Breit's Stein & Deli

Nice old school tavern...cool old brick corner building in Strawberry Hill.  We stopped in for grilled sandwiches for lunch after exploring the nitty gritty of the neighborhood a little bit.  Weathered hardwood floor, short bar with a couple of TVs, sandwich prep counter, high ceiling, local sports clippings on the wall.  Not fancy, but comfy.  Reuben was wonderful...good ratio of kraut to corned beef, toasted/crisped perfectly.  Enough Thousand Island to give it a tang, but not so much as to be sloppy. Tasty cup of potato salad, could stand to be a bit more generous, though. Served with a beer that is very generous in size, though, so I'll take it!  The lunch crew looked to be mostly people from the neighborhood and attorney types on lunch break.  Tasty, inexpensive quality lunch, great atmosphere.

I'm sure this place has a better vibe in the evenings but at noon on a Wednesday it was like a morgue. Two suits and an old man watching TV with no conversation. The man and woman behind the bar were very standoffish, although I did receive a "thanks" as I was leaving.
The Reuben was very good and the price was great - $7.90 for a great sandwich and slaw with a large mug of Boulevard wheat.
Since I don't live in that area I have no reason to make an effort to go back and spend $ where I was not welcomed.

We had to attend a graduation party by Wyandotte on Friday evening, so we decided to do a mini-crawl in Strawberry Hill.  Gosh, it had been fifteen years since I had been anywhere there, so I Yelped and asked a friend for recommendations.  Breit's was our first stop.  

When we walked in, we were immediately greeted by the owner.  Yep!  He hangs out, which I think is cool.  On the front wall was a plastering of posters and pictures of Bishop Ward baseball teams from throughout the years.  We spent several minutes finding people we know (coaches) and apparently kids of people we know, and just enjoying ourselves revisiting our Dotte roots.  Looking across to the back bar shelf, we see a bottle of Slivo (sp?).  Only in Strawberry Hill!  This reminded us of our Croation friends from high school whose dad made his own.  

Everyone here knows everyone.  We didn't visit the back patio, but several people were out there.  The bartender was fantastic, and she chatted extensively with us.  She and the owner were very gracious and thanked us for coming.

I love the venue itself.  Old, hardwoods, high ceilings, true to original design.  I really dig places like this.

My only complaint is lack of tap selections.  Gross domestics, a Boulevard that was tapped out (would've been happy if I could've had some), and Guinness.  Now then, the Guinness redeemed them, as it was damn tasty and perfectly poured.  Bottle selection was just OK.  I had a Smithwick's and BF had Blvd Irish.  

We will definitely be back.  Breit's made me remember why I am proud to be from KCK.