Once upon a time Cheap Eats went to the Land. Cheap Eats Cleveland was a matter of time really. The idea to do an episode here had been floated around during Season 1. And before that, Cleveland has been on my food radar since 2012. I'm sure more than a few of you out there may not know that before Cheap Eats, I worked in Food Television on the production side. My good pal Jeff Mauro, whom I teamed up with to create our own food show back in the day, hosted a show similar to Cheap Eats called $24 in 24 that went to Cleveland. I was in charge of finding the restaurants and so I already had a connection here. Like my hometown of St. Louis, Cleveland has history, cool old neighborhoods and some celebrated food cultures to pair with both. A lot of times we focus on whats trending in the food world, well Cheap Eats Cleveland is anchored in the iconic. Ok Ok, enough talk, lets take another bite out of Cheap Eats Cleveland! (more…)

The Vitals: the spot: Slyman's Restaurant 3106 St. Clair ave Cleveland OH 44114 the eats: Corned Beef Sandwich the bucks: $15 the full nelson: As big as it looks. As delicious as it looks. A Corned Beef legend.

Lebron James. President George W. Bush. Ali Khan. What do all three of us have in common? We all came to The Temple of  Corned Beef in Cleveland: Slyman's restaurant. Slyman's restaurant is that kind of place: special, genuine and 100% blue collar. Don't let the $15 price tag full you, this sandwich isn't some johnny come lately artisanal interpretation, but rather quality served at absurdly enormous proportions. Slyman's Corned Beef sandwich is easily enough for three to four people. But the Slyman's Corned Beef sandwich isn't the only draw to this Cleveland deli institution . . . (more…)

Cheap Eats New Orleans was an episode I could make over and over again, because there are just that many amazing restaurants churning out great meals at approachable prices. If love food, you know how important food is in Nola and how important Nola is to America's food scene. I think New Orleans is the most important food city in America. No small feat considering the astounding multiculturalism of New York, the bounty of produce in California or the mind bending talent of Chicago chefs like Grant Achatz of Alinea. Why New Orleans over those cities? A tradition of eating well and on the cheap, that spurned its own cuisine: Cajun/Creole. And with that let's take one more big bite out of Cheap Eats New Orleans! (more…)

The Vitals: the spot: Harry and Ida's 189 Avenue A New York NY 10009 the eats: "The Pops" 1/2lb Pastrami Sandwich the bucks: $17.50(!) the full nelson: New School Pastrami joint aiming to be a contender for best in NYC

Founded in 2015, I suppose one could call Harry and Ida's a new school pastrami joint, though their methods are very much connected to the days of old. Pastrami makes up only one of their sandwich offerings, and with items like Roasted Squash and Smoked Eel on the menu, I wouldn't call Harry and Ida's a classic Jewish delicatessen. Still there is a personal connection to Jewish Deli history: the owner's grandparents, Harry and Ida, ran a delicatessen in NYC about 100 years ago. And these guys know how to make legit pastrami. The million dollar question is of course whether this pastrami sandwich is worth the almost $18 dollar price tag. Well, you're gonna have to keep reading to find out! (more…)

Cheap Eats did some walkin' in Memphis and came up strong with some non conventional Southern eats. Just how unconventional? Well, a little bbq for breakfast may not seem too out of the norm down in Tennessee, but on a paleo friendly waffle? Or how how about some duck for lunch? And don't even get me started on a Thai curry classic with a Chinese twist. Well, actually you did get me started, so I guess I gotta keep going with one more bite of Cheap Eats Memphis! (more…)

Day 3 of Austin City Limits Music Festival would be the grand finale of my ACL Eats Fest, and I think I went out with a bang. Micklethwait Craft Meats is not only my favorite vendor amongst the food court here but also ranks up there with the top three best barbecue joints I have ever been too. But don't sleep on Tamale Addiction, which ended up being the biggest surprise ACL Eat of the festival. Which one will be my ACL Eat of the day? Well there is one way to find out! (more…)

And then there was Day 2 of the Austin City Limits Music Festival, which meant a fresh round of ACL Eats. I gotta say going hitting up all three days of an ACL weekend is a strong move, where pace and eyeing the right mix of food vendors is key. Chilantro and Noble Sandwich Co(aka Noble Pig) are both popular Austin staples that have gotten national attention in print media and food television. You really can't go wrong visiting either of these spots but which spot and which dish became my ACL Eat of the day? Let's find out!! (more…)

Austin City Limits Music Festival is my favorite thing to do in Austin and the ACL Eats are a big reason why. Concerts, much like airports, have been a tough place for foodies. For years we have been at the mercy of the lame food court Gods . . . well no longer. Airports are stepping up their game and in the three years that I have attended ACL Fest, the food game is strong. That being said some spots are better than others so read on and refresh your browsers because I'll be posting on new places for each of the three days I will be attending. And without further ado: Day 1 of ACL Eats at Austin City Limits Music Festival 2018. (more…)

Being a native of St. Louis, it seems mind boggling that Cheap Eats Kansas City would be my first visit to KC . . . but that's just the cards I was dealt. Beyond the venerable barbecue scene, Kanas City has some tasty diversity and some up and coming neighborhoods daring to do new things; like serving pizza for breakfast! Hungry yet? You will be so let's take one more big bite out of Cheap Eats Kansas City! (more…)