Adventures in Cleveland

So I got to spend a wonderful couple of weeks back in my hometown of Cleveland.  It was great to visit with the fam and friends and bask in the glory that is Cleveland, OH in late SUMMAH!

And if you haven't experienced this time of year in this fair city, you are missing out.  And if you've got something derogatory to say about Cleveland just keep your mouth shut.  I WILL track down naysayers and forcibly inundate anyone with an unmerited poor attitude towards The Forest City with loads of evidence to the contrary of their sadly misinformed opinion.

Anyway, I ate well.  Really well.

Let's start with Melt.

The Parma, Italy from Melt

Melt Bar & Grilled is a joint that began in my stomping grounds of Lakewood, OH.  It specializes in gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and craft beer.  Their fries are also possibly the best I've ever experienced.  On this trip to Melt I got what is called the "Parma, Italy".  This is essentially their take on a chicken parm sammy.  I didn't have the gumption to order "The Dude Abides" for a second time, I included it in a blog a few months ago.  Needless to say, the sandwich was incredible and I could only eat half of it.  I paired it with an Oaked Arrogant Bastard brewed by Stone Brewing Co.  I'm a big fan of Stone Brewing and the original Arrogant Bastard as well, the Oaked was exceptional.

Next up is Joe's Deli in Rocky River.  Joe's is one of those regular places for my family, a taste of home if you will.  They have remodeled and expanded big time in the last year and despite losing some of its charm, the food remains purely satisfying.  First off, you always get the matzo ball soup.  That is a must.  Their forte, in my opinion, are the giant corned beef or pastrami sandwiches.  For this Joe's run I got a hot pastrami on focaccia, opposed to the typical rye bread.  And I must say, the bread decision panned out in my favor.  Focaccia is some good shit, under-appreciated I would even venture to declare.  And they also serve Great Lakes beer, Cleveland's finest.

Pastrami on focaccia from Joe's Deli

Now it is time for some Korean.  Not sure if any of you faithful readers enjoy or have even tried Korean cuisine.  It certainly is distinct as with most other Asian styles of food and it tends to be spicy as foods from this region of Earth are wont to be.  I had a great dinner with dear friend and 28 North artist, collaborator Alex Kelly and his lovely fiancee Beth Whalley (owners of Proximity Art Gallery in Cleveland).  We went to the unassuming Seoul Hot Pot in what most people refer to as "Asia Town", just a few blocks from Proximity on Payne.  Seoul Hot Pot does not have a web site; if you know about it, that is because someone told you about one of Cleveland's best kept secret places to eat.

Dak Dori Tang

I love Korean food.  It's hearty, it's spicy, it's mysterious.  I chose to get the Dak Dori Tang, a chicken stew that arrives looking like a pot of hot lava with scrumptious chunks of chicken on the bone and veggies.  Despite it's look, the broth is not painfully spicy as I anticipated and truth be told, I have no clue what the base of this bright red broth was.  Doesn't matter, it was great.  Beth got the classic Bibimbap, you cannot go wrong with this stuff, it is simply delicious and for me it is very indicative of the Korean taste.  Alex got the Bulgogi which is another classic Korean dish consisting of marinated beef, chicken or pork.  And of course we shared a bunch of Kim Bap which is like crack food,  impossible to stop eating.  It is basically a sushi roll with cooked beef instead of raw fish.   So if this sounds good to you, look into a Korean restaurant or hit up Seoul Hot Pot if you are in the Cleveland area.

Briefly I will tell you about a piece of pizza I had from Danny Boys in Rocky River.  It was a mac 'n cheese pizza.  Wow.  This pizza blew my mind.  Not only was it mac 'n cheese and pizza combined for the most righteous of results, it was topped with POTATO CHIPS.  That is correct.  Potato chips.  And boy oh boy did that work out, totally and completely satisfied with this one.

Now I will tell you about Corky & Lenny's.  I had never been to this famous deli way over on the East side, not surprisingly (as any Clevelander knows) for West Siders stick to the West Side and vice versa.  But regardless of our petty rivalry, Corky & Lenny's is a deli institution of the highest order.  I made the choice decision of ordering beef and latkes, a corned beef sammy between two potato pancakes.  Two words can sum up my feelings after eating this incredible sandwich: Nap. Time.  Holy cow this place rules and all the hype and tv coverage is well deserved.  I also had the kreplach soup which was absolutely perfect and some sweet cheese blintzes.  Mmmmmmmmaaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuuuuugggghhhhhhhh........the best.

And of course I had to have some Malley's chocolates.  My personal fav are the chocolate covered pretzels.  Simply the greatest.

Til next time,

Ty