Cook's Day Off

Esposo wanted to go to Lelolai on W. 25th St. for a big sandwich. I agreed on the condition that he would let me ogle the fish heads at the West Side Market afterward. We had a deal.

Lelolai (www.lelolaibakery.com) specializes in Spanish desserts, but are also famous for their over-stuffed Cuban sandwiches. And judging from the perfect looking empanadas, succulent pulled pork, and yucca al ajillo, they are able to deliver a pan-Latin experience.

As I barrelled through a cup of hot and garlicky yucca while sitting next to a table of regulars, it occurred to me that I love how really good food in Cleveland is often this easy, this affordable, and this comfortable.

So, on to the Market. While opening the doors to the West Side Market (www.westsidemarket.org, I asked mi esposo if he had ever been here. He hadn't, and watching him go absolutely awe-struck at all the sights, sounds, and smells was like being there for the first time again myself.

A couple of years ago, I went to visit some friends in London who insisted I would love the Food Halls at Harrod's (http://www.luxist.com/2009/11/15/harrods-food-hall-history-opulence-and-grandeur/) While I will grant that Harrod's is less elbow-to-elbow and "veddy" pretty and tidy, it can't hold a candle to the humble West Side Market in terms of gorgeous meats and fresh baked goods. We really ARE lucky to have this super-cool institution plugging away in our humble city.

I'd love to tell you I do all my shopping at the West Side Market, but I'd be lying. I live less than a mile from an amazing local grocer, and well, that's easier. But I do love it, and being there, reminded me that I should do some of my shopping there some of the time. So, another visit to the Market next week will be on tap for next week, especially because I saw some particularly good-looking rabbit (which is NOT easy to find at the grocery store) and I think that braised rabbit and asparagus might be a good prelude to spring....Michael Symon has a recipe for rabbit legs in his new cookbook "Live to Cook" (http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307453655)
so I may just have to play around with his good ideas....

So, I haven't made a darn thing today except for my cup of coffee but I'm feeling completely fulfilled in terms of my joyful exploration of food.