Kenny & Zuke's

While in Portland, it would not be complete without a visit to Powell Books. A bookstore? Yes, but this is no ordinary bookstore. Think of something that is bigger than some main libraries. Powell Books occupies 4 separate buildings that take up a whole city block. From the outside, you'd never know it. Honestly, it looks quite modest with it's dated exterior and signage. It's a whole new world once inside. We were overwhelmed by the magnitude of the place. If you were looking for a book, you'll probably find it here. I wasn't really intending to buy anything; but I walked out of there with a discounted "No Reservations by Anthony Bourdain". It was half-priced! Anyways, we planned to eat at Kenny & Zukes which was conveniently nearby. I've been here before for breakfast with Costanza and Snake; yet I never did get to try their sandwiches.

Viv and I actually made it for their Happy Hour menu, which has a few items discounted by $3 - $4. We weren't really all that hungry since we had just finished some Jamba Juice and lunch at Adina was only 4 hours ago. But I didn't travel all the way to Portland and not eat! I was going to eat until I couldn't eat no more! That probably explains my choice of the Meshugaletta. The mush-a-what? It's actually their largest sandwich consisting of pastrami, salami, roast beef, turkey and Swiss tucked in 3 slices of bread. Oh yes, there was no doubt in my mind I was going to eat that sandwich! Alright, I didn't actually end up finishing it. I struggled to down half of it. It reminded us of the Woody Allen from Carnegie Deli in NYC; however, the Woody Allen was even bigger with no bread in the middle. I really liked the combination of meats (like who wouldn't? oh wait, a vegetarian!). Combined with the tangy relish, this sandwich delivered. Add to the fact I got a pint of beer for $2.50, I was a happy man.

Viv was a little less ambitious and ordered the Pastrami Sandwich and a plate of Fries from the Happy Hour menu. A fantastic value at $7.25 and $2.75 respectively. Despite the price, there was no shortage of thick slices of tender pastrami shoehorned between 2 slices of rye. The slices were so thick, Viv had a tough time eating the sandwich. No matter, at the very least, you know they were not stingy with the meat. The pickle on the side was not very good, it was salty and limp (insert joke here). Served with a ridiculously large bowl of ranch dip, the fries were very crispy, if not a bit over salted. We had to shake off all the kosher salt, it was stinging our tongues.

We walked away from Kenny & Zukes quite full and with half of my sandwich unfinished. Knowing how we were going to eat again tomorrow morning, I struggled to finish the meats in our hotel room. Sure it was $14.75; but honestly, that was a lot of food. Kenny & Zukes satisfied my deli cravings and more so.

The Good:
- Good meats and lots of it
- Reasonable prices
- Great Happy Hour menu

The Bad:
- Just could be me, but the pickles were not very good