I was halfway through putting this piece together when news of Lenny Kaden’s passing arrived via the Jewish grapevine. Kaden, who died at the enviable age of 92, was the Lenny in Corky & Lenny’s. Alongside co-founder Corky Kurland, who died a little more than 10 years ago, the pair gave Northeast Ohio one its most cherished and enduring classics.
For many Cleveland families, a week wouldn’t pass without a visit to places like Sokolowski’s, Nate’s Deli or Sterle’s Slovenian Country House. For our family and countless others living on the east side of town, that home away from home was “Corky’s.” It was where we went as a family when mom didn’t feel like cooking; it was where we went in search of French fries and gravy after high school football games; it was where we laid low while ditching Sunday school.
It's shocking to think that it’s been 30 years since the original location at Cedar Center, which opened in 1956, was shuttered. That spot and the current one at Village Square in Woodmere, which opened in 1973, operated in tandem for a good 20 years. But despite the delicatessen’s success and longevity, the restaurant is facing the same economic pressures that confront its brethren – perhaps more so given the deli’s size, complexity and mean age of its most loyal clientele.
The good news is that Kurland’s son Kenny, who assumed ownership approximately 30 years ago, says the brisket biz remains brisk.
“When they say delis are dying, that’s not totally true,” he says. “People still love a great deli.”
Clevelanders have it pretty good when it comes to “great delis” thanks to places like Jack’s, Davis Bakery, Slyman’s and Larder. But Corky & Lenny’s is that rare breed of place that qualifies both as a community mainstay and destination restaurant that brings in fans from far and wide to experience a best-in-class legend.
To adolescent visitors, those cold cases filled with “exotic foods” like knishes, potato pancakes, whole smoked fish and boiled beef tongues left an indelible mark on our memories. Behind the counter, the sandwich guys wrestled with the endless task of slicing hot pastrami and corned beef by the pound. When seated, it was the bottomless silver bucket of kosher dills and pickled green tomatoes that consumed one’s attention.
Those Don Hermann pickles are still here – though on a plate and by request – as are the rest of the Jewish comfort food staples. The matzo balls are large and soft, but not to the point of falling apart. Order the “Mish Mosh” ($10.95) and you’ll get a big bowl of chicken soup with rice, noodles, kreplach (a meat-filled dumpling) and a matzo ball.
If I had to pick one quintessential Corky’s dish it would be the beef and latkas, a true guilty pleasure. Picture a standard-issue mile-high corned beef sandwich, but in place of the customary rye bread, the kitchen mounds the beef between a pair of crispy potato pancakes. For the longest time, my go-to was the adorably named Three Little Tootsies, a trio of mini sandwiches starring corned beef, pastrami and chopped liver. If you’ve never tried beef tongue, this is the place to do so. The lean, buttery meat arrives in hot or cold sandwiches ($14.95) or scrambled with eggs at breakfast.
Corky’s serves exceptional corned beef sandwiches, but I often opt for the salty, smoky pastrami ($14.50). The Rueben ($16.95), like every deli sandwich at Corky’s, is enough for two meals. This one is an ideal composition of melt-in-your-mouth corned beef, tangy sauerkraut and swiss cheese on rye, all griddled to golden-brown perfection. Old-timers know to wash it all down with a fizzy chocolate phosphate, a fountain drink that is all but extinct.
Breakfast is big both during the week and on weekends thanks to a great lineup of deli-style diner dishes like scrambled eggs with corned beef or pastrami ($12.95), lox, onions and eggs, or corned beef hash topped with a poached egg. Lighter fare includes Bialy’s bagels topped with lox, cream cheese, tomato and onion ($16.95) or luscious cheese blintzes.
On your way out, make sure to grab some airy coconut bars, flaky rugelach or jam-filled Russian tea biscuits, all made by an 80-year-old local bakery.
We often joke that Corky’s gets customers both coming into life and departing because their ample deli platters are found at every one of life’s milestones, including the Jewish bereavement period called shiva. The good news is that you don’t need to be celebrating or mourning to enjoy this Cleveland classic.
Corky & Lenny’s
27091 Chagrin Blvd., Woodmere
216-464-3838
corkyandlennys.com
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