Corky & Lenny's - Eastside Institution

While I don't do Delis very often, my brother was in town for business and Corky & Lenny's was the place we decided on for lunch. A convenient location, a wide variety of food and large portions of meaty products have always been a favorite. Having been around for over a half century, Corky & Lenny's has been providing deli to the Eastside of Cleveland for as long as I can remember. Originally located in Cedar Center, C&L created a branch at I-271 and Chagrin in Woodmere Village and has since moved all its operations there (map is here). C&L has a modern feel with bright colors and modern fixtures. Coming in the door, you walk past the bakery and deli counters where take out is available. Seated at one of the tables (large booths are also available) service is brisk and straightforward. One of the charms of C&L over the years has been the wait staff, these are professional servers who are driven more by speed, efficiency and turnover then charm. This does not mean that they may not be friendly, just don't expect it. The menu is large and diverse (go here) although in all my years I have never gone far from the deli or dairy portions. The range of the menu and the look of the dining room seem to have C&L as the Cleveland version of the East Coast Diner. This trip I kept it simple, just a whitefish salad sandwich on Kaiser Roll. The sandwich was just what you would want, the whitefish salad was wonderful with a smokey, salty taste which set off the rich texture. Complimented simply with lettuce, tomato and red onion, this is an enjoyable delight. C&L provides good straight forward food in good sized portions, certainly not the cheapest place in town, you can get out for about $10 or so per person, depending on what you get. While I don't think I have ever heard anyone argue that C&L has the best corned beef in town, they certainly do manage to serve a lot of food to a lot of people. Maybe not a high recommendation from me, but then deli is not really my thing, you certainly could do a lot worse the Corky & Lenny's for a meal. If you have been to Corky & Lenny's you probably already have a strong opinion one way or the other, if you have not, you should give it a try as it is a Cleveland institution and something you should at least experience once.

Jack's Deli

For me going to the Deli is one of the lower choices on the food spectrum, not that I don't enjoy it, but most of the things that I would eat at the deli, I can have at home for a lot cheaper. But I decided to at least give Jacks a try for breakfast, especially because it is very near my house. Now, on the East Side of Cleveland, there are two basic choices for Deli; Jacks and Corky & Lenny's. Jacks is a bit smaller and seems a bit friendlier. Located at 14490 Cedar Road, University Heights (I know you think this is Beachwood, but the little shopping center is in University Heights). In its new home around the corner from its original location, Jacks presents a clean modern dining room; nice, but noting noteworthy. I will say that on Sunday morning it was busy, but I got a table right away. The breakfast menu is what you would expect, eggs, pancakes and waffles. The nice part is that you have several additional choices to add to your eggs, such as Lox, Corned Beef and Pastrami, if you so choose. There are breakfast specials available before 11:00am, which adds a small charge onto a menu item, but provides coffee or tea and a small juice. I ended up getting the 2 eggs over medium with cottage fries and a bagel. The eggs were well cooked and not greasy, the large side of cottage fries were excellent and the fresh dill pickel (available on request) was just the way I like it, crisp with just a hint of dill and garlic. Overall a good value considering the juice and tea. Looking at Jacks menu, you will notice that while the prices aren't cheap, they try to give you value for your money. As an example, the Deli sandwhiches come with a side of potato salad or coleslaw. Service was good and the place is clean and convenient. About the only downside is the parking is mainly behind the old location, so you may have a short walk to and from your car. If you have an urge for some good deli, Jacks is the place to head on the East Side.