May 22nd, 2011 Edelweiss Sausauge Co. & Delicatessen

Edelweiss Sausage Co. & Delicatessen

3119 Southeast 12th Avenue, Portland, OR

(503) 238-4411

http://www.edelweissdeli.com/

Mon – Sat 9 AM – 6 PM Sun Closed

May 22^nd, 2011

It was a beautiful Monday afternoon and my phone rang as I was reading a bit before heading out for some lunch.  It was my friend Kris calling to tell me he had the day off when he thought he was suppose to work and was curious if I had grabbed my sando for the day yet.  Since I hadn’t I told him we should meet up at Edelweiss Deli for a beer and some Bavarian grub.  This seemed to settle just fine with him so we choose a time to meet and went from there. I left my house and took the scenic route since it was such a beautiful day though unfortunately I took a wrong turn and ended up going over the bridge and getting lost for a bit. Oh well can’t find out where you are if you don’t get lost a time or two.

After I finally ended up at Edelweiss I found Kris had already arrived and ordered.  He got a Beer Braised Bratwurst and a Beer. It looked good.  So I took the chance to walk over to the counter and order myself a sando and beer.  The kitchen is part of their deli counter so it’s all wide open.  From the front door to the back corner of the place the deli case makes a long “L” shape filled with meats, sausages, cheeses and other assorted goods. There are also isles of dry goods such as sweets, breads, condiments, glassware, plates, etc….  As I stood in line to order I could hear the chatter of the patrons as they ate and started to notice people speaking different languages such as Swiss and Russian. In particular the older gentleman behind me in line was quite eager to tell a group of elderly women about his travels as a child with his father from Switzerland to Russia and then to the U.S.A.  Pretty cool that a place like this will actually bring in their target customer base where they feel at home to come eat, shop, and just hang out. 

I sat back down with Kris and we chatted about what we thought of the place and how the counter staff seemed a bit unorganized or at leased ruffled from their lunch rush.  Enjoying our beer we talked about what else I had left on the sando tour and what I’ve enjoyed the most so far.  Kris has a side gig making/selling Pickles, so we talked about his upcoming endeavors in that world.  Finally my sando came out and I was happy to see it because I was starving.  It has hot and stacked with Corned Beef. In all it was a bit soggy but still very good. The best thing we both agreed on was that at the table were three different Mustards and a Horseradish sauce.  I finished up and chatted a bit more with Kris until we both had to go our separate ways.  As I took another scenic drive home I decided that it was far to beautiful and picked up the Dog to go for a short hike. Love these spring afternoons.

Rating:

Bread:

The bread was a Dark Rye that had some serious flavor to it. I love a good rye bread and this one did not disappoint.  It was pretty soggy after a few bites though. Thicker cut and a harder toast might be an option later on.

4/5

Filling:

This Reuben had Corned Beef, Sauerkraut, Russian dressing, & Swiss cheese.  Over all it was a very wet sando with the Corned Beef being pretty bland.  Quantity wise it was great but it was just lacking a bit in the flavor.

3/5

Price:

At $7.49 it will surely fill you up but it leaves you wishing for a bigger taste than what you get. 

4/5

Customer Service, Sides, Drink Selection:

The customer service was odd. The people seemed a bit slammed and disorganized even though they do this everyday and have about six or seven people behind the counter working.  There are lots of sides that they make there in traditional styles and a few good beers on tap so you can find something that’ll go well with your meal.

4/5

Over all Rating:  15/20 points

Repeat Visit?

Yes. I’d love to go and shop there for meats or just dry goods that they have to offer. And of course grab a brat while I shopped.