West Side Market

[RickNashEquilibrium]

Thinking about heading to the West Side Market tomorrow morning and was wondering if anyone has extensive experience shopping there. Any suggests or preferences as to vendors you by from? I'm considering buying some game meat like rabbit, duck, and whatn not but want to make sure I get the best. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

[swerb]

I love that place. One of my favorite summer days in Cleveland is taking the kids to the zoo, then spending an hour at the WS Market, then coming home and grilling.

I forgot the names of the individual vendors, know them more by their locations in the market.

Always spend 20 min or so walking through the produce section, looking for the best looking fruits and veggies.

Always get some of that real hard core homemade beef jerky.

Always get some fresh olives, pickles.

Always get some homemade Ohio City Pasta.

Whatever you wanna throw on the grill, there are multitudes of options of steaks, burgers, chops, brats, sausages. Picking through all that is the best part. Cold cuts as well.

Gotta get some pastry.

[waborat]

BEST place in Cleveland to shop, bar none...

Been going since the early 70s when my parents would drag me done there...

First of all Rick, if you've never been there, avoid Saturdays, it can be a madhouse. With that said, since it sounds like your going tomorrow, get there early to avoid the crowds or later in the day when the vendors will wheel 'n deal (but your selection will also be less). Once again, if you've never been, then it'll probably take you an hour just to walk thru and check out everything before you start buying. The produce vendors are in the outside (northeast) building and everything else is in the main building...

Places I always hit up:

Sebastians Meats (NW corner)- They have anything you're looking for in beef, pork & veal. Always slaughtered fresh. Try the Ossu Buso. They'll negotiate on quantity.

Kaufmann Poultry (SW corner)- They'll have your rabbit. This place has been around since the beginning, you'll be able to find anything from chicken to duck to quail to squab

Czuchraj Meats (SE corner)- Best beef jerky & smokies anywhere. This is the place Michael Symon had on "Best Things". If it's cured, it's here.

Foster's Meats (NE corner)- If ya want lamb, goat or bison? This is it

Kate's Fish (NE corner)- If it lives in the water, they have it

Mediterra Bakehouse (across from Czuchray's)- Fresh bread & bagels

K&K Bakery (next to Kate's Fish)- If there's a better tasting strudel in town, I've yet to have it

Steve's Gyros (across from Kate's)- If the line isn't too bad, get THE best gyro ever...If you're not hungry then get a pound of meat to go and make em at home, you won't be disappointed

As far as venison, you'll have to search the butchers to see who has what in stock...

Have fun and don't touch any of the outside brick walls because rumor has it, JB pissed everywhere after Iggy's final bell rang

[waborat]

This'll help:

http://www.westsidemarket.org/about.html

[RickNashEquilibrium]

BEST place in Cleveland to shop, bar none...

Been going since the early 70s when my parents would drag me done there...

First of all Rick, if you've never been there, avoid Saturdays, it can be a madhouse. With that said, since it sounds like your going tomorrow, get there early to avoid the crowds or later in the day when the vendors will wheel 'n deal (but your selection will also be less). Once again, if you've never been, then it'll probably take you an hour just to walk thru and check out everything before you start buying. The produce vendors are in the outside (northeast) building and everything else is in the main building...

Places I always hit up:

Sebastians Meats (NW corner)- They have anything you're looking for in beef, pork & veal. Always slaughtered fresh. Try the Ossu Buso. They'll negotiate on quantity.

Kaufmann Poultry (SW corner)- They'll have your rabbit. This place has been around since the beginning, you'll be able to find anything from chicken to duck to quail to squab

Czuchraj Meats (SE corner)- Best beef jerky & smokies anywhere. This is the place Michael Symon had on "Best Things". If it's cured, it's here.

Foster's Meats (NE corner)- If ya want lamb, goat or bison? This is it

Kate's Fish (NE corner)- If it lives in the water, they have it

Mediterra Bakehouse (across from Czuchray's)- Fresh bread & bagels

K&K Bakery (next to Kate's Fish)- If there's a better tasting strudel in town, I've yet to have it

Steve's Gyros (across from Kate's)- If the line isn't too bad, get THE best gyro ever...If you're not hungry then get a pound of meat to go and make em at home, you won't be disappointed

As far as venison, you'll have to search the butchers to see who has what in stock...

Have fun and don't touch any of the outside brick walls because rumor has it, JB pissed everywhere after Iggy's final bell rang

Thanks Wabo! I've actually been there a few times but not in a a few years. My bro and I went there just so I could see it but didn't do any shopping. Had some breakfast and beer at WSM Cafe which was excellent. I am looking forward to this adventure and I do plan on getting to West 25th around 6:30. Wanna hit that stuff up at the buttcrack of dawn.

[HoodooMan]

Czuchraj Meats (SE corner)- Best beef jerky & smokies anywhere. This is the place Michael Symon had on "Best Things". If it's cured, it's here.

Are you sure you don't mean J&J Meats?

http://www.westsidemarket.org/vendor.aspx?id=26

Featuring our homemade beef jerky, as seen on the Food Channel's 'The Best Ting I Ever Ate', with Michael Simon.

Apparently they're not so good with spelling, but I can vouch for their jerky & specialty sausages. They might be the nicest people in the market too.

ETA: Nevermind. It looks like both vendors must be owned by the same people.

[waborat]

ETA: Nevermind. It looks like both vendors must be owned by the same people.

Yep, one and the same...

I thought they only had the jerky down at the Czuchraj stand?

Agree w/ Rick that The Cafe has great breakfasts and is pretty cool looking at all the old photos of the market thru the years

[Orenthal]

Pinzone's for a nice bundle of death for a meat eater. Fresh head of cabbage and some Ohio City Pasta for cabbage and noodles. Michelle's bakery for some pretzel rolls to munch on while walking around. Fresh squeezed juice, and some Dichotomy popcorn from Campbell's Popcorn. Yeah, I can usually spend alot of money down there just on things to eat while walking and watching.

Wabo is right on Saturdays, be prepared to put the shoulders down, cause others won't hesitate.

Last time I went getting a Gyro was a no go. The lines have been so long at times that they made a special queue going back toward the elevator. They are damn good, but feh on lines.

[Commodore Perry]

I always get a pound of grated parmasean from Anne Marie's Dairy in the northwest corner. You will never eat that Kraft garbage ever again.

[Larvell Blanks]

Took my bro in law and his girlfriend (up from Baton Rouge) down there this past Saturday. Got there around 10am and couldn't believe how small the crowd was, especially the day before Easter. In fact there were only 3 people in linbe at Steve's Gyros. About an hour later it began to fill up all over. Got some pierogies from the Pierogi Palace. They really expanded their fillings. Got have a dozen of the "Roman burger" filled pierogies and a doz of thee chicken, bacon, ranch. Wish we had more time and $$ to spend down there though.

[waborat]

Took my bro in law and his girlfriend (up from Baton Rouge) down there this past Saturday. Got there around 10am and couldn't believe how small the crowd was, especially the day before Easter. In fact there were only 3 people in linbe at Steve's Gyros. About an hour later it began to fill up all over. Got some pierogies from the Pierogi Palace. They really expanded their fillings. Got have a dozen of the "Roman burger" filled pierogies and a doz of thee chicken, bacon, ranch. Wish we had more time and $$ to spend down there though.

Yep, crowds weren't bad at all, been there on hump days when the place is a zoo...

Kaufmann's was givin ya a lb of sausage for every $15 spent...

Produce stands were more generous then usual with their wheelin 'n dealin

[Orenthal]

I always get a pound of grated parmasean from Anne Marie's Dairy in the northwest corner. You will never eat that Kraft garbage ever again.

Pame Reg ftw. 2 weeks ago Saturday was a madhouse. This was in a pretty good rain too.

[swerb]

I always get a pound of grated parmasean from Anne Marie's Dairy in the northwest corner. You will never eat that Kraft garbage ever again.

Thanks for the 411. Gonna do that the next time I'm there.