B & E Meats & Seafoods, Seattle

Decades ago in 1958, brothers Bob and Earl Green founded a business dealing in red meat and seafood on April Fools' Day. Later, on another fateful April 1, they passed the shop to Bob's son and daughter-in-law, and today, more than 50 years since its opening, B & E Meats and Seafood still cuts, smokes, and marinates prime carnivorous fare at four locations. Now in its third generation as a family-run business, B & E boasts four stores in the Seattle area, providing the Northwest with fresh food and friendly service.

Beef raised in Washington and Oregon comes to B & E Meats in two variants: natural and traditional. The staff preps T-bones and tenderloins alongside signature kalbi beef ribs, whose soy, ginger, garlic, and sesame-oil marinade evokes tropical barbecues. Such meticulous seasoning is par for the course—the staffers smoke their beef jerky for up to six hours with alder and cherry-wood chips to preserve rustic flavor, and they cover pork roasts in sea salt before wrapping them in banana leaves. Their smoked candy salmon also boasts a tantalizing mix of sweet and salty notes, and corned beef comes traditionally cured for St. Patrick's Day.

Freezer variety packs tempt those who can’t decide on one meal with 25–100 pounds of cuts and goodies, which include steaks, roasts, ground beef, and bacon. In the interest of convenience, the store provides cooking instructions for many of its popular dishes.