When visiting Cleveland, the West Side Market is an absolute MUST destination (especially if your a chef). There is an energy in the air as the purveyors are eager to assist the patrons in discovering all of the wonderful and vastly varying food options. What’s absolutely brilliant about this market is the variety. Almost every ethnicity is represented, and you can find just about everything you can imagine down the rows and rows of aisles.

There are a ton of indigenous (if that’s the right word to describe local artisan) Polish and Italian shops. Coffee purveyors. Butchers. Bakeries. Seafood brokers. Spice vendors. Cheese makers. And on and on and on. Quite frankly, I could spend an entire day at this market, and still feel like I missed a dozen or more things that I’ve always wanted to try.

One of my first stops is typically Ohio City Pasta where they have a massive selection of freshly made pastas. One of my all-time favorite pastas is Pappardelle, and OCP’s is probably the best in the Midwest. (The spinach fettuccine was no slouch either)

A quick trip down the aisle and you’re at Kate’s Fish Market where the selection of fresh seafood is as stunning as their presentation. If you’re a fan of crab cakes, their Maryland Style Crab Cakes are phenomenal. Huge chunks of lump crab meat, perfectly seasoned and packed tight so they won’t fall to pieces in transport, but when actually made are flaky and delicate. Last visit I grabbed a couple of pounds of sushi grade Ahi and did a Black Sesame Crusted pan sear (rare) and that fish just melted in my mouth. Worth every penny.

About this time is when you start getting hungry and you want a little snack while you’re shopping. There are so many good choices depending on what you’re feeling. Here are a few of my favorites:

• The Pierogi Melt at West Side Market Café
• Panko Crusted Blue Potato Cake Stuffed with Goat Cheese at Orale!
• Gyros at Steve’s Gyros
• The Bratwurst at Frank’s Bratwurst Stand (Pretty solid Italian’s as well)
• The savory crepes of Crepes De Luxe If you’re lucky, maybe you can try one of their limited edition crepes like – The Savannah: fresh peaches, pecans and LEC rum fig chèvre.

Obviously there are a million other choices to be had – Johnny’s Hot Dogs, Maha’s Falafel, and of course The Pizza Bagel Lady. (Crud, now I’m getting really hungry)

So after you’ve had a little nosh and maybe a nice cup of coffee from City Roasters, you head back in to finish your shopping.

A quick stop over at Pierogi Palace to pick up a few bags of fresh-made pierogis. Then a quick skip over to the produce section to grab all of the accoutrement and necessities. (If you can score some fresh figs you’re in for a real treat – check out Iskander – they’ve always got some exciting new things to try) Here’s a quick shot of how my pierogis turned out: (so tasty)

As you’re browsing the various shops, it’s almost impossible to walk past Dionne’s Meats and not drool over the Bacon Bombs! This culinary masterpiece is the culmination of all things comfort food. At the core of this delicacy lies a perfectly prepared stuffed meatloaf. There are various types of stuffing that go into these beauties, but my favorite is the prosciutto, fresh mozz, and basil. Once the loaf is prepared and seasoned, it then gets wrapped in a lattice of bacon. That’s right – a complete encasing of bacon!!!

They’re not necessarily cheap by any means, but they are beyond worth the expense in so many ways!!! PS – they also have amazing stuffed peppers if you’re a fan.

OK – so by now you’ve got your seafood selected, your meats procured, your produce in hand, and you’re slightly full from your walk-about meal. Now it’s time to finish up and head out to prepare all of your beautiful wares. And of course, on the way out the door, perfectly positioned for ease of stoppage – the bakeries!!!

From Traditional Irish and Mediterranean all they way to the poshest of decadence, the WSM has it all. I can’t remember which one’s I went to (it was kind of a blur) but they all had something unique and tasty.

I’m pretty sure this was EuroSweets on the West 25th Street entrance. I can still taste those Raspberry Coconut Bars… MMMMMMM. So if you can manage to pry yourself away from all of this, you are now set for an incredible feast.

I can’t wait to go back, there are so many more things that I want to try. Oh yeah – I forgot to mention, there was an Italian bakery towards the back end that had THE BEST Potica that I’ve ever had. Looks like I’ve gotta make plans to return in 2021.

Cheers! ~CK