With recent news that the new Ace Hotel in Manhattan may
include a branch of Portland’s Stumptown Coffee, it’s fitting that our
own Ace on Stark Street should make room downstairs for something
quintessentially East Coast: a Jewish deli.
When I think “Jewish deli,” I think grouchy old ladies in crowded,
condensation-rich rooms, serving surly backchat with my blintzes. Not
here. Kenny and Zuke’s Delicatessen is bright and airy, with great
views of the sidewalk, and even when it’s crowded, most of the wait
staff—who are mainly under the age of 40, polite, and
attractive—can move easily between the tables.
Is Kenny and Zuke’s version of the Jewish deli a bad thing? Not in
this writer’s opinion, but it is different, and may take some getting
used to for those with firm preconceptions about how such a place
“should” feel.
Kenny and Zuke’s is flexible: There’s a good selection of vegetarian
options, including an omelet with mushroom and caramelized onions and a
big salad served with bagel chips and blue cheese. The blintzes with
strawberries are marvelous, and there are four beers on tap including
Double Mountain from Hood River, not to mention 29 bottled beers
(including Schmaltz Kosher Hebrew Messiah Bold) and the widest
selection of root beers you’ll ever see. There’s a deli counter for
takeout, or sit-in diners can choose between tables and two stylish
counters, open super late (3 am) on the weekend.
“We got pastrami or pastrami,” this ain’t.
Having said that, if you’re a first-time visitor, trust me and get
something with the quintessential Jewish meat. They cure it for five
days, smoke it for 10 hours, steam it for three more days, and then
hand slice it thicker than you’ll find elsewhere. The result is
rambunctious and almost too fatty, but not quite. You can have
it with eggs any morning, or on weekends with eggs benedict, featuring
a biting hollandaise and Challah bread—I didn’t eat again until
dinner. Every day after 11 am, the classic pastrami on rye or Reuben
sandwich are just the ticket, served with a mouth-puckering homemade
slaw or thin-cut, crunchy fries.
The latkes are always excellent, by far the best I’ve
had—crispy on the outside and cotton soft on the inside,
complemented by a delicious, chunky applesauce.
Chicken soup with matzo balls was a little lackluster on initial
visits, but has since beefed (chickened?) up, now rivaling Rose’s Deli
for its evocation of mother-love. It may sound sloppy, but try some
next time you’re ill.
Kenny and Zuke’s bagels are more rustic than Kettleman’s in
Southeast Portland, and a little drier—but I don’t feel there’s a
“right” way to do a bagel, just people’s different tastes and opinions.
Their garlic and onion bialys, too, are flatter than I’m used to, but
still excellent taken home and toasted with goat cheese. Or—why
not—with some of the deli counter’s fantastic homemade lox,
creamed or pickled herrings, chopped chicken livers, or whitefish
salad.
Kenny and Zuke’s is so ambitious that they’re already selling
sweatshirts. I admire the intention and expect this place to be a
cornerstone of Portland’s culinary future. Who knows, perhaps in 20
years, the waitresses will be old, grouchy, and just as “authentic” as
the food.