Olympic Provisions is a Portland hot spot for charcuterie. Salumist Elias Cairo is a master of all things cured and smoked, and many of the charcuterie plates in town use their products. (We took a behind-the-scenes tour of their meat department last year). The sandwiches are some of the best in Portland and although many are porky and strictly for carnivores, this particular one is actually targeted to the Montessori school down the street. More

The door separating the Olympic Provisions restaurant-deli from the chamber in the back says it all: MEAT DEPT. (In all caps, if you didn't catch that.) The meat-curing facility is Oregon's first USDA-approved salumeria, which means salumist Elias Cairo makes charcuterie with a USDA inspector watching him for a whole 40 hours a week—sticking flashlights into the grinders and swab-testing the walls, spices, and floors, to ensure a health code-happy process. More