Bridget Callahan blogs about many interesting things and recently snapped a picture of left-over Corned Beef in some walk-in refrigerator on East 4th Street (presumably) where her boyfriend works. Given that we’re in the aftermath of St. Patrick’s Day, the scene makes sense.
I encourage you to read her post; she makes some astute observations about what East 4th Street (one of my favorite lunch and coffee locations) has become.
Our combined bill came to $140.70 and $109.25 of that was all beef, glorious beef!
We had Corned Beef sandwiches, Pastrami sandwiches, take-home boxes of Corned Beef, sides of various kinds and (of course) deli pickles. It was an all-out Corned Beef fest.
First, a bit of background.
The Corned Beef idea was gaining some traction at the office and there were several folks who wanted to make the pilgrimage to Slyman’s to prove, once and for all, that they have the best Corned Beef in Cleveland. The original plan was for the group to trek out there, grab a table and sit down to sample and enjoy, but once the full invitation list was fully counted, we concluded that a group that large would be quite unwieldy and that we should do take-out instead.
Oh, did I mention that this was a Friday during Lent? Fridays during Lent may be a great time to visit a Corned Beef restaurant famous for its Corned Beef and also its long lines.
Then again, for some people, it may not be.
For us, it worked though, since the drivers were able to get there, pick everything up and drive on back in a very short amount of time.
My job was to get us some place to eat all this Corned Beef goodness. Some of the less-pretentious and more-functional conference rooms were booked so I called in a favor and got the Situation Room with its fancy table and chairs.
And truthfully, we needed it since a total of ten folks showed up for lunch.
I would love to say that I enjoyed my sandwich, took the full pound home and made that last for the next two days’ lunches. The truth is that I thoroughly enjoyed every morsel of my very large Corned Beef sandwich, snatched a few slices from the pound that was headed home and then later watched as my wife and children devoured it for dinner a few hours later. (On rye, of course!)
And that, I’m beginning to understand, is how Corned Beef should be enjoyed.
Fully.
Thickly.
Soon after slicing.
On Rye.
With friends.
While returning east from India Garden today, I bumped into a place that claims to serve Cleveland’s Finest “Hot” Corned Beef.
It was at the Red Rooster Chicken & Deli Mart, at 12901 Detroit Avenue (Detroit and Cohasset in Lakewood).
One sees these signs from time to time and I wonder if the printer is asking us to suspend our disbelief or maybe wants us to pretend that it’s “hot”. I think there are other ways to emphasis a sandwich’s temperature.
Given that I was already quite full from India Garden and given my suspicion of any place with these signs, I decided to motor my way past and continue east.
The question does remain unanswered though. Who prints these signs and what do they hope to gain by advertising Cleveland’s Finest “Hot” Corned Beef?
Next time I see one I’ll have to check out the fine print at the bottom. Looks like there’s an address printed there.
My favorite Corned Beef logo sign in this city is easily the neon one on the corner of East 36th and Euclid gracing what was once Hatton’s Deli.
Stimulated by this sign, I contacted Julie Cajigas of Inspired Copy & Communications who put me in touch with Alex Cantrell. I think we only went through one or two iterations before I got exactly what I wanted.
I mean, just look at that sandwich! Do you see how the bread fairly follows the contours of that mound of Corned Beef? And all that dripping savory goodness?
And of course the lettering reminds me of the neon sign.
So everything comes together in this logo just the way that I wanted it! Thanks, Alex!
Oh, the delight of great Corned Beef! Sometimes there isn’t much else to say!
A work colleague, having discovered my delight in the great Corned Beef sandwich, invited me to his favorite place, Danny’s Deli. It’s his understanding that Danny’s and Slyman’s share a common beef source but that Danny’s is better. We decided to venture out in January to have a taste.
I’m happy to report that it was delightful.
The brisk sharp air, the long walk to the bus and the long wait for the bus all no doubt contributed to the sharpness in appetite we each felt as the order was placed and the smells antagonized us.
But the journey and the cold were well-worth it. They delivered an excellent Corned Beef experience (as you can see by the picture).
The beef was lean, steaming hot, well-seasoned and properly jammed (mashed?) between two slices of very good rye bread.
And the cheese! There’s an art or craft to mastering how to properly assemble a Corned Beef sandwich and the folks at Danny’s have certainly mastered it.
I look forward to many future visits.
Flannery’s Pub isn’t known for their Corned Beef but I was there and thought I’d give it a try.
It was hot, a bit small and a little greasy (oddly enough, that added to the taste and the experience).
All in all, it was a pretty good sandwich.
But not a great Corned Beef sandwich.
The search must continue.
The Sportsman’s Restaurant at 101 Saint Clair Ave is right across the street from the Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Center and near one of the bus stops I sometimes use. I’d often wondered what their Corned Beef was like and made sure that it was on my list to try some day.
I note elsewhere that passions run high on the subject of Corned Beef and used The Sportsman’s as an example. Why do people care so much? (Perhaps I should ask myself the question someday, too.)
At first glance, it didn’t seem too impressive. The small, narrow restaurant was darkly paneled (or was that the effect of the poor lighting?) and on the surface, seemed unlikely to produce much excitement. It’s important though, to not judge a book by its cover! Or a restaurant by its lighting. One of my work colleagues says this is the place to go before, during and after Browns games!
On to the food: The sandwich was excellent and the service was sufficient. No doubt, had we been regulars, the service would have been stellar.
The Sportsman’s has been in the news a bit lately (here, here and here), being part of the plethora of sites being proposed for the much-talked-about and little-progress-made Medical Mart. It would be a real shame to bulldoze anything to make way for the Medical Mart, The Sportsman’s Restaurant included. (added 7/2009)
I’ll be looking for some history of The Sportsman’s Restaurant in the coming months. It certainly has some character. I think the men’s room may have some original plumbing in it still!
Overall, it’s a Corned Beef venue that I’d visit again and we’ll add it to the map that we’re using to track our progress.
Their take-out menu was very impressive (page one and page two) with a wide assortment of meals, sandwiches, drinks and desserts.
One of my colleagues ordered and very much enjoyed a Pastrami and Corned Beef (“The Clevelander”) while I stayed with the Corned Beef.
Try them out! You can find The Sportsman’s Restaurant at 101 East St. Clair in downtown Cleveland.
If I had known the passions that Corned Beef raises in this town, I might not have started. Today, for example, I asked a few coworkers for suggestions on where I might find a good Corned Beef Sandwich. I needn’t have asked—”Slyman’s”, they all replied. “But what about around here?” (Public Square), I asked. And so ensued a lively debate.
A few weeks back I was taking pictures of the Sportsman’s Restaurant (Established 1947) on St. Clair. A woman accosted me and asked me what I was doing. I explained my strange hobby and she turned ferocious: “They really do serve the Best Corned Beef in Cleveland there!” Well, I would try them and see how they rated, I replied. “No, you don’t understand, they really do serve the best!” she reiterated.
There are so many places that claim to serve the best! Yesterday evening in Cleveland Heights, I found a small restaurant on Noble Road that claims to serve “Cleveland’s Finest ‘Hot’ Corned Beef”. I imagine there’s a company out there churning out these signs since they seem fairly common. Perhaps I’ll get a closeup of one and we can figure out where they’re coming from.
Maybe I’ll even figure out how to obtain one of my own. Maybe we’ll find a giant conglomerate with a near monopoly on the regional Corned Beef distribution.
Maybe I’ll just gain a pound or two in the process.
Later this afternoon in the office I was asked what I liked about Corned Beef. I explained a bit of what I was looking for. And, in exchange, was treated to this individual’s passion for the subject. He likes it crumbly. No fat to keep it all together. Definitely crumbly.
I have since asked him to be a guest writer on this site. Of course, his passion will be different than mine. But he displayed a passion for Corned Beef, nonetheless.
Karl’s Inn of the Barrister’s at 1264 West Third Street is a local favorite. I was directed here by some coworkers who threatened to get physical with me if I didn’t consider trying it. No one was exactly sure of the address and since I didn’t want to wander in the general vicinity, I looked them up, got their address, gave them a call and had this (loosely recorded) conversation:
Me: Do you do take-out?
Them: Yeah, of course.
Me: Do you have corned beef sandwiches?
Them: Whaddaya think?
Me: Can I get a corned beef sandwich to go?
Them: Sure, whaddaya want on it?
Me: Make it the way you like it best. With a coke.
Them: <pause>Whatever. It’ll be a couple minutes.
<click>
Or something like that. On my way over I tried to convince myself that they weren’t being rude, just curt. Or efficient, yeah, that’s what it was. The were just being efficient. Didn’t have time for silly questions.
It was ready by the time I got there. On the counter, even. I grabbed a root beer from the case behind me, slapped down $10.95 for both items and palmed a business card from the counter in front. The price seemed a bit steep but I was willing to wait to pass judgment until I was back at my desk.
Karl looks just like his picture/drawing (below) and his son (I think I heard him call Karl “Dad”) can be seen below and to the right of the Miller Light sign (right). Both were extremely polite, pleasant and exhibited great customer service. I won’t be so timid next time!
Superfluous apostrophes bother me (and this guy, too), so I wondered about their sign on the way back. Should it be “Inn of the Barristers” or “Inn of the Barrister’s”? They don’t seem to discriminate, so I won’t either. If they can make a great-tasting sandwich, who cares, I suppose.
Back at the desk, the ruler showed that this was by far the tallest sandwich so far, right at 3″ thick. And I’m fairly certain it was also the heaviest. Karl certainly makes a good sandwich, too. Pressed between to slices of rye, with a little yellow mustard and some mild white cheese (swiss?) it was a delight to eat.
Karl’s menu shows that I had the “Barrister’s Famous Corned Beef Sandwich” and that it should have received “one pound of corned beef stacked a mile high”, not the three inches I received. Three inches seems about right—I’m not sure what I would have done with a mile of Corned Beef! Was it a pound? It’s too late to tell now! (Their prices must have changed from this menu or else my root beer was a full three dollars.)
It was a good sandwich, the biggest I’ve had yet. Is it the Best Corned Beef in Cleveland? With over twenty on the still-expanding list of known remaining candidates, I suppose it’s still too early to tell.
For Goodness Jake’s is a little deli at 130 Euclid Avenue. They make a very tasty sandwich there. I walk past this establishment once or twice a day. (I’ll publish a photo of the front when the current construction is complete. It seems as though this corner has been under construction for one thing or another for years and years.)
One can eat at the outward-facing bar at Jake’s or take-out. I opted for take-out so we could have a photo-shoot.
I asked the fellow behind the counter if he was Jake and he responded that he was Jake’s grandson. He wouldn’t claim to have the Best Corned Beef in Cleveland but he thought it was pretty good and challenged me to decide. So I ordered a Corned Beef Sandwich and asked him to make it the way he likes it.
It came on rye with a mild white cheese (Swiss?) along with a dill spear wrapped by itself. A very good sandwich, it was neither too dry nor too juicy. At about 2½, this sandwich seems to be about normal size. It was quite filling and very tasty, with lots of flavor.
While it can’t (yet) be said that For Goodness Jake’s serves the Best Corned Beef in Cleveland, it can be said that they serve quite a good one. If you’re in the Public Square area, drop by and tell Jake’s grandson that we sent you.
