Getting a great cut of meat does not mean breaking the bank at a luxurious restaurant. Gargantua offers reasonably priced Thai meat, sausage and pate with French flair. Owner Arnaud Carre is a fifth generation French butcher with over 50 years’ experience in France and abroad. If you’re wondering how Thai meat can compare to imported, Carre has the answer: “Prime quality imported meat, such as US meat, is very expensive and rare outside America. What you have [imported from the US] here is not prime quality, just average. Between average quality imported meat and high quality Thai meat, I prefer the Thai one.” Carre starts by carefully choosing the right top-quality Thai meat and then cuts or processes it. This is where the French savoir-faire comes in. In France, Carre says, butchers spend 10 years learning how to create the best and most tender cuts of meat possible. The shop’s decor is typical of a traditional butcher’s shop in France: tiny and clean, it is encased in white marble. The shop’s large French following is evidence that he has done a good job. Top-sellers are cote de boeuf (prime rib), roti de veau (veal roast) and cocur de rumsteak (beef tender loin). For sausage, try the saucisse bretonne (Brittany sausage), saucisse de toulouse (Toulouse sausage), and merguez de angeau (lamb sausage). Carre’s cuts and sausages are also available in his new shop at, appropriately enough, Carrefour.