sample food from area restaurants, with last year’s event a take-out edition. In what ways might you partner with the event to continue the 2020 theme of take-out?
Anyone who has passed the site knows we have a pretty large patio in front of the shop. Public health landscape permitting, we hope to put that outdoor space to good use with summer cookouts, tasting events with our next-door neighbor Pali Wine, and of course showcasing our goods with the Taste of Little Italy.
Bringing date nights home. The Blue Box Butcher signature burger box comes with everything one needs for burger night at home, including your proprietary burger blend, signature seasoning, and house made burger sauce. Will there be cooking instructions included and/or online videos for customers to learn how to properly prepare their meal?
We are indeed are including instructions on how to show off for your friends and family and make the perfect burger at home. And the boxes don’t stop with burgers. We’re offering a number of boxes intended to help make planning all of your meals a little less work. In the future once we’ve moved into our much larger Banker’s Hill home, the boxes will become more all-inclusive. For now, we’re doing everything we can from our little space.
Besides opening a second shop on Fifth Avenue in Bankers Hill by the end of 2021, what are your plans to safely provide restaurant quality meats to more neighborhoods of San Diego?
We’re in love with the idea of being the neighborhood go-to for convenient access to the highest quality meats. And if people are receptive, we’d be happy to bring it to any neighborhood who would welcome us.