The Chinese buffet on Cleveland’s East 12th Street is where I first got the idea: collect pictures of all the eateries that claim to serve the “Best Corned Beef in Cleveland”.

Jay and I had been headed for the New Yorker Restaurant & Deli at 12th and Chester but finding it closed, crossed the street, settling for a Chinese buffet. It was there that he commented on the large number of restaurants claiming to have the best corned beef in Cleveland. I added a couple to his list from my wanderings in our city and an idea began to take form.

Fast-forward to April 8th, 2009. The Wednesday manager’s lunch was canceled so I paged one of the four regulars with my plans: order take-out from the Ontario Street Cafe (on Ontario Street!) and head back to the desks before our one o’clock. His idea was much better: grab a table and, by the way, he was bringing someone. So that day found the three of us eating lunch, talking about Pastrami on Rye and Corned Beef (among many other things). On the way out, I asked permission to take a picture of the nearby sign that proclaimed “Old Downtown Style Hot Corned Beef”.

A simple sign echoes throughout Cleveland. How many places serve Corned Beef sandwiches? How many claim to be the best? My lunch partners grinned in amusement. They could help catalog and collect—post things on a blog! I teased that I already had the website: BestCornedBeefinCleveland.com and when I confessed that I had not, they suggested that I go for it.

Thursday morning it was mine and Thursday afternoon I made my first stop: “The Blue Fig”. And today, Friday, April 10th, 2009, we begin with the inaugural post.