A store and restaurant devoted to the art and science of charcuterie, or preserved meat, Salumi takes pork (and beef and lamb) and transubstantiates it, creating something transcendent, something the humbe pig could never dream of becoming: delicious, intensely flavored sausages, salamis and prosciuttos.
Open only on weekdays from 11 to 4 pm (or thereabouts; check the hours) and located in an inconspicuous storefront in Pioneer Square, it's not the easiest place to get to. But it's worth the trip. Join the line that often stretches out the door and make your way into the comically narrow store, past the cooler which more often than not contains a curing pig or lamb. Some days, you'll also pass a woman rolling homemade gnocci in the window. Order a sandwich or platter at the counter, and either take it out or eat at the two crowded, family-style tables in back, with honor-system jugs of wine.
Everything's good, either eaten in or taken out. Try the Muffo sandwich, with a mix of salamis, cheese and olive spread, or the meatball sandwich, with big, porky, homemade meatballs. The homemade lamb sausage is fantastic and even the mozzarella-tomato-pesto sandwich is great. Just plan a long stroll after lunch, to walk it off.
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