The portmanteau "Ceresota" marries the Roman goddess of agriculture, Ceres, to the state where the flour was first milled, Minnesota. Once destined for the likes of pullman loaves, Ceresota now figures in pizza crusts, Polish dumplings, and pierogies, too.
Ceresota Flour makes the best bread
Surviving signage, 1903 West 25th St. (opposite Carroll Ave.), Cleveland
(From a June 2016 visit)
"Use only the Herman-McLean Co.'s teas, coffees" and perhaps baking powder, too, as that weathered following line apparently suggests. This wholesaler and retailer of groceries, flour, and feed was established in 1872 by Cleveland-born David C. McLean (no trace has emerged of "Herman"). The company seems to have shuttered in the 1940s, but a renovated Herman-McLean flour and feed outlet, not far from this faded ad, is today home to the brewpub of the Great Lakes Brewing Co.
Herrman-McLean Co.
Surviving signage, 2546 Lorain Ave. (at West 26th St.), Cleveland
(From a June 2016 visit)
Born at the turn of the 20th century, Gund Brewing was headquartered on Cleveland's near east side, not far from Lake Erie. This advertisement, some four miles inland, would have faced commuter traffic headed downtown and been most widely seen in the morning — poor timing for a beer. Though the brewery weathered Prohibition, it didn't outlast World War II.
Gund's, the better beer
Surviving signage, 8637 Buckeye Rd. (at East 87th St.), Cleveland
(From a June 2016 visit)
If you fancy Hungarian pastries as I do, this twosome may be more familiar under the names zserbó and krémes (Cree-mesh). The first, known here as a Gerbeaud ($2.50), takes its name from a Geneva-born confectioner and his famed Budapest bakery. Traditionally it includes chocolate, ground walnuts, and apricot jam; this rendition, in raspberry, is even more lush. The second, the house Napoleon ($3.50), de-emphasizes layers of puff pastry in favor of whipped cream and a nearly-as-light vanilla custard. Farkas offers a chocolate Napoleon, too, but that might be painting the lily.
Farkas Pastry Shoppe
2700 Lorain Ave. (West 25th-West 28th Sts.), Cleveland
216-281-6200
www.FarkasPastries.com
Closed Monday and Tuesday
(From a June 2016 visit)
Apart from a pickle, the default version of Slyman's most famous sandwich includes only corned beef and rye bread, nothing more. The counterman's strong recommendation was to melt on a little swiss; my embellishment was stadium mustard rather than yellow ($15.25 all told). I split the two halves — each, nearly the size of a softball, and barely contained between the bread — between lunch and dinner.
Slyman's Restaurant
3106 St. Clair Ave. (at East 31st St.), Cleveland
216-621-3760
www.Slymans.com
Open for breakfast and lunch, except Sunday
(From a June 2016 visit)
It's possible, if you visit this shop at off-hours, that you'll find no ice cream on the premises. At Piccadilly, every bowl is bespoke. Only after your chosen ingredients are blended and chilled in the presence of supercold liquid nitrogen, and after the resulting fog has cleared, is your ice cream revealed.
Even in the absence of that fog (a theatrical cloud of water vapor firmly grounded in high-school science), the possible combinations of ice cream bases and add-ins can be bewildering in their variety. To hasten the happy union of you and your ice cream, Piccadilly has proposed a number of favorites; this is "The Liz" (small, $5.25), a crème fraîche base with raspberries.
Piccadilly Artisan Creamery
11607 Euclid Ave. (East 115th-East 116th Sts.), Cleveland
216-563-1992
www.PiccadillyCreamery.com
(From a June 2016 visit)
In Switzerland, pastries such as these may be savory, like a quiche. Or they may be sweet, taking the form of a custard fruit tart made with whatever's in season. This blueberry wähe (Vay-huh, $4) featured an early crop from Rittman Orchards, several stalls down the aisle of the farmers market.
Zoss, The Swiss Baker
12397 Cedar Rd. (Lennox Rd.-Euclid Heights Blvd.), Cleveland
216-368-4055
www.Facebook.com/Zoss-The-Swiss-Baker-308512765971043
At the North Union Farmers Market in Shaker Square, Saturday mornings, April through December
www.NorthUnionFarmersMarket.org /markets/shaker-square-2
(From a June 2016 visit)
Unphotogenic but revealing: the butt end of Michelle's poppy-seed roll (half, $6). At the market stall I had no time to set up a shot of the business end, where the roll had been sliced in two; a long journey in an overfilled backpack flattened it beyond the point of fair representation. But these bursting seams tell their own tale, confirmed by slice after slice at the family house: When the ratio of poppy seeds to pastry is greater than one to one, it's likely you've got a winner. Bonus points for moistness and restrained sweetness.
Michelle's Bakery
Inside the West Side Market, stall B-12 and C-12
1979 West 25th St. (at Lorain Ave.), Cleveland
216-861-9880
www.Facebook.com/MichellesBakery
Open Wednesday through Sunday
(From a June 2016 visit)
Except where draped over the lip, the prosciutto, capicola, and provolone of The Crazy Dave (shown in the smaller, "regular" size, $6.29) were less pronounced than the hot peppers, onion, fresh garlic, lettuce, herbs, and "Cosmic Sauce." But the proportions were well-considered, and the payload, just right — this was an appetizer to a midday rendezvous with my cousin and her boys. Must leave room for lunch!
Also shown: the leavings, which called to mind the classic Japanese ink rubbings known as gyotaku. What are the prospects, I wonder, for oil-and-vinegar prints of classic Italian sandwiches?
Dave's Cosmic Subs
1842 Coventry Rd. (Euclid Heights Blvd.-Lancashire Rd.), Cleveland Heights, Ohio
(One of many locations)
216-320-0330
www.DavesCosmicSubs.com
(From a June 2016 visit)
Thank you!
