Corky and Lenny's
27091 Chargrin Blvd.
Woodmere, OH 44122
216.464.3838
It had been years since I had eaten at Corky and Lenny's, but while I was over on that side of town I decided to stop and grab a bite. Though Corky and Lenny's had some really bad press last year they have gotten their act together and cleared up whatever the problem may have been. Its good to see. Corky and Lenny's is a landmark of Cleveland cuisine and it would be a shame for the place to be down and out.
The location is split with a deli in the front and a full restaurant in the rear. It was impeccably clean and the staff was quite friendly. But I wasn't there for the ambiance, I wanted some corned beef. I am a big fan of corned beef sandwiches so it takes a lot to meet my expectations of what good corned beef should be. Honest to God, Corky and Lenny's has the best corned beef I have ever had. Hands down. Its not even a competition. It is so soft and tender, it literally melts in your mouth. As it should for $8.25 a sandwich. I would normally bitch about a sandwich costing that much, but I would have happily paid $15, without question.
While I was there I also picked up a corned beef knish and some sauerkraut balls. I was a kinish food virgin prior and it was an interesting little meal. For those of you that have not had a knish, it was like a meat stuffed bagel. The corned beef filling in mine was somewhat unappetizing. From what I can tell it was minced corned beef and sauerkraut, but there was something about it that didn't agree with me. Unfortunately, the same filling was in the sauerkraut balls. They were alright, but I don't think I would buy either the knish or the sauerkraut balls next time.
Again, this was the best corned beef I have ever tasted and I definitely plan on going back. If you have never been to Corky and Lenny's, you need to try it, at least once in your life. It's that good.
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