Kenny & Zukes

5/8/09

I have been meaning to get to Kenny and Zukes delicatessen for months and months and finally went today. My wife and I had already checked out their menu online the night before and knew what we were going to order. As always when we actually get to a restaurant we start smelling and looking and want to order everything and end up altering our original idea.
We ordered a Caesar salad, a pastrami Reuben with Russian dressing, coleslaw, a side of fries, a sarsaparilla soda, and a cherry cola. This came to roughly $30, not a cheap eat considering it was basically a sandwich, a salad, and fries. On the other hand we split everything but our drinks because the portions are huge. For a less expensive alternative, their happy hour is ideal. From 3-6, Monday-Friday you can get scaled down versions of regular menu items at about half the cost. When I say scaled down I mean you can actually finish what you order.
The first thing I noticed when I walked in their door was the wonderful smell of house smoked meats, man I love that smell! It always fills my head with plans to fire up the smoker at home and smoke a brisket or pork or something.
The space is nice, roomy, and clean, and the service was good.

The food…
I’ll keep it simple, we went for the sandwich, and the sandwich was good. When we ordered the classic Reuben, we didn’t realize it wasn’t grilled until it came to the table. We asked to have it grilled and they took care of it. It’s all about the smoked meat, very tasty! I have to say that even though I read their philosophy on hand slicing their meat ¼ inch thick, I really prefer brisket to be sliced thinner unless I’m planning to eat it with a fork and knife. My thing about sandwiches is that I don’t want to rebuild my sandwich every time I take a bite. Its one thing to have so many ingredients on a sandwich that you just can’t keep them all in, but it’s another thing when every bite pulls out the main ingredient.
I loved the mix of Russian dressing and gooey melted cheese dripping and running all over. Also, the house made pickle was good, nice and crisp.

I was happy to hear that they bake their own bread there, and it works for what they do. I really like seeing restaurants that produce more of their own, unless outsourcing provides a better product, plus I used to be a baker in a restaurant and there’s some nostalgia in it for me I think.
The coleslaw… Personally I found it somewhat soggy, bland, and lacking character, but I’m opinionated about coleslaw. I like coleslaw, I make a lot of coleslaw and I eat a lot of coleslaw. It’s one of those items I always want to try if a restaurant has it on the menu because it’s a dish that is essentially simple, with a minimum amount of ingredients; therefore it is up to a cook’s skill to make it delicious.

In the end I was very full, and there is no way I could have eaten a full sandwich with sides, but I did finish the rest of my wife’s half. I didn’t want any of that smoky brisket to go to waste.
Would I go again, sure I would, there’s another sandwich, or two I would like to try.
Would I recommend it, yes I would. I think it has an appeal that pleases many, and it would be a good family meal spot for breakfast, brunch, or lunch.
They have a great sounding breakfast, and I’m definitely down with the happy hour.