I had the privilege of being asked to lunch in Independence last week and of course I suggested Slyman’s Tavern, off Rockside and west of Brecksville Road.
At first I thought the “lite” size would be too small (“about the size of a baseball” the waitress said) but after it arrived, I was confident that the original (“about the size of a softball”) would have been too much.
She might have meant that each half was the size of a baseball—it was pretty big.
Slow-cooked brisket between two slices of rye (and a slice of swiss) is just fantastic.
The horseradish on the side was a perfect compliment and I look forward to going back from time to time.
With a tagline of “Corned Beef Since 1964”, who can argue?
A friend and I happened to be in Copley for the morning and decided to satisfy our appetites at the Brighten Brewery nearby. With tomorrow being St. Patrick’s Day, of course they had a specially modified Reuben and I ordered that along with a pint of something wet.
In my experience, Brighten is known for their beer and soft pretzels. A colleague of mine particularly likes their beer cheese, while I prefer their mustard.
I’ve never had a bad Stout at Brighten and their Hazy IPA selection is usually pretty robust.
The Reuben was fantastic and I would certainly go back for a second meal should the chance ever present itself. The Corned Beef was sliced thinly, and jumbled just enough that it didn’t feel too compressed.
The Rye bread was just the right compliment to the beef and the extra sauce was a nice addition.
While more known for their beers than their food, I’ve always eaten well at Hop Tree Brewing in Hudson.
Tucked away in a light-industrial cul-de-sac, Hop Tree can be counted on for great IPAs, great waitstaff and good food. (Try their corned beef popcorn!)
This was more of a Reuben than Corned Beef, but it didn’t disappoint. Toasted to perfection, the right amount of cheese and perfect bread, I thoroughly enjoyed this sampling of Corned Beef.
She’d heard about this brewery in Medina that had opened during the first weeks of the pandemic and she thought we ought to patronize them.
So, off we went and forty-five minutes later we were seated and looking at menus.
Of course I had to try the classic Reuben with my IPA, and it did not disappoint. The Rye was perfect, the cheese and sauce were, too. And the Corned Beef was good—I’d go back for another round someday.
An unexpectedly long server and storage migration left me looking for lunch for my team on Saturday.
Google Maps said there was a Subway nearby and in the course of looking for it, we providentially found the Huron Square Deli at 1150 Huron Road in downtown Cleveland instead.
Providentially, because I didn’t want a Subway, because the Huron Square Deli has of of those ubiquitous ‘”Hot” Corned Beef’ signs in their window and because I’d added it to our Where we’re going list a while back.
We gave them our “ham-and-cheese-without-the-cheese” order first, then got to bantering about their Corned Beef: Do they think they have the best? What kind do they serve, lean and crumbly or fat and juicy? Did we want provolone or american cheese?(!!) Did we want fries with that?
Turns out they do believe they have Cleveland’s best Corned Beef. They claim to serve lean and juicy. And yes, we wanted fries with that.
And we gave them a really tough time about the “provolone or american cheese” question. I suppose one has to cater to client tastes, but the mere mention made me question their Corned Beef credentials.
Well, back at the break room, we opened our parcels and dug in. Very good. Just look at those fries!!
Somewhere in there is buried a deli pickle spear, quite perfect in every way. But look at those fries!
The Corned Beef was quite lean, not crumbly, but just the right amount of juicy. The bread was grilled to perfection and didn’t leave your fingers too greasy. The cheese was an excellent choice, but might have been just as good if it had been swiss. I encountered one large portion of chewy gristle/fat but it didn’t really spoil the sandwich. (Look at those fries!)
It’s perhaps a bit telling that the fries overwhelmed the sandwich. In addition to being plentiful, they were also perfect. Perhaps it was because we caught them at 10-minutes-to-closing and they needed to offload so many fries. Or perhaps they always serve them so deliciously and plentifully.
OK. Enough said. They were good.
And the Corned Beef? Overall, it was very good. A good, every-day sort of Corned Beef sandwich. A daily staple sort of Corned Beef sandwich. Not a Best Corned Beef but a Very Good Corned Beef.
David Cunix is a Managing Partner at Bogart, Cunix & Browning and a passionate Corned Beef connoisseur. This guest post covers a truly unique Corned Beef experience.
This little adventure began at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. We were at a black tie wedding. Sally, my girlfriend, was wearing a floor length gown. We were there for the groom, her youngest nephew.
This was an Orthodox (traditional) wedding. Most of the guests were present hours before the official ceremony. The groom was busy signing the Ketubah (wedding contract) while the bride was surrounded by friends and relatives in an adjacent room. The guests wandered back and forth between the rooms, celebrating, socializing and, of course, eating.
There were three large bars plus the ever-present wait staff offered glasses of Champagne and white wine. Others were carrying trays of finger food. There were two 12 foot tables of sushi, attractively arranged and all completely Kosher. And in each room near the sushi tables were carving stations.
Please remember that this is all a precursor to the wedding and a fabulous dinner. But you can work up quite an appetite at an Orthodox Jewish wedding, what with all of the music and spontaneous dancing (video). We grabbed some plates.
I selected a few pieces of sashimi and then met Sally at the carving station. The chef deftly carved a whole turkey and offered slices from the breast. There was also steak and something else. Even in the dimly lit room the color was the unmistakable dark pink of CORNED BEEF. But the shape was wrong. It was almost rectangular. Two slices found their way to my plate.
It was corned beef, but it wasn’t brisket. It was, however, warm, incredibly moist, and tender. The flavor was bright with more than the usual hint of pickling. This corned beef needed nothing. Rye bread, mustard, and horseradish were all superfluous. Taste. Texture. Color. My tux and upbringing were the only things keeping me from pulling up a chair right next to that carving station.
Back in town I discussed the corned beef with Boris Mikhi of Boris Kosher Meats. He guessed that it might have been a rib roast. That would be one expensive sandwich. The cut looked an awful lot like a chuck roast that Boris sells as a fish tail roast. He offered to cut, trim, and corn one for me.
Corned Beef Sandwich – My House Special Corned Beef Broccoli Slaw
Corned Beef
3 ½ pound corned beef fish tail (chuck) roast
Big pot
Lots of water
Garlic Powder
Cover the meat with cold water. Throw in a little garlic powder. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about four hours. The meat is done when a fork can be easily inserted all the way through the thickest part.
Simple Broccoli Slaw
12 ounce bag of broccoli slaw from the grocery store
1 thick slice of red onion, chopped
Marzetti’s Slaw Dressing
Garlic salt, black pepper, and celery seed
I removed the roast from the water and let it rest 10 minutes. I admired my handiwork as I carefully cut it against the grain. The color was perfect. The texture – excellent. It was delicious. Sally said that it was as good as the Plaza’s, but I think she was feeding my ego while I was feeding her dinner.
Truth – This version is as good, if not better, than any corned beef I’ve had in Cleveland, but it didn’t quite equal the Plaza’s. The texture was close, but not the same. The flavor wasn’t as intense. Both of these issues may be resolved in future attempts.
The best corned beef sandwich in Cleveland could be at YOUR HOUSE. Your butcher is waiting for you. And if you decide to visit Boris, tell him I sent you.
I was downtown Cleveland yesterday and needed some lunch so I stopped over to Ontario Street Deli and quickly ordered their traditional Corned Beef on rye with swiss and Stadium Mustard.
Carl was very happy to oblige, of course. I think making Corned Beef sandwiches is what keeps that guy alive sometimes!
Since I was running late for my next appointment, it taunted me from between those slabs of bread for the next ninety minutes while I raced back to the Heights to talk technology with a local startup.
Perhaps the measure of a great Corned Beef sandwich is how long it can wait without being eaten and still taste delicious?
I don’t intend to wait that long again, so I may never find out.
