Digg ThisMy wife and I took a little time out of our day today to go down the West Side Market. It’s an easy trip from most areas in Greater Cleveland, and one of my favorite Saturday afternoon activities.
I don’t get to go very often these days. In fact, I haven’t been there for almost 2 years, after having shopped there for almost 20. Things have changed somewhat in my life in recent years, and it’s harder to find the opportunity to go.
Some things at the market have changed; some things haven’t. They put garage-style doors behind the vendors in the produce area, placed new doors on the main market hall, and upgraded the stand signs. The people haven’t changed a bit, however, as they can’t be upgraded. (You wouldn’t want to, anyway, even if you could, as the vendors there are top shelf.)
I got a chance to catch up with my old friend Pat Hearn, the originator of the market web site (boy, has that changed!). I found out that another old friend, another vendor, has been in a rehabilitational nursing home for the last year with a staph infection. Other people have moved around a bit, from one stand to another; either they finally went into business for themselves, or they went to work for another vendor.
For the most part, however, it was just as I remembered it all, and pleasantly so. We purchased a couple of wonderful pineapples, a dozen beautiful oranges, a bunch of strawberries, a loaf of sourdough bread, and a pound of lunchmeat for me (rotisserie turkey, at $5.49/lb., as compared to Giant Eagle’s pan roasted turkey at $8.99/lb. — and half the quality). We also intended to buy some fresh salsa, but the stand had run out of stock.
We’ve been looking at beef briskets lately, as we have a dynamite recipe for the slow cooker that involves a brisket, some ale, and a couple of other things. Giant Eagle and Topps, the local grocery chains, have been offering briskets between $4.59/lb. and $5.49/lb.; West Side Market prices ranged today from $3.19/lb. to $4.29/lb. The Market’s briskets were all well-trimmed USDA Prime, not the fatty monstrosities offered at the chains.
We didn’t buy any meat today, as we have a freezerful of pork chops, chicken breasts, smoked sausages and lean ground beef to last us well into 2006, perhaps even 2007 if we don’t have another blackout. Well, maybe not, but…
All in all, it was a nice trip, one that we should do much more often, and one that every Greater Cleveland resident should do just for the experience. It’s awesome.
