Stuartblog2

Didn’t Esquire already cheer some restaurant from Cleveland recently? Anyway, they’ve done it again. There’s no better place than Esquire for hard hitting sandwich journalism. Esquire’s recent rundown of the best sandwiches in America includes many of the usual suspects - po’ boys, jibaritos, cubanos, banh mis and such recognizable purveyors as Al’s #1, Zingerman’s, Katz’s, Guy Savoy, Bouchon, John’s Roast Pork, Primati’s, etc. . . But the list also includes three contenders from Cleveland, Ohio. Slyman’s inclusion should be no surprise to anyone after they were featured on $40 a Day. I was pleased to see The Beachland Ballroom recognized for their “trailer park monte cristo.” Our third honoree was Freddie’s Rib House for their Polish Boy.

It wasn’t entirely clear who was responsible for compiling the list and specifically who might have been responsible for choosing Cleveland’s representatives. I like to think of myself as pretty wired-in to the restaurant scene in Cleveland and I’d never heard of Freddie’s. And it’s not like I haven’t enjoyed my fair share of Polish Boys. I recommend Hot Sauce Williams for what it’s worth. And, for those concerned, Esquire met their legal obligation of mentioning Michael Symon in every Cleveland food article in a national media outlet. Iron Chef Michael Symon contributed a recipe for a pancetta and egg sandwich. Finally, just to prove that they’re cool like that, they included the McRib.

The Best Sandwiches in America. Esquire.com.

They accept recommendations at editor@esquire.com. I’d start with this one from my very own kitchen:

Besides that and the aforementioned Hot Sauce Williams Polish Boy, if I were to recommend sandwiches in Cleveland I might start with some of these:

1. Presto. Everything is good. Sandwiches, soups, sides. I wish it were closer.
2. Superior Pho. A very good banh mi.
3. Ferrara’s. Good cold cut and sausage and peppers subs. I used to make some substitutions when I ordered to get a sandwich that I really preferred but it’s been so long that I can’t remember.
4. Appetite. My experience there was mixed but I admire their dedication to fresh, from-scratch cooking. I really want them to do well. I had some good, house-made roast beef and now I understand they’re making more of their meats in house.
5. La Bodega. I meant to explore the large and interesting menu but while I’ve always been satisfied I was never wowed. Still, I hope to return.

I was involved in a discussion of the somewhat desolate appearance of the neighborhoods along my route to Pho Que Huong on Detroit Ave. Afterwards I collected and emailed some related tidbits that were still fresh in my mind. I hope the promise reflected in these plans is realized. After I sent the email, I heard that Venezia is retooling. The rumor is that they’ll reopen with an upscale burger concept. Burgers seem to be hot in other parts of the country and I think that concept could do really well here. It would certainly get me to give this operation another visit. Anyway, here’s that email with some nice, meaty links:

 I’ve been hearing a steady stream of encouraging things about the section of Detroit that we were talking about. Of course, I do have to admit that when I drive to Pho Que Huong it looks depressed and desolate. Still, Kitsch City and The Cleveland Shop (maybe a little outside this exact neighborhood but close) just opened recently. Latitude 41n and Gypsy Beans and Baking just opened recently. A new jazz venue and Irish pub are coming. I’m not really excited about either of those concepts but they’re both ambitious projects. The pub reflects a $3.5m investment and everything I hear about it suggests that it’s worth going just to see it. They’ll be putting $24.5m into the Gordon Square Arts District which will include some 14 different projects including restaurants and the three anchor theaters plus some welcome streetscape improvements. There will be a three screen art house theater so West-siders won’t have to come to the Cinematheque or the Cedar Lee. Maybe they’ll even get some releases that the others don’t. I’d cross the river for that.  I heard that Chef Kaplan was working on a project in that area which I think is on top of the restaurants in the theater complex. There are hundreds of rental units included in Gordon Square plus several other projects including the Cleveland EcoVillage.

Cheddar’s, Snickers, Reddstone (another ambitious pub project), Happy Dog, a half dozen art galleries, Saigon Plaza are all there already and I think I read something about a new RTA terminal. Parkview Nite Club, The City Grille (upscale pizza), Greenwich Village Cafe… The West 58th Lofts and the Federal Mills Knitting building renovation are both new, right? Every time I go back to one of these web pages to copy a web address I get caught up adding another list of spots to this email. If I don’t send this message now, I’ll never finish it.