I've got DIBS! I declared to my Live in Everett co-writers when I learned that Salumi was coming to Everett. I didn't need to worry about Garret. He's vegetarian. But Rachel Weatherholt, I know, has a deep appreciation for fine foods. 

I was excited about this because I worked in downtown Seattle when Salumi opened in Pioneer Square. It was the end of the 1900s, as my son calls it - maybe 1999. Owned by Mario Batali's dad, Armandino, there was much fanfare about the communal table dining concept with daily lines out the door. I always envisioned sitting at the big wooden table eating an artisan-crafted salami sandwich, but it never happened. It was a bus ride away, I didn't have enough lunchtime to wait in line, and there was no guarantee I'd get lunch because they sometimes ran out of food. 

But enough about the history. Salumi is now in Everett at Scuttlebutt Taproom & Brewery, and I invited Rachel to come with me. Her boyfriend, whom she talks about in all her stories, but never mentions by name, came along too. His name starts with an L, and I liked him. So I'll leave it at that. Mysterious.

We met on a quiet Tuesday afternoon because I read that Salumi was only served while supplies last, and because of my knowledge about the long lines, we were there at 4:30 p.m. 

Boy, was I surprised. There were no lines. I thought there would be a big case of food, but it's a small countertop case. Unfortunately, the sandwich I craved is only available from Thursday to Saturday. But I didn't fret and ordered a charcuterie and a Portland Cider Sangria. 

So here's the other thing, it doesn't come plated either. I guess being a brewery, there are probably rules about that anyway. 

The charcuterie came with four types of salami, Salumi "Core 4": Mole, Finocchiona, Classic Salumi, and Hot Sopressata. There were marinated, mixed olives, pickled peppers, brie, pecorino, dried black mission figs and some crackers that were not the water crackers photographed on the side of the tiny case. 

I snapped a photo before Rachel's boyfriend could open up my salami packet with a tactical knife he had handy, then plated my charcuterie. 

That's a little more like it. Then I dug in. 

Everything was delicious, but I didn't love the crackers. However, it was fun tasting different combos of cheese and salami. One charcuterie is enough for two people, and I took half home to share with my family. 

The Portland Cider Sangria was delicious too. I'm not fond of beer, so I always get cider at Scuttlebutt. You get what you get because they only offer one cider, but it has been perfect every time.  

But damn, I was still thinking about those sandwiches. 

Rachel was too and went back a couple of days later. Then I returned and picked up one of the three sandwich types plus a crowler of Scuttlebutt's delicious rootbeer. 

After a photo shoot, I split each sandwich into 3 for a family taste test. 

The Muffo was on the mild side flavor-wise, and the hot soppressata salami didn't seem hot. There were layers of mortadella, provolone, garlic spread and olive tapenade. The Muffo was my 13-year-old's favorite. 

The Classic Fontina was made with Classic Salumi salami, garlic spread, mayo and caper spread, pickled green bell peppers, fontina and roasted onions. The pickled and roasted things really created a good balance of flavors and textures. 

All sandwiches were served on hearty Italian bread, which was good because the Grind House looked a little soggy on the edges, as was the iceberg lettuce. 

But wow - it was a winner! The sandwich was packed with hot soppressata salami, classic salami, mortadella, provolone, iceberg, oregano vinaigrette, mayo, mustard, and house dill pickles. The darn house dill pickles that made the sandwich soggy made the sandwich! Eating the Grind House was a truly fantastic experience, and I did not even notice the sogginess. 

Damn, now I can't stop thinking about that Grind House. 

It is important to note for those with food sensitivities that the food labels do not always have all the ingredients listed. I had to do some cross-referencing with the Salumi website, a photo I took of the menu and the package labels to get the details for this article.

Scuttlebutt Taproom & Brewery
3310 Cedar Street
Everett, WA 98201
(425) 252-2829

Linda War Bonnet represents south Everett on the Live in Everett Team. When she isn’t working, she is running the Westmont-Holly Neighborhood Association. You might spot her walking her dog in the Holly neighborhood.