Best Butcher

This relative newcomer to Hudson Street in the West Village hit all the on-trend buzzwords while marketing itself (“local,” “sustainable,” “nose to tail”), especially after co-owners Jay Fox and friends added “craft beer, cider, and growlers” to their butcher shop’s list of offerings. Hey, nothing wrong with giving the people what they want. And besides, with all due respect to the city’s finest, most enduring butchers — especially for surviving in this era of egregious rent while competing against supermarkets peddling case-ready meat — it’s time to recognize the new generation of purveyors reviving the withering industry. Hudson & Charles is unabashedly a modern butchery: There’s the young, enthusiastic team; the sleek website, complete with recipes; the fact that they make a range of other items from scrap material, like naturally scented tallow candles and dried dog treats. Patrons can score 100 percent pastured eggs, bone broth, an unexpectedly good house-made ropa vieja, and dry-aged burgers that allow home cooks to compete with the Minetta Tavern. All of their meat comes from carefully vetted small family farms; the beef is 100 percent grass-fed, and pastured pork, lamb, and chicken are, naturally, antibiotic-free. Other highlights include a rotating menu of sandwiches — a juicy, saucy meatball sub; a riff on the classic banh mi — plus roast chickens, which, unfortunately, tend to sell out daily by 7 p.m. 524 Hudson Street, Manhattan 10014, 212-675-7075, hudsonandcharles.com