Esposito Pork Store Picks Up the Slack for Joe's Superette

I noticed this sign in the window of Esposito Pork Store on Court Street in Brooklyn the other day. It hadn't been there before. Obviously, the butcher is trying to fill in the prosciutto ball hole left in Carroll Gardens by the closure of Joe's Superette in spring 2011. The neighborhood institution was known citywide for the excellence of its prosciutto balls. Sure, those balls are now being made at Prince Street Pizza by an ex-employee of Joe's. But a Brooklynite doesn't want to have to have himself to SoHo every time he wants a deep-fried, hammy, cheesy treat. I haven't tried Esposito's prosciutto balls, but I plan to soon.

Meanwhile, here's what the former site of Joe's looks like now. The letters on the great old sign were taken away by relatives of the former owner, I was told. The space will be a Greek restaurant when it reopens. The renovation has revealed bit of very old brick, steel pillars and tin ceilings.

Esposito Pork Store Back When

The other day, I stopped by Hell's Kitchen's Esposito Pork Store, home of sucking pigs and "picnic shoulders," to pick up some sausage. Inside, I saw a couple old photos of the store back in the day. I thought they were worth posting here.

Giovanni Esposito was out butcher back then, and the emphasis was Italian meats. I think that's Giovanni and his son in the photo.

I'm assuming this photo was a couple decades later, judging by the signage, and the increase in English. Giovanni's still in charge. And look: "Smoked Picnics"!

I ordered some Italian sausage, by the way, which it's apparent they've been making for more than 100 years. Amazing stuff.