An Afternoon in Ohio City: West Side Market and Great Lakes Brewing Co.

So we're not exactly getting the spring weather that we hoped for.  Um, what the heck Ohio, 27° and it's almost April?  Regardless, it's a sunny beautiful day, and one of my favorite places to go on a Saturday is the West Side Market in the Ohio City neighborhood.  For some reason, every time I step inside I instantly feel like I'm somewhere else...or maybe more like I'm living back in Florence again and visiting the Mercato di San Lorenzo for some fresh vegetables and ciabatta bread.  Okay, I'm officially daydreaming - back to the West Side Market.  On the weekends, it's always bustling with with people; you literally have to shimmy sideways sometimes to get through the crowds.  But if you time your trip just right, at about 3:30 in the afternoon, all of the vendors start to mark down their prices because the West Side Market is closed on Sundays and they have to get rid of their produce for the new week.  You'll get the best deals on the freshest produce around!

The West Side Market: A Perfect Saturday Afternoon

This past week’s temperatures have made it difficult to discern whether we’re in Cleveland or the Arctic Circle, so I felt obligated to take advantage of the beautiful sunshine on Saturday afternoon.  One of my favorite things to do on the weekend, especially in nice weather, is make a trip to the West Side Market; my other favorite activity regardless of the weather, is to make a killer meal!  Since I got a new Crock Pot for Christmas, I decided to try a recipe for slow-cooker Philly steak sandwiches and baked garlic rosemary french fries, and get most of the ingredients at the West Side Market.