Steve's Gyro

Yeah, it's been a while since the last post. Have we stopped eating awesome food, nah. Just too lazy to blog. We've been going to Cleveland's Westside Market (dates back from 1840), for years and never ate at Steve's Gyro. I feel embarrassed to say that now. After watching Adam Richman (Travel Channel) on TV, and hearing my cousin from NYC rave about it - Bryan and I knew we had to go.

We ventured to Cleveland mid- Saturday morning a few weeks ago, walked around the market, and then walked towards Steve's Gyro. OMG - the line was so long! It took us 30-45 minutes to get through the line and it was well worth it. Those standing in line with us, reassured it was well worth the wait.

We heard the portions are huge - so we split the jumbo (their largest sandwich). Honestly, I have never had a better gyro. The meat was perfectly spiced and each edge was browned - it tastes great alone. The sauce, full of garlic - was fantastic. Bryan and I were so stuffed we skipped dinner that night. Once again, Adam Richman does not disappoint with his recommendations.

Melt Bar and Grilled, Cleveland

OMG . . . if you like grilled cheese, you must, must go to Melt Bar and Grilled. This place has the best grilled cheese in the world! Sorry, Lockview (in Akron), your grilled cheese sandwiches are awesome, but not as fabulous as Melt's, but hey, you guys have the bestest macaroni & cheese.

So, Bryan and I went to the Lakewood restaurant a few years back and loved it. After we saw Adam Richman, host of Man V. Food on The Travel Channel conquer the Melt Challenge . . . we had to go back. This time we checked out the new Cleveland Height's location. Everyone knows you will wait forever for a table. I think it was about an hour or so wait, but I luckily was able to snag two seats at the bar and therefore were able to order from the bar. I am not going to wait for a table when I can sit at the bar, right? You just gotta know when you are coming here, you need to not be on any schedule.

We ordered and split the the Melt Challenge. It was $22 but we figured if we both would have ordered separate meals, it would have cost us about the same.

So, if you don't know what Melt Challenge is, here it is: over 5 lbs of food including the fries and slaw. The sandwich has 13 different cheese, and 3 slices of grilled bread. This sandwich has almost 3-1/2 lbs of cheese, are they crazy????And if you finish it all you are not only a God, but you get a shirt, glass and gift certificate.

Obviously we weren't going to take "The Challenge" as you can't split it, but we just wanted the cheese :). The Challenge sandwich does take a bit longer to make as all the cheese has to melt and is done in different stages. I believe it took an hour for it to arrive, but the place was packed, and heck we were sitting at the bar.

When the plate arrived, cheese was oozing everywhere. I have never seen so much cheese in one place. There was a mound of fries and slaw. The sandwich tasted amazing! Seriously. Some people are amazed by that when I tell them that. There is only one requirement when ordering this . . . you must love cheese an all types of it. In some bites, you can actually taste th different types of cheese.

Bryan and I ate as much as we could, and we were stuffed. It looked as if we barely touched our plate and had maybe a 1/4 of it gone. When we got home, we snacked on it later that night. I then divided the rest of it up into smaller portions, and it was lunch for the both of us for the next few day- no joke. I have no idea how one person can ever eat all of this. We loved the sandwich so much, I think we will never order anything else.

Thurman Cafe, Columbus, Ohio

On a Christmas shopping trip in Columbus this past December, my husband and I ate lunch at Thurman Cafe. We stopped at Thurman's this past fall late on a Saturday afternoon, but left when we saw the line out the door. (Duh, it was Saturday and a home OSU game just finished).

This time at Thurman's our wait was "normal" at 30-45 minutes. It would have been another 30 minutes but my husband and I grabbed a seat at the bar to reduce our wait time. (Yes, there is a wait to sit at the bar too).

So, what is so special about this restaurant/bar in the German Village district of Columbus? Burgers, burgers, and burgers. A while back, Adam Richman of "Man v. Food" on the Travel Channel was here in Columbus. Thurman's was one of the three places he visited. After seeing this episode, Bryan and I decided we just had to go.

I ordered the "Thurman Burger" and it is by far the biggest and best burger I have ever sunk my teeth in:

"Our head honcho overloaded with ham, mozzarella and American cheese, lettuce, tomato, mushrooms, sautéed onions, pickle, peppers and mayo with kettle chips and a pickle spear"

When my burger arrived I sat there and had no clue how or where to begin. Huge can't even describe it. I was surprised to find the burger meat itself was tasty and full of spices. The burger was especially good as my husband and I have been consciously trying to cut down our intake of red meat. And, oh do I LOVE burgers!

This is the best bigger I have ever had. I think that says a lot, as my husband and I have had many, many great burgers. To those of you who don't know - Akron is home to many wonderful burger joints; Menche's, Ido's, Metro, Swensons, Louie's, Bob's Hamburg, Whitey's, blah, blah. And . . . Akron is home to the National Hamburger Festival. Every July, Bryan and I never miss this event. We plan our summer events around this. (Yes, people make fun of us about this). We even have my parents hooked on this festival.

Next on our list . . . visit the other two places Adam Richman visited (Ohio Deli for their Dagwood Sandwich & Schmidt's Sausage Haus for their sausage)

www.thethurmancafe.com

Steve's Lunch, Cleveland

Steve's Lunch is just down the street from the West Side market. When we walked in we were both a little uncomfortable as everyone looked at us. It was very tiny, very old, and very worn down. It really needed updating, but then again, these types of places always seem to have the best food. We sat at the counter and it took us a while to read the entire menu on the wall as the options were limitless. They not only serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, they are also open 24 hours.

We both ordered what they are known for . . . dogs. We split a a can of soda, and split an order of chili cheese fries. All food is cooked to order, so it does take some time. We watched the women behind the counter make our dogs. The dogs were loaded with chili and we watched her add at least a 1/4 cup of shredded cheese to each dog. Yum! Our order of the fries, also loaded with chili and cheese, was prepared by the cook in the back. The third employee we could see chopping something in the kitchen the entire time we were there. Chop, chop. This place had a cozy charm to it, as if it was stuck in time.

The food was very, very good, and incredibly ycheap. We were both stuffed our bellies and our entire meal was $7 (and some change). It gives me warm fuzzies to know that places still exist where they are not trying to rip you off. We left the waitress a $2 tip and she seemed so grateful for it, almost as if she never gets tips. How refreshing! Was it the best food I ever had? Nah. Was it worth it and would I go back again? Hell ya.

We were amazed this place had a constant crowd, considering it was in he middle of the afternoon. Many people came in for take out orders. I can see why this place is still around after 50 years. I would love to go back. Maybe I will try one of the 15 or so specials which are named after local neighborhoods cops. We are told the place is standing room only at night, after the bars shut down - I can see why.