Phantom Gourmet: More Than Great Meat At The Flying Butcher In Amherst, NH

AMHERST, NH - It's a behemoth of butchers; a deli destination; a one stop shop for anything and everything you need to make dinner. At the Flying Butcher in Amherst, New Hampshire they've got all of your dining needs under one roof.

"We're a custom-cut butcher shop that offers a little bit of everything. Fresh fish delivered daily, tons of local vendors," General Manager Craig Muccini began. "We have craft beer. We have wine. We have cheese. We have fresh produce delivered. We marinate our own meats in house, make our own Italian sausage. We have desserts. We have sandwiches, prepared foods.

"We're basically a one stop shop all in under 8-10 minutes. So you kind of make your way throughout the store, get everything you need for your meal, and you get it done fast."

Connect With Phantom: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Every experience starts out the same way: with a warm welcome at the front door.

"You should be greeted at the door with a nice smile and welcome as they hold the door open for you," Craig said. "If you're here for the first time, we're going to walk you around the store, try to find what you're here for, what you're looking for and find what you need."

At The Flying Butcher, they don't just sell you the ingredients. Chef Brian Nassif will also tell you how to cook it.

"We're happy to provide recipes, tell everybody how to cook anything. You're gonna get all the information, zero intimidation, and every ingredient you need to make your perfect dish."

If you're hungry and need food fast, The Flying Butcher offers a bevy of sandwiches to grab and go.

"We take a lot of pride in our sandwiches. We make our own roast beef here, our own smoked turkey, own corned beef," Brian said. "It's all about using quality ingredients and it's super to have all those ingredients available here fresh every day, so that we can provide the best sandwiches possible."

There's the roast beef sandwich packed with tender meat that's cooked in house and sliced thin, served on a squishy onion roll; and the tasty, tender Pulled Pork Po' Boy topped with creamy cole slaw. But if you ask Brian, he'll tell you the must try is The Flying Butcher Reuben.

"That is my personal favorite. It's a red corned beef. We slice that thin, and we pile it high on thick sliced marble rye bread with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, Thousand Island dressing. It's really phenomenal."

There's also a Ham and Cheese Pretzel Melt, topped with plenty of pickles and deli mustard; and an Italian that's Craig says is tough to beat.

"We got the capicola. We got the genoa salami. We got mortadella, and we got nice picante, which is a sharp provolone. What really makes that sandwich is the 10-year aged balsamic vinegar we put on there, along with the extra virgin olive oil. I love an Italian sandwich. There's many different versions of it, but I think we have one of the best."

Craig's other go-to is the Smoked Turkey BLT, made with house smoked turkey, gouda, and bacon on a ciabatta roll with a basil pesto aioli.

"That sandwich is perfect. You got the salty, crispy, bacon on there. You got a little bit of smoke on there. You got the cheese. Really, that's my perfect sandwich."

If burgers are more your thing, Flying Butchers has got you covered, whether you want to buy some to grill up at home, or have on site. There's the Blue Cheese Peppercorn Burger, completely covered in peppercorns for added bite. Then there's a meatnormous burger called the Belly Buster.

"That burger is 10 ounces," Chef Brian boasted. "Then we take some thick cut bacon on there, cheese of your choice. We put about a half a pound of fresh pulled pork on top. So much flavor going on, it hits all the taste buds. You really can't ask for much more."

The real show piece of this butcher shop is the super long case of prepared foods, ultra-fresh seafood, housemade sausages in a variety of flavors, and a variety of choice steaks.

"Our steaks are awesome. All of our meat is top choice or better," Craig promised. "We've been doing this a lot of years. We know what good steaks are. We know what to look for when we buy them."

There's something for every steak lover, whether you want flavor packed tips, ultra-tender Wagyu, or the thick cut Cowboy Steak.

"It's like eating a prime rib meets a nice steak. So you've got this soft, juicy, tender meat on the inside, and you got that crust on the outside," described Craig. "It's a terrific steak."

Once you've gathered everything you're going to need for dinner, it's time to decide on dessert. The Flying Butcher offers a huge case of treats made especially for them by the folks at Modern Pastry. So you can load up on lobster tails, ricotta pie, and carrot cake.

While your family will be happy with the meal you bring home, the guys back at The Flying Butcher are even happier, knowing that they helped make your dinner a success.

"I love this job. I love food. I love cooking. I love teaching people how to cook, and I love helping people prepare their meal," Craig said.

"We have a passion for great food and great customer service," Brian added. We love seeing people's reactions to our food. It's gratifying. It makes you feel really good to see people eating good, feeling good about what they're eating, and feeling good about where they got it."

You can find The Flying Butcher at 124 State Route 101A in Amherst, New Hampshire, and online at theflyingbutcher.com.

Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.