Category Archives: Culture

Corky & Lenny’s

A business lunch and Corned Beef? Sign me up.

So we went to Corky & Lenny’s for lunch today, at the Village Square, off Chagrin and West Brainard.

And I was not disappointed. The service size was more than enough, we had ample pickles and the Corned Beef was amazing.

It was a fantastic meal and I hope to get there again. It’s been too long.

Update: No sooner than I got this posted than I received word that Corky & Lenny’s has closed, presumably forever. After 67 years, Kenny Kurland decided that enough was enough.

Slyman’s gets the politician’s attention

Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Sherrod Brown paid a morning visit to Slyman’s on Tuesday, April 19th, the day we posted about our recent visit there.

With this, their celebrity list grows even longer. They also count a visit from President George W. Bush in 2007 (and, of course, your esteemed writers and sandwich eaters).

Senator Brown didn’t respond to our request for comment on his experience.

You can view some WKYC.com video as well.

(Photo by John Kuntz. Photo caption: “Vice President Joe Biden and Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown look over a menu at Slyman’s Restaurant in Cleveland on April 19, 2011.” Link to original Plain Dealer article.)

An Invitation to Write for Best Corned Beef in Cleveland

I occasionally hear from people who want to know if I accept guest posts (I do!) on Best Corned Beef in Cleveland (and I certainly ask a fair amount of people to post). Here are the guidelines in case you’re interested.

Things to cover

Who: You (and your friends)
What: 200-500 words on your Corned Beef sandwich experience
Where: Cleveland-area
When: Within a day or two of eating your sandwich
Why: Because you like Corned Beef

Oh, and if at all possible, please include a picture or two!

Guidelines

Your review should include where you got it, what was on it, if you liked it or not, some mention of the restaurant, etc., links if available, address, etc., anything funny or unusual about the sandwich or the restaurant, etc. If you can include your personal “style” of sandwich (aka, the way you like to eat it), that would be excellent.

  • You shouldn’t receive free food, discounts or payments in exchange for your review.
  • I prefer that your post be original and that it hasn’t been published before on the Internet.
  • If you’d like to post it on your own blog, please wait 30-45 days to do so.
  • Please include a byline which can link to your personal site and/or your email.

How do I submit my guest post?

If you have a post that meets the guidelines and instructions above, please send it to me at [email protected]. Please include the post in the body of your email or as a Word/HTML attachment.

I usually will reply within a day or two stating if (and when) we will publish your post. If I reject it, I usually explain why and you can resubmit or you are obviously free to publish it to your own blog, etc.

A great sandwich is . . .

A friend described something recently that I thought applied to our quest for great Corned Beef:

A really great Corned Beef sandwich exceeds your ability to anticipate the flavor, texture and delight being revealed in the next bite.

Each bite, while still familiar, is a first bite. That’s a great Corned Beef sandwich.

What’s your definition?

His name is Carl

I was out and about today, first in Tremont, then downtown and finally a lunch-time event on the west bank of the Flats. The Meetup page for this event was screwed up and I thought I was saving money by bringing my own lunch, but alas, that wasn’t the case.

In any event, I took advantage of being downtown to call up Ontario Street Cafe and order a Corned Beef on rye with mustard and swiss cheese, chips and a pickle for eight bucks even (a little steep).

When I arrived, Carl (he spells it with a “C”) remembered me, thanked me for remembering them and packaged an awesome sandwich for me to take to my meeting.

When I arrived, I sat next to a fellow who commented that since he was downtown, he’d have to stop by Slyman’s for a Corned Beef sandwich before heading back to the eastside.

Now how could I let that sort of a comment go?!! So I asked him how he likes Corned Beef and he tells me. I ask him about lean and crumbly and swiss cheese and what type of mustard, etc.

By his answers, I could tell we were kindred spirits of sorts.

When I proceeded to open my bag and pull out what he had just described as a perfect sandwich, I thought he might jump me and take away my lunch.

But he resisted.

So of course, after the meeting ended I scribbled “Need Sandwich Writers” on the back of one of my Best Corned Beef in Cleveland dot com cards and handed it to him.

He’s going to think about it. Maybe we’ll see his name on these pages soon.

And who is Carl? He’s the guy at Ontario Street Deli who makes these awesome sandwiches. Drop by and tell him I sent you.

Note: As of late 2019, Ontario Street Cafe has closed.

Sportsman’s to close

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported earlier this week that The Sportsman Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge will close at the end of this week.

We ate there a while back and found their sandwich “excellent”. Passions run high about the place as seen in one of the comments.

While taking pictures of the outside, I was accosted by someone who really did think theirs is the best.

I’m going to try to slip over there myself tomorrow and grab one for home. I’ll miss it.

Thinking about Corned Beef

I haven’t had any amazing Corned Beef recently and I’ve been wondering if that’s because of serving size. And bread. And temperature. But mostly serving size.

Yes, the quality of Corned Beef makes a difference, I won’t argue with you there. And the leanness also impacts one’s joy.

But more than that, I don’t think it’s possible to have truly “Best” Corned Beef by sampling a few slices.

Somewhere between a quarter pound and a half pound is where the bliss lies.

Oh, and it must also be:

  • hot
  • with swiss cheese
  • on deli rye

I’ll let you know if I have any revelations surrounding mustard.