We can’t go into Kenosha without stopping at Tenuta’s Deli and Liquor, 3203 52nd St. It’s one of those places you go in looking for two things and leave with 10 or 30! We visited last weekend when we were at the Kenosha Harbor Market.
It’s a place that is absolutely packed with liquor, food, cooking supplies, you name it. It feels like small neighborhood grocery stores in New York City, where the aisles are narrow enough that to pass someone you feel like you should buy them dinner.
They have so much in their store that it’s hard to list all of it.
The exterior of Tenuta’s is a simple place. There are tables outside because they have an outdoor grill where they make brats and Italian sausage.
And when they say grilled, they mean actually grilling… on regular backyard grills.
When you enter the store, the walls are covered with photos of family and famous people who have shopped in the store. Of course, that includes some of Wisconsin’s most famous people, including politicians.
Then you enter the store. This is where it goes from cool to wow! Everything at Tenuta’s is available in a dozen varieties.
Here are a few images that give you an idea of scale:
They have a huge liquor department, including a section of high-end liquors under glass. They even have a massive selection of airline bottles. They have scores of feet of shelves with beer and wines from all over the world.
Then there’s the deli. Of course, in most New York and New Jersey delis, you can order a sandwich, but unfortunately, not here. You can get lots of great Italian meats and cheeses sliced for you. They also have an amazing olive bar.
Brenda’s parents have a thing for the oil-cured black olives.
One of our favorites is the “Heart of the Provolone.” It’s what happens to the nice and mild provolone cheese when you get to the heart of a 350-pound wheel. It’s sharp, dry, and pungent. In fact, at times, it’s overwhelming.
You can see from the photos above that Tenuta’s has a giant cheese cooler. Altogether, it’s probably 40 feet of every imaginable cheese. Of course, the best are Wisconsin cheeses, but the Italians, the French, and other parts of the US do okay.
We always find treasures here:
Brenda found these little European cookies. The cookie itself is soft, with one side coated in chocolate. Inside is a hazelnut cream that is rich, but not too sweet.
Tenuta’s has a massive collection of every spice imaginable. Many of them are bulk packed spices and others are imported from around the country and around the world.
The prices of everything are great. You can always count on them to have what you want at a great price.
Let’s not forget the dessert counter. Their Italian desserts are fantastic. The cannolis aren’t too sweet inside and everything has the subtle flavors that make Italian desserts outstanding.
Is there anything bad to say about Tenuta’s? Not much. Fresh deli sandwiches might be nice, but not necessary.
Their checkout area is a bit of a surprise. It’s just regular cash registers, nothing fancy, but they get you checked out quickly.
There are some other great items at Tenuta’s as well. Cigars, bread, lots and lots of kitchen equipment and so on.
Oh, and there’s one more reason that Tenuta’s someplace we have to stop at every time we go to Kenosha. We have a traveling companion that insists.
Strega is named for an Italian liqueur that Bob’s father shared with us once when we were visiting. He’s a little Italian car made in Mexico by an American car company. He makes us visit all of this great Italian food because it’s in his DNA to have cannolis and provolone in the back seat!
Wandering with my wife 