On the corner of West 25th and Lorain Ave., the West Side Market is the heart of Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood. Surrounded by small, locally owned shops, stores and restaurants, for anyone that's into all things local (like me) this should be your first stop. While I do have some reservations about certain aspects of the market (the produce mostly), no where else in Cleveland will you find such a concentration of mostly locally made products as you will within the walls of the century old market building (look for the clocktower, that's where you need to go).
One of Anna's photos from our trip that day. Check out her blog to see more.
While there are still sausage shops and meat markets scattered like satellites in and around Cleveland's borders, typically they stand alone and there are miles and miles in between them. At the West Side Market, there are merely steps between them. A brief walk down one of the Market's packed ailes will bring you past at least three or four meat stands. You will stand in awe of the whole pigs, gutted and stretched out, ready for pit roasting. You will stop in your tracks and gasp at the sight of a cow tongue that looks like an enormous fuzzy slug, folded over, plopped inside of a meat case. You will pass a case with a whole lamb head, eyes and all, and you will turn to your friend and say "Who eats that?" For the first part of what will surely be a series on the West Side Market (my budget only allows the purchasing of one or two items at a time), I'll let you in on my latest find in the meat department. At Dionne's Poultry last week, I purchased six "Mild Italian" Chicken Sausages. After a good stint on a hot grill and being slathered with smoky seared peppers and onions, these were hands down the best chicken sausages I'd ever eaten. I highly reccomend them.
Like many other Clevelander's I've talked to, inside of my head, in my mind, Michael Symon (The Next Iron Chef) is my close personal friend. There is something about this place. If you're from Cleveland, you know everyone in Cleveland and if someone from Cleveland becomes famous, then they're pretty much your second or third cousin twice removed or something along those lines. So, while I was watching the Food Network series The Best Thing I Ever Ate , the episode about salty snacks, I, along with thousands of other Clevelanders saw Michael Symon share his favorite hot and spicy beef jerky with us. It is from Czuchraj's and of course we had to have some. Anna took the initial dive into the hot and spicy smokiness, right out of the bag, seconds after she handed it to us. Moments later, when her eyes began to water, I decided to save my first taste until I had something (milk, water, beer, whatever really) to drink, just in case. When I did finally taste it, I was in love. It is super smokey, it is crusted in spices and flavors, it rubs off onto your fingers making for fantastic post jerky finger licking, and the meat itself was perfect. It tasted like the best flank steak my Mom ever made, it was somehow perfectly dry (for jerky) and yet moist the longer you chewed it. I would definitely re-visit Czuchraj's and not only treat myself to this again, but certainly try their other smoked offerings.
My biggest problem with the West Side Market is that the produce is fresh, but not local. BUT, I am not so naive or self-righteous to think that a market in Cleveland, Ohio could flourish year round on what, in January, would be squash and apples. When I think about it, I just try to appreciate the fact that the Market provides access to fresh produce for many, many people, no matter what season it is or where it comes from. Fresh is always better, so buy on at the West Side Market.
Stay tuned for more tales of my adventures to Cleveland's oldest public market.
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