Huron Square Deli

Entertaining and delicious...what a great combination. Huron Square Deli at 1150  Huron Road, downtown Cleveland, Ohio is simply a trip back in a time machine! huronsquaredeli@sbcglobal.net


I love this place. An old school diner set up where the patrons can sit for a quick breakfast or lunch either at the lunch counter or in small groups at pub height tables. I HIGHLY recommend sitting at the counter so that you can watch all the action. The waitresses, cooks and other staff appear to be one big happy family (as I think they are mostly relatives) and don't seem to have ever met a stranger in their lives.

Rick is usually on grill and he and his partner really sling the hash, so to speak. Every time I go there I love to watch these guys making the food. French fries (they have the best, by the way) are flying, pancakes are flipping, waitresses scurrying, diner talk is wailed back and forth: 'I need 8 fries all day!'

The prices are EXTREMELY reasonable for a downtown eatery! (like a time machine trip to an earlier decade).  A hearty lunch is well under $10 and the menu is substantial.  Omelets, club sandwiches, salads, deli wraps and floats along with breakfast combinations and soups are served to the guests almost as quick as you order them.

The place seems to do a good business of carry out orders at lunch time as there is a flow of customers stepping up to the pick-up window before they hurry out "the tunnel" back to the office with fare for everyone...I can tell this place is a 'best kept secret' for downtown offices.  The tunnel, by the way, is a unique feature.  It is actually a pathway (underground) from the office building across the street so that guests can avoid traffic and rain! What a unique feature.

Travel safe and eat well!
Allan

Pad Thai

Out of the millions of pad Thai recipes out there I have found the best. High Thai’d in Cleveland Heights, Ohio (Coventry area) (www.highthai.com) makes the best pad Thai I’ve ever had! There are two versions on the menu, Pad Thai and Country Pad Thai. The later is the epitome of the dish. This recipe is a little spicier than the traditional dish and contains chicken, shrimp and tofu. The portion size is considerable and the price is around $9.…I ALWAYS eat the entire dish, there are never any leftovers. I am now responsible for my friend’s addiction to the dish. If the recipe was publicly traded, I would invest!
Allan

Cantina Los Caballitos Mexican Food

I’m crazy about this place! For simply outstanding Mexican food in Philly my family loves Cantina Los Caballitos at 1651 East Passyunk Ave (12^th & Morris)! (cantinaloscaballitos.com) You don’t have to worry about spending too many pesos, the prices are VERY reasonable for the amount of food you get…I don’t know how they stay in business. The recipes are superb, the atmosphere transports you to a roadhouse south of the border and the menu selections range from the familiar to “I never thought of that…that’s delicious !”.
The staff is as down to Earth as is the décor. The immediate area hosts lots of shops within walking distance and parking right on the street. You’ll never eat fast food Mexican again!
Allan

Majestic Deli New York City

I was in New York City the other day and visited The Majectic Delicatessen on 7th and 50th Streets. What a terrible experience! My sister and I visited the deli to grab a snack and a drink.  My sister asked for the restroom and a staff member stated that we must buy food first.  We assured him that we were going to purchase something but she needed the restroom immediately and the line for food was very long.  My sister proceeded to the restroom as I got into line to purchase a pastry.  After I purchased my food, I heard my sister yelling upstairs (where the restroom was located) and a man screaming at her.  I rushed upstairs to see what was the matter and encountered an older gentleman who appeared to be the owner or manager face to face with my sister yelling that she did not purchase any food. My sister stated that the man (stranger) had waited outside the secluded women's restroom and jumped face to face with her when she exited yelling at her and scaring her.  I yelled back and told him that we did, in fact, make a purchase and pointed it out on the table that I had just abandoned to rescue my sister.  He stated that the staff member that we asked about the restroom told him that we were tresspassing! As he continued to yell, every eye in the place was on him and you could hear a pin drop.  He stated that we were tresspassing and that he would call the police. I informed him on three occassions that we had made a purchase and he finally realized what I was saying and said, "Okay".
My sister was embarrassed and scared and we complained to a police officer outside the door and left the area. This is my first hand experience at this deli and certainly my last visit. After twenty five years in retail and restaurant managment, I thought I had seen or heard of it all...boy was I wrong. Enter at your own risk!
Allan

Pittsburg Airport

I will be flying out of Pittsburg, PA Airport tomorrow morning and am wondering what I will encounter.  The last time I flew out of this airport I had spent $5,000 on a family vacation (cruise) where I was treating my sisters and mother.  We drove to Pittsburg Airport and arrived one hour before our flight.  While we were checking in, we were informed that this airport required passengers to be at the airport and checked in TWO hours before their flight!! We were told that we would not be permitted to board even though the plane was still boarding and was not scheduled to take off for another 45 minutes! I asked to speak with a supervisor. I explained that this requirement was not on any literature and not listed on their website.  He did not have a sound or reasonable explanation but stated that, even though the flight was still boarding, we could not board and that we were going to miss our flight to Florida.  We were finally able to secure a different flight to another city up the coast from where our cruise was departing (Port of Miami) and had to hire a Town Car to drive us to the point of departure...this cost me another $150.
I will see how tomorrow goes and update after my flights in and out of Pittsburg Airport.  I am planning on arriving the required two hours ahead of time and then sit and rot until my departure. Wish me luck!
Allan
I was pleasantly surprised to find that showing up 1 1/2 hours early was sufficient to board my plane! I was disappointed to see that there was a line for security check in that reached beyond the front doors to the airport and that only five of the nine or so security check-in stations were opened. Security staff was plentiful but no supervisor stepped up to the challenge of good customer service and opened more security check-in stations. This condition added to the frustration of poorly signed baggage check-in areas and the two security lines that eventually formed one line leaving the politics of crowd control to the annoyed and angry customers in line. Not one of my top 10 airports to fly out of!
Allan