Portland, OR Restaurant Review: Kenny and Zuke’s Delicatessen

The ACE Hotel in Downtown Portland has created quite a city-street block’s worth of attractions for itself when you begin to unpack what they’ve lined up along SW Stark. From the event space The Cleaners, to Clyde Common fine dining, to Stumptown coffee, heck the Ace Hotel lobby is a hang out worth mentioning — and then there’s Kenny and Zuke’s Delicatessen on the west end of the block at SW 11th Avenue. If you’re traveling to Portland from New York and think you’re going to miss great pickles and ’slaw, or you’re just in the mood for some well-crafted deli food, then Kenny and Zuke’s Deli has just the pastrami for you.

This is the first installment on Portland Restaurant Review of an eatery in the Southwest district, and I’m happy that it’s Kenny and Zuke’s. Of course, I’m thinking this on a Monday afternoon as I savor the last few bits of the second half of my pastrami sandwich, which I was forced to bring home after getting perfectly full over a Sunday afternoon sandwich adventure that brought be into deli-land, downtown. Was it good enough to finish off in one sitting? Of course it was. Don’t be silly and please don’t challenge my stomach, which will compete to the death and end up getting my brain sad. Instead, I’m trying hard to eat only until I’m full, and then stop — which most of the time, A)seems to be about halfway through a “portion,” and B)is usually a frightening challenge given the fact that I absolutely love food. And pastrami sandwiches are a desert island menu option, to be sure.

Kenny and Zuke’s Delicatessen: Breaking Down the Menu and Ambiance
I think that pastrami sandwiches, maybe more than any other kind of lunch cuisine, fall prey to the quantity over quality consideration. And maybe what is has going for it as a sandwich meat is that whether it’s savory and a bit on the greasy side, or pretty fresh and more healthy in nature, it tends to taste good no matter what. I’m a fan of it both ways. At Canter’s Deli in Los Angeles, you can find a mile of greasy pastrami piled on rye bread, and you can get it at 3:30 in the morning, if you are so inclined. This is a prime example of “quantity over quality.” But Kenny and Zuke’s does something different with the classic. There’s instead is a “quality over quantity” version of the sandwich, with plenty of meat to fill you up, but not tons of meat trying to make up for an inferior quality product. And it starts with the process by which the meat is cured and prepared.

I ordered the standard Pastrami on Rye ($12.45 and worth every penny), a near-gold-standard of deli selections, and in my mind, the perfect way to decide whether or not a deli is worth going back to. If you’re into short food reviews, then here: Kenny and Zuke’s pastrami is lovingly prepared and worth every ounce of your effort to make it back there for a second visit. And then some. The Pastrami sandwich comes with a pair of pickles that were tasty and modestly sized, as well as a choice between potato salad or cole slaw. I’m of the mindset that the cole slaw belongs on top of the pastrami, which I would imagine is a no-no for some die-hard’s, so I went with that option. The cole slaw borders on the Asian style, with a sweet-pickled spiciness to it that featured just a whisper of horseradish and delicate, pink cabbage, not too “wet” and not too “tangy.” This is not a cole slaw of the “drenched in mayo” variety. For an extra $1.50, diners can substitute a nice plate of fries for the potato salad or cole slaw.

Going back to what I previously began talking about regarding preparation, here is the Kenny and Zuke’s Pastrami Motto, and I think this is the source of the extra flavor without finding meat that has trailed off into greasy country: “Cured 5 days, Smoked 10 hours, Steamed for 3 hours & Hand-sliced Just for You.” That’s right. One pastrami slice’s journey to your plate should be considered an adventure through a sandwich meat day spa pampering that most food items will never have the pleasure of experiencing.

While others will say — this is a meat-rye bread-mustard kind of meeting, all others need not attend, I’m happy to say that the Thousand Island dressing is a welcome addition, and one which I gladly smothered all over the meat, making an already-moist concoction that much more savory and rich. Not for everyone, I understand. Save the Deli puts it best: “Briskets are wet cured for 5 days, rubbed with coriander and pepper, and smoked for eight hours with oak. It’s not a New York pastrami, or a Montreal smoked meat, though it’s more akin to what Zane Caplansky is doing… somewhere smoky back in the Romanian tradition. It’s salty, aromatic, spicy, and hand cut.” No need to reinvent the wheel — that’s just about enough of a reason right there to go check out the deli for yourself. I’m going out on a limb here, but given the current craze, I’ll hazard a guess that the dressing on the plate is made in house, as well.

Delis are often known for some of the most feel-good foods you’ll see on a restaurant menu, and Kenny and Zuke’s Deli has some of that great stuff, too. For a second dish, we ordered the Pastrami Cheese Fries (Large plate of fries piled with pastrami and melted cheese for just $9.95). This dish was also like a meal-and-a-half, and try as we might, after much effort, we seemed to hardly make a dent in the mound of goodness. The fries retained their crispiness underneath the melted cheese (possibly provolone, with a nice, heady aroma and slight spice to it) and generous chunks of hand-cut pastrami. Perfect cure for just about any hangover, I am guessing.

I’ll have to pay another visit to Kenny and Zuke’s Delicatessen in the very near future — one can use the side entrance and order fresh baked goods including home-made bialies and bagels with what appeared to be gorgeous schmears of cream cheese. The flavors covered the board: plain, onion, garlic, salt, poppy, sesame, everything, and pumperknickel, with bagels ($1,95, $2,95 with plain or flavored cream cheese) boiled and baked daily, and bialies ($1.95 plain) also baked fresh every day. I’m a big fan of the bialies-eggs-lox combo, and the Pastrami and Eggs breakfast (3 Eggs Frittata-style for $10.45) looked pretty close to perfection, as well.

The restaurant itself is a lively place to enjoy a meal. On a busy, early Sunday afternoon that was mild in terms of weather, the place was just about packed, but only ended up taking about 15 minutes to find seating at a table for two. Clean, spacious  dining area, and dedicated, attentive wait staff round out an excellent dining experience, and one that we’ll be looking forward to repeating often in the upcoming months.

Kenny and Zuke’s Delicatessen, SW Portland Pictures

Portland, OR Restaurant Details: Kenny and Zuke’s Delicatessen
Kenny and Zuke’s Delicatessen
1038 SW Stark St (on the southeast corner of Stark and SW 11th Ave)
Portland, OR 97205
503.222.DELI (3354)
Southwest
Hours: 7am – 8pm Mon-Thurs; Fri 7am – 9pm; Sat 8am – 9pm; Sun 8am – 8pm
Happy Hour served Monday through Friday 3-6pm (Happy Hour Menu)

Portland, OR Restaurant Map: Kenny and Zuke’s Delicatessen on SW Stark
Click here for a map of the area: Kenny and Zuke’s Delicatessen in SW Portland

The Official Kenny and Zuke’s Deli Website (menu)(Click)
Kenny and Zuke’s Deli on Facebook (Click)
Kenny and Zuke’s Deli on Twitter (Click)
Kenny and Zuke’s Deli Review on YELP: Portland (Click)
Kenny and Zuke’s Deli Review on PDX Food and Drink (Click)
Kenny and Zuke’s Deli on Menuism (Click)
Kenny and Zuke’s Deli Menu on Urban Drinks (Click)
Kenny and Zuke’s Deli on Save the Deli (Click)

Kenny and Zuke's Delicatessen on SW Stark St. at SW 11th Ave, 9.0 out of 10 based on 2 ratings

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