Love Portland. Can’t stand the show or actor.
who’s the fucking actor ???
good question – i think fred armisten tries, maybe he’s that way in real life…he’s on my top ten most annoying/worst list and im bummed that he led up the show about a city i really like
Hey Mr Taster, greetings from a former LA CHer…wish id seen that you were up in Portland before i went up there a couple weeks ago…several people on the board recommended Kenny and Zukies for deli…as it turned out it was right across the street from my hotel, Mark Spencer… one morning had a pretty good bagel/cream cheese…went back for a pastrami sandwich that people raved about…no kidding, i had to put both hands on the sandwich and then pulled and twisted to tear through the meat…never happened before in my life…also, never before had i left half a pastrami on the plate…oy vey, you shouldnt know from it…have you ever been? anything youd recommend for my next trip? i know the 2 best pizza places are Apizza Scholls and Kens Artisan Pizza but as they dont open till 5pm i couldnt make it…Happy eatin’!
Hello hello lapizzamaven
Yes, I’ve been to K&Z and I share your conclusion. Their bagels are fine- properly boiled and all, but not malty or chewy enough for my taste. But unless I feel like making my own, they’ll do.
I’m late to the scene since I’ve only been in Portland for a year, but my understanding is that K&Z was one of the early attempts at modernizing Jewish deli for a non-Jewish (hipster) crowd. Nick Zukin (the “Zuke” in K&Z) is known locally for being a difficult hard-ass, but is also obsessive about his food. At some point, Nick split up from Ken and I hear the quality of the pastrami suffered. I wish I could have tried it during the early days-- I’d have been really curious to know how it stood up next to Langer’s.
There really isn’t much else going on Jewish deli (or bakery)-wise in Portland. There’s Kornblatt’s deli, which has the right name and the right feel, but the food is strictly poor to middling. One time I ordered a matzo ball soup to go for my sick wife, and when I got home she tasted it and said “something’s wrong with this.” (Mind you, she’s Taiwanese, and not a fussy eater-- so if she had a problem with it, something must have been really wrong). The soup tasted like dishwater- or perhaps the water they boiled thew matzo balls in. Horrifyingly bad.
We do have a Jewish Community Center in southwest Portland, which is where the Jewish community is centered. I’ll have to check out with them if they have any leads and I’ll report back.
Mr Taster
Great to hear from ya, Mr Taster…someone i can now trust in Portland! whew!..i cant imagine K&Zs ever be much better…compared to Langer’s? no way it could be that much worse from what it was…in fact, it looked more like corned beef…whatever it was, literally i had to tear it apart with each bite…youre right, it’s a failed attempt at a hiipster deli! but bagel was adequate…oy vey! otherwise, i had a great time…it rained 65 of the 72 hours i was there and i loved every drop…i was there for a great jazz festival
Hope you love your experience there! id love to meet up sometime if we can next time im up there…the pizza i can guarantee…check out Apizza Scholls and Ken’s Artisan Pizza, both across the river from downtown…may all you taste be exquisite!