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Salumi, Seattle, WA, tasted on May 12, 2004 — I really do try to focus exclusively on the food in every experience that I share. I typically don't worry about atmosphere, service, etc. And ultimately that's because I will put up with almost anything for wonderful food. The one thing I do let color my judgment is location. Not in the sense of whether the restaurant is in a good neighborhood, but simply acknowledging the fact that most people don't get to travel to Italy when they want great Italian food. And while location does have a modest bearing on my judgment, it never catapults something beyond where it should be in my estimation. And so here we are eating in a "mom and pop" Italian deli in downtown Seattle for lunch. And the truth is that there are likely many just like it dotting the east coast of the United States. But in Seattle, there is only Salumi. And in fact, even though Salumi's uniqueness stands out because of its isolation in the pacific northwest, the truth is that its yummy food would make it stand out just about anywhere.

Salumi is basically three things: 1) an Italian deli serving weekday lunches to downtown wokers, 2) a sometime private Friday night dinner establishment favoring only its most regular customers with an invitation (since I work on the outskirts of Seattle I've never been able to go there enough to rise on the Salumi leaderboard), and 3) a salumeria curing their own meats. For most people 1 and 3 are enough to make for a pretty positive experience.

On this day we hauled ass from the suburbs to get to Salumi before the lunch rush. But that really is essentially impossible as there appears to be a line out the door no matter what time you arrive. That said, even though it usually seems highly unlikely, by the time you get through the line and have your food in hand, a spot usually opens up at one of the small tables or the big communal table where friendly customers and serving staff all seem to enjoy and contribute to the friendly atmosphere. But most important is the food.

Taking advantage of the in house meat curing we of course started off with a platter of cured meats and cheeses. The neatest thing was that each of the cured items was spicy in its own unique way. It made for an interesting tour. Our other platter, filled with "hot meat" got lots of envious stares. The brisket in particular was so soft, tasty, juicy, and oily in a good way.

We also ordered a bunch of sandwiches. The lamb sausage was super savory, and especially excellent with chunks of gorgonzola that I added to it as I gorged. Even the simple salami and cheese sandwich was delicious mostly I think because of how simple it was letting the triumvirate of the bread salami and cheese do their thing.

I typically worry about two things with a meatball sub: 1) overly-herbed meatballs and/or sauce, and 2) too much sauce turning the whole sandwich into a soggy mess. Overall things were pretty balanced though. There were definitely herbs in the meatballs, but they didn't distract at all. And finally, the fennel sausage sandwich slathered in tomato, onion, and peppers was gorgeous. The bread did a good job soaking up the juice.

Much in the same way that the sharing a sample of yummy goodness was a telling moment at Katz's, the sample of lamb prosciutto that was delivered to our table was also emblematic of the positivity everyone felt as they ate their lunch. The prosciutto itself had a sheen of beautiful oil, a gorgeous color, and was chewy and a touch gamey in a good way.

Salumi is essentially a neighborhood Italian deli that just happens to cure its own meat. And lucky for those that work in downtown Seattle, Salumi is right nearby.