First Post! (Kenny & Zukes)

I have lived in Portland, OR for over four years now and I find that one of my favorite things about the city are it's restaurants. I find that it is a wonderful land of foodies and for good reason. We have access to some of the best food in the world and most people seem to have such consciousness about buying locally, supporting small farms, and eating seasonally. I find that eating out can be a challenge sometimes as well. I find that a lot of people only comment on Citysearch, LivePDX, etc... when they have had a bad experience or when the owners decide to use a pseudonym to boost their ratings. I want to create an honest, humorous, and mostly constructive resource for dining out in the city I love. I want to talk about the amazing discoveries, the best and worst food, and the snarky baristas as well. So I hope you enjoy my little project.

My first review will be of Kenny & Zukes. This deli is very new and has taken over a spot where a local gay bar once was on Stark and 11th. I was joking with one of the employees about not waving a black light around in there. She said running joke is "So is the pastrami better the second time around?" My own waitress didn't have much personality to spare.

I was a little early to order a sandwich so I decided on the Pastrami and Swiss Omelet. I ordered a decaf coffee, which was old and cold...but was charmed by the re purposed glass yogurt cups as cream dispensers. My food came pretty quickly. I instantly noticed that the potatoes were greasy and my omelet was overcooked. The potatoes had a bit of peppers mixed in, which I'm not a great fan of. I also got a bite of something that was very spicy. The omelet lacked much flavor and was very tough. I would think that the pastrami would have at least been outstanding seeing as how they handle their own charcuterie, but it was pretty bland. I did hear one of the other servers mention Birch Beer to a table, so i did stop at their to-go counter to pick up two of those (one for myself and one for Spence as I have been telling him of this East Coast favorite) and two sesame bagels. I haven't tried the bagels yet, but the Birch Beer was a welcomed taste of home.