Meat

[March 19th, 2008]

There are times when the plastic-wrapped steaks and chops at Fred Meyer just won’t cut it. Here are our favorite places to grab a pound of flesh.

^Victor’s European Meat Market

Witold Lunkiewicz looks like he spent his youth running guns for the Resistance (we don’t know which), and the stunning array of smoked and cured meats on display in his strip-mall shop are suitably revolutionary. No one can top his kielbasa. 13500 SW Pacific Highway, Tigard, 684-2580.

^Overseas Taste

If Victor’s prices are beyond your means, check out this Foster-Powell institution. The piles of salami, bacon, sausages, jerkies and smoked fish are alarmingly inexpensive and always tasty. 4431 SE 64th Ave., 771-7450.

^PastaWorks

The meat counter at this extraordinary gourmet grocery has the best selection of imported cured meats in town, along with unexpected cuts like buffalo steaks. 3735 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 232-1010.

^Viande

Pâtés in all colors, sausages from andouille to chorizo, housemade bacon and pancetta, and whole roast suckling pig…it’s not cheap, but it’s worth it. Inside City Market, 735 NW 21st Ave., 221-3012.Edelweiss This full-service German market’s 20-foot deli counter has all the wursts you could want, and some damn good pastrami to boot. 3119 SE 12th Ave., 238-4411.

^Otto’s Sausage Kitchen

If it can be served in a bun, you will find it at this Woodstock deli. Otto’s (motto: Relish our buns) offers every variation on le hot dog imaginable, from andouille to bangers to wurst. 4138 SE Woodstock Blvd., 771-6714.

^Gartner’s

It’s worth the drive for the baffling selection of nitrate-free cuts both cured and fresh. For a real deal, check out the barbecue pack: $44 for all the meat your guests can eat. 7450 NE Killingsworth St., 252-7801.

^Barbur World Foods

This Mediterranean supermarket owned by Ya Hala’s John Attar has all the halal meat you could want, plus some decidedly unholy sausages and salumi. [i]9845 SW Barbur Blvd., 244-0670.