I went to Dittmer’s on Friday night and came home with a big bag of meat. Talk about a good way to get the weekend started. If you haven’t been to this gourmet meat and wurst-haus, you need to go. I know people who drive hundreds of miles to go here. It’s that good.
The original Dittmer’s opened in 1978 and was a few blocks away from where it is now. The old building burned and the new and improved version opened in 2011 in Los Altos, on the corner of El Camino and San Antonio. It’s still practically in Mountain View. It turns out that the new store is even better than the old one because it’s so much larger, more room for customers, meat, and all kinds of other gourmet foods. They are an old-fashioned butcher shop and delicatessen that has been serving California for almost 40 years.
Whether you are looking for beef, pork, poultry, or lamb, Dittmer's carries a wide selection of fresh and specialty meats. If you have questions, they’ll take the time to give you great advice. I had no clue what I was doing one time when I was supposed to make a fancy dinner because my husband’s boss was coming over. Mark (Dittmer’s son) picked out everything I needed and told me how to make it.
The customers are from all over the world (as with all of Mountain View) and it’s fun to see what they purchase. Occasionally, I’ll ask other customers how they’re going to prepare something. I like it when people ask me that question, so I feel like it’s okay to be nosy.
Dittmer’s also makes amazing sandwiches and they have a bunch of nice picnic tables in front of the store. On any given weekday, you can see a nice cross-section of our community enjoying their meal together.
I checked out the specialty meats and saw venison, buffalo, and elk. They have every imaginable kind of bird; chickens and turkeys that were fed vegetarian diet, duck, goose, pheasant, quail and Cornish game hen. If you want something that you don’t see, they can get it. Just ask.
Dittmer’s is the place to go for any kind of USDA Choice and Prime beef; steaks, roast, and marinated Santa Maria Style tri-tips. Pork, veal, lamb, and lots of different ground meats, it’s all here. Once again, ask them how to prepare something if you need help, or even if you don’t need help. It’s a great opportunity to learn a new technique.
I came home with Thuringer sausages, Sheboygan brats, some pepperoni, 2 different kinds of Schinken (smoked meat), fresh pretzels (made in Mountain View by Ether’s German Bakery), some potato dumplings and a jar of Bavarian mustard. I always enjoy going to Dittmer’s Gourmet Meat and Wurst Haus and I’m grateful that they are right here in my own backyard. I love Mountain View. And sometimes Los Altos. Dittmer's is at 4540 El Camino Real, Los Altos, CA
