Font ResizeBest wurst news: Sausage fans are rejoicing over the news that Dittmer's Gourmet Meats & Wurst-Haus has reopened, just in time for late-summer grilling action. This old-fashioned butcher shop had been on hiatus for more than a year and a half, ever since a fire destroyed its longtime shop in nearby Mountain View. The new Dittmer's has been built not many blocks away, in Los Altos, where the Bubert family -- father/founder Dittmer, son Mark and daughter Petra -- found a roomier building. Now, the clientele devoted to Dittmer's since 1978 can again find smoked-on-site bacon, hams, spare ribs and salmon; choice- and prime-grade steaks and chops; and a staggering array of 40-plus varieties of sausage made in-house: from brats and bangers to Danish Medisterpoise and Venison Andouille. And for those who can't imagine going much longer without a Dittmer's Thuringer salami sandwich for lunch, the shop's popular sandwich bar, with its wide variety of German cold cuts, is scheduled to open soon.
Details: Open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays, until 5 p.m. Saturdays. 4540 El Camino Real, Los Altos. 650-941-3800; www.dittmers.com.
European fare: It's time to recap some of the newer entrants in our United Nations of dining. Downtown Campbell's BYR of Belgium is a casual spot that serves a wide array of Belgian beers and traditional fare such as stoofvlees (a beef stew made
In downtown San Jose, the Little Cheese Shoppe has opened at the San Pedro Square Market. Find Mozzarella di Bufala with heirloom tomatoes and pesto on focaccia; Spanish Serrano ham and Manchego cheese on a baguette; fresh chevre topping a green salad with figs and toasted walnuts. Or you can mix and match origins on a cheese and charcuterie plate. Details: 100 N. Almaden Ave., San Jose. www.littlecheeseshoppe.com.
Send South Bay and Peninsula dining tips to Linda Zavoral at lzavoral@mercurynews.com.
