Joe Mazzara, 60, who has worked at Ken’s since he was 16 and took over the business from Ken Fellerson eight years ago, said he loves carrying so many popular local brands.

“Basically, we buy as much local produce as we can to sell here. And when we can’t get anything local anymore, we’ll go from there,” Mazzara said, citing Pasqual and Pedro’s tortilla chips and salsa, Stella’s bread and Hook’s cheese.

My big discovery was the caramel apple pie from Elegant Farmer in Mukwonago, Waukesha County, southwest of Milwaukee. The package says “pie baked in a paper bag” and the result is incredible. More on that later.

The 1964 butcher shop is known for its Burgundy pepper-cured sirloin ($15.99 per pound, or $12.15 for my piece), which Mazzara says is marinated but not aged in the butcher shop.

I seared it in olive oil and it needed no embellishments – no butter, no seasoning. It was tender and juicy and had fantastic flavor. You would pay at least $50 for this meat at a steakhouse.

Mazzara said that in terms of volume, the Burgundy pepper sirloin is his biggest seller.

I ordered the smallest piece and when I unwrapped it at home, it was huge. I also noticed that the friendly woman who served me drew a smiley face on the wrapping paper. This confirmed to me that sometimes it doesn’t take much to brighten someone’s day. That was the case for me.

Ken’s 7-layer salad ($6.99 per pound) was the perfect side dish. It featured layers of romaine and iceberg lettuce, peas, green pepper, celery, red onion, shredded cheddar, bacon bits, and a sweet mayo dressing. If a salad could ever be considered comfort food, this is it.

If you can’t cook your own steak, there’s an excellent BBQ pork sandwich ($3.99). The sauce was perfect, with a hint of sweetness, and it came on a fresh bun that showed off the meat well.

Mazzara said Ken’s prepares and bakes its rolls and bread daily, but does not make them in-house. The fermentation and baking process takes most of the day, he said.

The Mac’n Cheese ($3.99 per pound) had a creamy sauce that contained plenty of cheese. I got a small portion with my sandwich. The person after me got the last portion of the day and it was Monday, 12:30 p.m., so I was lucky enough to get to try it.

On a previous visit, I had the Italian Stallion sandwich ($4.49) with various sausages and onions on Ken’s standard bun, but it was still lacking some seasoning, and since I was a newbie, I didn’t know to ask for it. I shared it with my sister-in-law, who doesn’t eat onions, so I was more interested in getting it halved and just having onions on my half.

I was satisfied with a delicious small tuna salad sandwich ($2.99), which would be perfect for a party if you order a tray of these mini sandwiches. Kelly Regge, an employee at Ken’s, said the store puts together party trays of these sandwiches and also sells salads in bulk.

Ken’s offers three kinds of potato salad. I had Grandma’s ($4.49 per pound) and the deviled egg ($6.49 per pound) and enjoyed both.

Mazzara said Ken’s doesn’t make its own potato salad. “They know how hard it is to make potato salad. And when you use hundreds and hundreds of pounds…”

He said Dawn’s Foods, a 63-year-old grocery wholesaler in Portage, makes two of them.

Ken’s makes seven of its own pasta salads, as well as chicken salad and ham salad. “These are the things we can make without selling a thousand pounds a week,” Mazzara said.

I wasn’t a fan of the taco pasta salad ($4.99 per pound); it was too strong. I much preferred the Greek Asiago ($7.99 per pound) with penne pasta, black olives, tomatoes, chunks of cheese and the right mix of oil and vinegar.

Ken’s is a good source for cut fruit if you’re in a pinch. A large container for my party of four ($16.78) contained pineapple, cantaloupe, blueberries, and green and purple grapes, all sweet and fresh.

The Chocolate Chunk Pecan Cookies ($4.99 for four) were worth the indulgence. But back to that exceptionally good Elegant Farmer Caramel Apple Pie ($12.99): It was 5 inches wide and had plenty of depth, both in size and flavor.

Mazzara said they get the frozen pies weekly and bake them. At home, the directions on the package say to heat it to 425 degrees for five to 10 minutes. The crust comes out crispy and puts most other pies to shame.

The Elegant Farmer’s website calls it “America’s Best Gourmet Apple Pie” and uses a quote from the Wall Street Journal: “Quality: Best overall. Best value. Almost a cross between a cobbler and a pie. The baking method clearly produces a crispy crust and tender filling.”

The other WSJ is right. This cake makes me end this review with a smiley face. 🙂