Butcher & Bay by Geresbeck’s has something for everyone.

For customer Irene Vavas, it’s their trademark shrimp salad and coleslaw. Oh, and the chicken salad.

“It’s all the best,” the Essex resident said Monday as she checked out. “And I love their eclairs, obviously. Their eclairs are to-die-for.”

In addition to an extensive butcher shop and fresh seafood section, the new high-end specialty market has plenty of options for traditionally minded customers, including softshell crabs, sour beef, Otterbein’s and Berger Cookies. They also carry a viral ramen brand, viral microwavable cookies with 900 calories and viral chopped Italian sandwiches.

If it’s on the shelves at Butcher & Bay, there’s a good chance that it’s either made in Baltimore or blowing up on TikTok.

Open in Kingsville since November, Butcher & Bay comes from a longtime local chain of supermarkets. The first Geresbeck’s opened in Baltimore County in the 1940s. Entrepreneur Carl E. Greeley purchased the business in the 1980s, adding two new locations and expanding the store’s bakery and prepared-food selection. After Greeley’s death in 2022, his grandson Jeff Graham decided to join the family business and help expand it in a new direction, tapping into the changing food preferences of Baltimore County residents.

The shop at 12037 Belair Road, which Graham calls his “baby,” carries “more odd stuff” than you’d find at its sister businesses, or basically any grocery store in the region. Cuts of locally raised Roseda beef are a top seller, but the demand has also been high for more niche items like ground elk meat or wild boar chorizo. Soon, Butcher & Bay will start selling raw milk, which is outlawed in Maryland for human consumption but can be sold when labeled for pets.

There are also staples that customers of other Geresbeck’s stores know and love, including their baked goods like cakes, cookies and eclairs topped with small mountains of fudge. In the past few months, Graham says, overall weekly sales have been far above his initial projections, which is no small feat at a time of roiling economic turmoil and generally high grocery prices. The community’s reception has “completely exceeded our expectations,” he said.

I wanted to try pretty much everything the store had to offer, and loaded my grocery cart with provisions. Here are some of my favorites — as well as a few you can leave off the shopping list.

Maryland crab soup

Butcher & Bay offers a richly seasoned take on Maryland’s favorite tomato-based soup. Made by Squire’s Italian Restaurant and Catering in Dundalk, the dish is loaded with fresh spices, veggies and plenty of crab — just the thing to eat when you’re coming down with a cold.

Chopped Italian sub

Did you ever eat an Italian sub and think “This is good, but I really wish all the ingredients were chopped up into little pieces”? Try the chopped Italian sub, as seen on TikTok. Pro: the spicy and tangy flavors of the dressing and hots combine perfectly with the meats and cheese, drenching every bite. Con: It’s a mess. Eat one in your car and you’re sure to have tiny squares of salami underneath your seat for years.

Fried chicken box

To make their “famous” fried chicken, Butcher & Bay uses Bell & Evans, a premium poultry brand based in Pennsylvania. It’s a choice that pays off with meat that’s succulent and flavorful while tasting fresh and homemade. The thick potato wedges that came with it were also worth the detour to Kingsville.

Crab dip

This dish was a clear winner, with a light, whipped texture and a bold but not overpowering crab seasoning flavor. While I couldn’t detect any large chunks of crab meat in the dip, I frankly didn’t mind. Baltimore salt box artist Juliet Ames, whose help I enlisted as a taste-tester, suggested combining the fried chicken and crab dip to make a chicken Chesapeake sandwich. “Lazy dinner, but you look like you tried,” she said.

Kent Island succotash

For a certain kind of Marylander, nothing in the produce world tops the late summer bounty of corn and lima beans. For them, Butcher & Bay’s Kent Island succotash would be a symphony of deliciousness, layered with tomatoes, crab meat and bacon. I personally would have preferred it without the bacon, which I thought overpowered the other elements.

Sour beef and dumplings

Sour beef and dumplings is one of those old-school Baltimore dishes that a tiny handful of hardcore fans just love and everyone else regards with a raised eyebrow. See also: raccoon and muskrat, onion pickles and Manning’s Hominy. The version sold at Butcher & Bay is courtesy of the Silver Spring Mining Co. restaurant in Perry Hall, and comes with two large dumplings, one big, slightly dry chunk of meat and a traditional sweet and tangy sauce. Conclusion? Not for me.

Old Bay queso

This brand new cross-branded cheese dip from Jimmy’s Famous Seafood and Baltimore’s favorite spice blend was a watery disappointment. You’re better off making your own with Velveeta and Old Bay.