Cleveland's West Side Market

Two summers ago, my father and I linked up in Philadelphia as the National Conference of State Legislatures was holding its annual conference. One of the highlights of our stay in Philly was the Reading Terminal Market, which contained an abundance of shops offering tantalizing sandwiches, pastries and desserts. To this day, the thought of the monstrous pastrami sandwich --incomparable in its savory, tender slabs of meat--- that my father and I devoured there is still drool-inducing.

Which brings us to Cleveland's West Side Market, another foodie paradise that overwhelms visitors with its massive selection of vendors strategically displaying gargantuan cuts of ribs, ropes of sausage, piles of bloated creme pastries, and just about every other guilty pleasure one can conceive.

Tourists were everywhere, but the prime destination was clearly Steve's Gyros, which had a long, winding line ( we opted to avoid). The winner for Will and I were the smokies from J and J Czuchraj Meats market, which were long, thin smoked sausages that made a good snack. We tried the jalapeno and cheddar smokie, which had a kick to it, but proved irresistible.

Given a week, we could've stuffed our faces repeatedly and still not tasted every flavor the market had to offer. Unfortunately, the road beckoned and we had to part ways with Cleveland.