A year and a half ago Cary was the next recipient of a site for The Meat House, a butcher shop chain out of the Northeast. The store features and excellent butcher counter, sliced Boar’s Head meats, a small, but high quality grocery area, and prepared foods and sauces from local sources.

While the meat counter is excellent and the store offers some of those more difficult to find meats, that isn’t the subject of this review. At hand is the excellent selection of convenience meats.

At any time The Meat House has around 25 marinated/prepared meat selections; all of which are excellent. Our favorite is the Burgundy-marinated Beef Tips. The sweet, wine marinate tends to form a sweet crust on the grill, and the final product is phenomenal. Also excellent are the Meat House Marinated Beef Tips.

Beef items aren’t the only offering, though. The Meat House Marinated chicken breasts, Cilantro-Lime marinated turkey tips, and the Sun-dried tomato marinated chicken breasts are all excellent. One of my favorite poultry offerings has not been available lately, however: OuttaThePark-marinated chicken wings.

Often we will get meats (around 0.4 lbs/person), a rice or risotto kit, and salad items on a weeknight, and throw together a quick, easy meal. The total cost ends up being around $5 per person.

This Summer a new Meat House will open in Chapel Hill, in the former Applebee’s location across from the Hotel Siena. This probably won’t pose a big threat to Cliff’s Meat Market in Carrboro, but stands to but seriously into the Fresh Market and Harris Teeter businesses in East Chapel Hill. Whole Foods is only a block away, however that store is somewhat of a religious icon to many vegetarians in Chapel Hill, and the presence of The Meat House will not faze them.

The newest Meat House, however, is at Raleigh’s Quail Corners. Just like the Cary location, the Raleigh location has been an instant success. Thankfully we have an alternative to Whole Foods, Harris Teeter, and The Fresh Market; and just in time for Spring.