THE family-run Albanese Meats & Poultry, in business in Little Italy since 1923 and currently at #238 Elizabeth Street between Prince and East Houston, features what appears to be a decades-old sidewalk sign. It is indeed decades old and was installed in 1971 during production of “The Godfather,” as exterior and interior scenes were filmed there. The owner at the time, Moe Albanese, known in the neighborhood as “Moe the Butcher,” chose to keep the artificially worn sign after filming wrapped.
Moe Albanese was known to most in the neighborhood for many years as his meat, obtained in the once-burgeoning Meatpacking District in far west Greenwich Village, is of high quality and the service was friendly. Sadly, Moe Albanese was a victim of the pandemic in 2020 at age 95, but the butcher shop has remained in the family as granddaughter Jennifer Prezioso took over operations. Vintage butcher equipment is displayed in the windows as well as the shops’ signature “I Gotcha” steaks, so called since Moe Albanese observed that people kept coming back for them.
“Jen basically runs a community service,” a customer says as she walks in. For decades, Prezioso explains, Albanese was not merely a butcher shop, but also a place for people to gather and have a laugh with Moe. “He would sing old Italian songs, clapping to the rhythm and inviting clients inside,” Prezioso says. “He was such a fun guy.” [La Cucina Italiana]
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6/5/23