I'm in an area where there are absolutely no Jewish Delis, at all, for miles. This is more of a hardship than you might think. There are, supposedly, bagels and bialys to be had, but thus far the Northwest idea of a bagel has been unimpressive. That said, I have discovered what is locally called a deli, but that honestly, is also at least 50% bistro. The "Old World" in their name is the dead give away. It really is an "old world" style deli and bistro.

The Old World Deli is a business, but also, a labor of love. The owners, Anna & Christos Adams, both had a background in food service, and cooking, and a love of food. They opened the deli in 2007 and the local community has taken the wide array of meats, sausages, cheeses, and reliance on local ingredients to heart. They offer breakfast panini in the early mornings, and their selection has something for everyone, ranging from brie and Apple, to pancetta, fontina and egg, to black Forest ham with house mustard, Swiss cheese and egg.

The sandwiches, hot and cold, and fresh soups are very much in a European tradition. While you can get an Italian sub, it's going to be made with fresh local artisan bread and Molianari & Sons mortadella, San Francisco salami, hot coppa, provolone and pepperoncini. And you can get a traditional muffaletta, made with olive salad, mortadella, San Francisco salami, Black Forest ham, provolone and fontina on an Italian style roll. They've got veggie options, ranging from a veggie muffaletta, to grilled veggies, or fresh mozzarella, basil pesto, or Fontina with sun dried tomato pesto, and fresh spinach. I can personally attest to the high quality of their Reuben, and their ham on rye.

Their fresh salads include House potato salad, made with red potatoes, dill pickles, fresh herbs, and apple cider and sour cream dressing. The beet salad is made with local beets, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and the mixed green salad is made with local greens. They also offer several green salads with artisanal cheeses. Their cheese offerings are chosen carefully, representing not only the best local and domestic artisanal cheeses, but large selection of imported cheeses from all over Europe. They offer the traditional salumi varieties , and their meat selections include hand-made sausages and brats. They offer not only in-store selections of cheese and salumi, but a complete array of catering options.

Their soups are made fresh daily, and using the best ingredients, featuring local produce for many of them. Here are some sample soups: Hungarian Mushroom, 3 Pepper Brazilian Bean, House Italian Sausage Spinach & Green Bean, Summer Corn Chowdah, Manhattan Clam Chowdah, Joe's Garden Vegetable, Curried Vegetable Stew, Joe's Green Bean & Lamb Meatball w/Orzo, or Potato Leek Cheddar. They always offer a choice of at least two, and you can check the current offering via Twitter.

There are tables, so you can have an espresso, or latte while you wait for an order to go, or pick up some sport peppers, a couple of bottles of wine (their Rhône selection is quite good), some crackers, or perhaps gourmet olive oils while you wait for your to go order, or sit and eat in comfort. So while they don't offer bialys, or potato knish, or kugel, or matzo ball soup—what the Old World deli does offer, is mighty fine.