Cleveland, OH

Best Chili in Greater Cleveland: Forest City Brewery lands top spot in readers’ poll

Published

10 months ago

October 5, 2023

Best Chili in Greater Cleveland: Forest City Brewery lands top spot in readers’ poll

CLEVELAND, Ohio — It’s National Chili Month and as promised, we’ve got some hearty reading this week on the top three finishers in our Best Chili in Greater Cleveland readers’ poll.

And in first place, representing their widely appreciated “secret recipe” Tomahawk Chili is Forest City Brewery in Cleveland, which landed a whopping 49.62% of the vote.

We sat down with Forest City Brewery co-owner Jay Demagall and chef Carlos Polichuk (fellow University of Toledo history alums) to enlighten us on what makes a bowl of Jay’s Tomahawk Chili “a mystical experience,” as one reader called it. We left with more questions than answers, but we laughed a lot, ate well and, by the end, decided to let the mystery be.

100% Angus beef hot dog – Served with a side of potato chips can be made into a chili cheese dog from Forest City Brewery is located at 2135 Columbus Rd. in Cleveland
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com

Background: “I’m not that confident or cocky, but I’ve won about 80% of private bar chili competitions I’ve entered across several states,” Demagall said. “It wasn’t long before friends backed off on bringing food to potlucks and draft days and let me carry the ball.” He woke up one day to find he was some sort of de facto chili chef.

Construction: The main proteins are a fine mince chorizo from Czuchraj Meats at the West Side Market and kidney beans, along with onion, garlic, celery. That much we know for certain. After that, our further inquiry was somewhere in between an elaborate dance routine and a comedy happy hour: “The recipe is right here, man,” Demagall laughed, pointing to his temple. “And in the vault of a Swiss bank somewhere near the Alps. You know, we could tell but we’d have to kill you. Only Carlos and I know what’s in it, so if we go down in a plane crash, that’s all folks!”

Flavor Profile: “There’s probably a dozen ingredients in there,” said Polichuk. “Or more.” Ah. OK then. Where to begin? We gleaned a lot of the usual suspects, but we were also getting cumin, coriander, garlic and “warmth of hot peppers made into a paste and evenly distributed” they said, without giving up their blend. After that? “One of the ingredients is the boredom of every fantasy football draft I’ve ever been in.” Demagall said. “Colonel Sanders has got nothing on us.” We kept prodding. Cola? Molasses? Agave? To paraphrase the late Hunter S. Thompson, “we were somewhere around chocolate, on the edge of allspice and brown sugar, when the chili began to take hold…”

A bowl of award-winning chili from Forest City Brewery is located at 2135 Columbus Rd. in Cleveland
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.com

But Seriously, Folks: We tried to get the scoop from Polichuk, who has only been with the Brewery for about two years — about as long as Forest City has had a proper kitchen — when Demagall stepped away from the table for a minute. Judging from the Cheshire cat grin he gave us, he’s either sworn to secrecy or signed an NDA. “Maybe both,” he said. We all laughed, right up to the minute we started eating. We couldn’t stop. And when a hot dog done on the flat top with a toasted bun, Tomahawk Chili and cheese came to the table? Fuhgettaboudit. Game. Set. Match.

If Your Chili Had a Commercial: “It’s a good chili,” said Demagall. “I tinkered with the recipe for about ten years, and about 15 years ago I stopped tinkering because it was there. Once I landed on it, that was it. This is the recipe. You’re not going to burn your mouth, cry and not be able to taste anything for about a week. A little tangy, a little sweet, a little hot, a little spicy. It’s well-balanced, like our beers.” Polichuk agreed: “You’re not biting into heat, but it’s definitely not boring.”

Presentation: Traditional. “For the complexity of this bowl of chili, it’s the only way,” said Polichuk. No spaghetti four-way whatever, no sour cream unless someone asks for it. It comes with shredded cheddar cheese and chopped green onions on top, cheese on the side and crackers. “Old school,” Polichuk said.

Reflections: “The only thing better than our chili is our customers who voted for us,” said Demagall. “That’s what makes this win even more of a sweet surprise. We love our people.”

Sales: “It’s been summertime, so we haven’t been tracking it that much lately. But it’s a year-round item and the regulars love it. It’s a best-seller for them,” said Demagall. “We do have a chili dog, which is popular during baseball season. It will never be a seasonal-only dish.”

Verdict: Best of Cleveland’s Yadi Rodriguez & Peter Chakerian weren’t sure what to expect when Forest City Brewery charged out of the gate with a gigantic lead and never relented. Given its name by microbrewery regulars, we thought Tomahawk Chili might be combative, bombastic, larger than life — with components being almost cartoon-like in appearance. When our bowls arrived, we were surprised at how simple the chili looked in stature: an extraordinarily fine mince of protein and veg, intermingling with a brothy base that had a perfect amount of fat. The only “large” components were beans and kernels of corn, which were lightly interspersed in the body of the chili. All that changed with the first bite: an incredibly unctuous and complex mouth feel ensued, with layers of flavor crossing the palate like waves and a late-report slow heat to stick the landing. Complex but accessible. Old school meets new school. Just wow.

Forest City Brewery, 2135 Columbus Road, Cleveland, OH 44113 216-228-9116

forestcitybrewery.com

The bigger picture takeaway from visiting and sampling all three winners? Readers absolutely know their chili. Your foodie street cred remains intact, Northeast Ohio. Now get out there and hit a bowl.

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Cleveland, OH

GCSC Summer Golf Classic | Greater Cleveland Sports Commission

Published

3 hours ago

August 4, 2024

Press Room

GCSC Summer Golf Classic | Greater Cleveland Sports Commission

Get Your Golf On!
Golfers of all abilities are invited to play in GCSC’s Summer Golf Classic presented by First National Bank on Monday, August 5, 2024 at Cleveland Metroparks Sleepy Hollow.
Join us for a day of 18 holes with cart featuring beverages, contests & prizes, lunch and a buffet dinner.
FORMAT:…

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Cleveland, OH

Fatal shooting on east side after reports of large fight: Cleveland Police

Published

10 hours ago

August 4, 2024

Press Room

Fatal shooting on east side after reports of large fight: Cleveland Police

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – One man is dead after a shooting following reports of a large fight on the east side, according to Cleveland Police.

Police got reports of a large fight around 2:50 a.m. on Saturday in the 1000 block of East 71st Street.

While officers were en route, they learned that two people were shot.

Police located a 22-year-old man and a 24-year-old man who were both shot, according to a release.

Both of the men were taken to the hospital by EMS.

The 22-year-old man later died at the hospital.

The condition of the 24-year-old is unknown.

Cleveland Police homicide unit is investigating, according to police.

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Cleveland, OH

WWE SummerSlam 2024 Results: Winners And Grades On August 3, 2024

Published

18 hours ago

August 4, 2024

Press Room

WWE SummerSlam 2024 results

Credit: WWE.com

WWE SummerSlam 2024 from Cleveland, Ohio advertised six championship matches. Among them was Solo Sikoa challenging Cody Rhodes for the WWE Undisputed Championship, LA Knight challenging Logan Paul for the WWE United States Championship, Sami Zayn defending the WWE Intercontinental Championship against Bron Breakker and GUNTHER challenging Damian Priest for the WWE World Championship.

This week’s broadcast of WWE Raw garnered 1.412 million viewers on SyFy after being preempted by the Olympics.

WWE SummerSlam Results | August 3, 2024

Liv Morgan def. Rhea Ripley | WWE Women’s World Championship
Bron Breakker def. Sami Zayn | WWE Intercontinental Championship
LA Knight def. Logan Paul | WWE United States Championship
Nia Jax def. Bayley | WWE Women’s Championship
Drew McIntyre def. CM Punk
GUNTHER def. Damian Priest | WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Cody Rhodes def. Solo Sikoa | WWE Undisputed Championship

WWE SummerSlam 2024 Ticket Sales

WWE SummerSlam 2024 Venue: Cleveland Browns Stadium (Cleveland, OH)
WWE SummerSlam 2024 Tickets Distributed: 55,858
WWE SummerSlam 2024 Tickets Available: 807

WWE Money In The Bank 2024 Winners And Grades

Liv Morgan Def. Rhea Ripley

Despite all the talk of The Judgment Day competing by themselves, Dominik Mysterio accompanied Rhea Ripley to the ring.

Michael Cole noted the last time Rhea Ripley lost a singles match was 26 months ago. To Liv Morgan.

This match started as a cat-and-mouse as Liv ran away from Ripley. Fans became frustrated and booed Liv loudly.

Rhea dominated this match until Liv Morgan dodged a charging Ripley and followed up by throwing her, shoulder-first, into the turnbuckle. Ripley could be heard (kayfabe) saying “it’s out, it’s out!”

Fans were split as they made dueling chants of “let’s go Rhea/let’s go Liv!”

Liv Morgan (kayfabe) popped her shoulder back into place by running herself into the announce table and fans went crazy.

Ripley hit the riptide, but did not pin Morgan. Instead, she grabbed a steel chair that Morgan brought into the ring. Mysterio grabbed the chair from her, which was the wise decision because she would have gotten herself disqualified. This led to an Oblivion for a nearfall and “holy s—t” chants.

Dom distracted the ref, leading to an Oblivion on the steel chair for the win. After the match, Dominik Mysterio kissed Liv Morgan and they left together.

Backstage, Damian Priest was furious with Dominik Mysterio for his actions. Finn and the rest of the Judgment Day vowed to go find him. I don’t trust them.

Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan Grade: A-

Bron Breakker Def. Sami Zayn

Bron Breakker hit his always impressive Breakkensteiner early on, then he proceeded to scream “quit!” at Sami Zayn.

Bron Breakker cut Sami Zayn off with a Spear, then he hit ayn with another Spear for the win. This wasn’t necessarily a squash match, but it was definitely a dominant win for Breakker.

Bron Breakker vs. Sami Zayn Grade: B

LA Knight Def. Logan Paul

Logan Paul wore a Cleveland-inspired American Flag vest and greeted two security guards on his way to the ring. One of hte security guards turned out to be Cleveland’s own MGK.

LA Knight shattered the glass on Logan Paul’s Prime vehicle before making his way to the ring.

Paul cleared the table, but LA Knight got the better of him with a modified TKO, though the table didn’t break.

Paul won these people over with a springboard moonsault on LA Knight. Though they cheered the spot, they eventually came to their senses and chanted “you still suck!”

After jumping up on the top rope, LA Knight hit a scary looking superplex. Fans chanted “this is awesome” after a nearfall.

Logan Paul borrowed brass knuckles from MGK. After a shot to LA Knight, Knight countered with a BFT.

Logan Paul vs. LA Knight Grade: A-

Nia Jax Def. Bayley

Bayley relentlessly knocked Nia Jax off her feet early in the match.

Nia Jax took control of the match, to the point where she hit the Annihilator, but Bayley kicked out.

Jax called herself “reckless” and “clumsy” while trash-talking Bayley on offense.

Bayley hit an awesome power bomb on Nia Jax from the top rope. The fans were fervently into a match that struggled to follow Logan Paul vs. LA Knight.

A Tiffany Stratton cash-in was thwarted by Bayley, but the distraction led to two power bombs and two Annihilators for the win.

Nia Jax vs. Bayley Grade: A-

Drew McIntyre Def. CM Punk

Seth Rollins walked out in a long cloak, and what was under the jacket was certain to be even wilder.

WWE used ref cameras on the referee’s ear, and there were never more ref cam shots than during Seth Rollins’ entrance.

Rollins’ referee outfit were baggy, bedazzled pants and a cutoff shirt similar to Shawn Michaels.

Fans chanted “CM Punk” to start the match as punk donned pink gear in homage to Bret Hart.

Rollins did a great job working the fans into a frenzy before ringing the bell. When the bell rang, Punk and McIntyre brawled like crazy.

Instead of counting to 10 while Punk and McIntyre were outside of the ring, Rollins instead chose to tie his shoes. Rollins also took immense pleasure in seeing Punk and Rollins beat the hell out of one another.

During an Anaconda Vice on McIntyre, Punk secured his friendship bracelet and the entire stadium celebrated.

Punk stopped his GTS on McIntyre dead in its tracks and confronted Rollins about wearing his bracelet, which Rollins picked up off the ground did wear, but out of no malice.

After a ref bump and a nearfall (followed by a second visual pinfall), Punk and Rollins got into a heated argument. Punk hit a Go To Sleep on Rollins and took his bracelet back, but it cost him the match.

Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk Grade: B+

GUNTHER Def. Damian Priest

Finn Balor wished Damian Priest luck before the match. Famous last words.

GUNTHER already had chop marks on his chest before the match even started.

GUNTHER and Priest chopped the hell out of one another to the point where GUNTHER was bleeding from the chest.

Finn Balor hit the ring, presumably to save Priest, but he ended up costing Priest the WWE World Heavyweight Championship by putting GUNTHER’s leg on the bottom rope.

After this match, Jelly Roll, The Miz and R-Truth took out A-Town Down Under.

GUNTHER vs. Damian Priest Grade: B+

Cody Rhodes Def. Solo Sikoa

Cody Rhodes ran into Arn Anderson backstage, and Anderson said he called in a few favors to a few allies of Cody Rhodes. Some of whom he knows, some he doesn’t.

For a full recap of Cody vs. Solo Sikoa in Bloodline Rules, click here.

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