Kenny & Zuke’s Delicatessen
1038 Southwest Stark Street, Portland, OR
(503) 222-3354
Mon – Thurs 7 AM – 8 PM; Fri 7 AM – 10PM; Sat 8 AM – 10 PM; Sun 8 AM – 8 PM
May 11th, 2011
Another beautiful day to be walking around Downtown for a sando and evidently I’m not the only one who seems to think so. There have been hordes of people around ever corner it seems and all of them have that hungry look in their eyes. I tend to see most ducking in and out of random eateries. It always makes me curious what they are craving and why. We’re not going to be getting that deep into the psyche of lunch today though, so upward and onward to Kenny & Zukes Delicatessen.
I’d have never been in before but have walked by many times later in the evening or on my way somewhere else so I was curious what they had to offer. Growing up in Southern California it seems the streets are littered with Deli’s. I loved going to them as a kid and see big jars of pickles on the table, the smell of rye, and of course the mass amounts of Pastrami and/or Corned Beef coming from the kitchen. I’ve been curious about the Deli scene in Portland since moving up here but never really sought after it too much. Well today was the day I changed all that.
As I entered the side of their deli counter I took notice, first off, of how jam packed it was in the restaurant with customers and how many other were waiting to be seated. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves as well as their food. I was looking over the menu while I waited in line. It was at this point I said either the Corned Beef or the Pastrami. I know that K&Z are very proud and known for Pastrami but Corned Beef won this time around.
As I waited for my order I looked around a little closer at their counter and surrounding area. Lots of cured, pickled, and sweet items were on display as well as signs advertising the prices of how much you could purchase meaty goods to take home with you. This is always a wonderful sight to see. Also the literal wall of bottled beverages that makes you thirsty just looking at it. My order was called and I took it back out into the sunshine to enjoy on my way to work. Besides realizing the enormousness of the sando I was also very pleased to see a good helping of coleslaw and a pickle wedge. After all, what is a deli if they don’t supply a pickle?
Rating:
Bread:
The bread was a good Rye with a thick crust and a slightly dense crumb though slightly dry. It was definitely strong enough to hold everything. I’ve had problems with some deli’s whose Rye begins to crumble apart halfway through the sando. This was not that kind of bread.
4/5
Filling:
The filling had mustard and a MASSIVE amount of Corned Beef. Simple, tasty, and just what I expected from a deli. I only wished the Corned Beef was a bit juicier so the mustard wasn’t needed as much to make it moist. Maybe next time I’ll ask for some Swiss cheese.
4/5
Price:
$11.25 for a large helping of Corned Beef on Rye with some Coleslaw and a Pickle. Not the most inexpensive Lunch I’ve had so far. I’m certainly glad I was able to get so much for what I paid for but I would have been happier if it had been about $1.50 to $2 cheaper.
3/5
Customer Service, Sides, Drink Selection:
They were a very friendly and helpful bunch at the counter. They made sure I had everything I needed such as a fork and some napkins and thanked me for coming in. They had lots of different sides available such as coleslaw, potato salad, soup, salad, chips, etc… and with all the space they have to work with I was glad to see otherwise that would have been embarrassing. The wall of bottled drinks made me feel like I couldn’t go wrong with whatever I might have chosen.
5/5
Over all Rating: 16/20 points
Repeat Visit?
Yea but I’d much rather check out their SandwichWorks shop instead. It’s still deli-esque and a bit cheaper.
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