Zonda Fine Meats

Tucked on a quiet street behind Corte Madera’s Menke Park, a butcher shop opened in March. Wine and beef importer Alberto Lataliste named his retail store for the Argentinian wind of his homeland, which blows down the Andean ridge to the sea. “I love the seclusion of the place,” says Lataliste, who lives in Novato. 

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Wide cases are filled with Argentinian and American-raised beef, pork, lamb, house made sausages, and other meaty fare. Notably, says Lataliste, “Argentinian beef is grown without hormones or anabolic steroids and is grass-fed before finished on 120 days of grain.” 

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Enjoy an empanada from Petaluma’s The Secret Lab (veggie, chicken, or beef) or a sandwich at one of the cute, red café tables on the quiet patio. Available from 11am to 3pm are a choice of three sandwiches on a Dutch or sourdough roll – roasted turkey, el Padrino (a classic, East Coast-style Italian sub), and roast beef with all the fixings. Avocado can be added to any sandwich – because, California – and all are $13. Cold cases with Italian salumi, marrow bones, and vacuum-sealed seafood line up with shelves stacked with Italian and Argentinian cookies, pastas, and an array of international accompaniments and sauces. The team awaits a beer and wine license to sell boutique beer and global wines for takeaway only.