Best Of CLE: Street Corn

Victor Searcy Jr. knows the importance of the perfect side dish. As the owner of Sauce the City, he specializes in hot chicken — but he puts just as much love and energy into the street corn that accompanies it.

“We wanted to make [our side] a little bit more Ohio,” he explains, “and since we’re known for our corn here, we made that a staple.”

Sauce the City’s elote, Mexican-style street corn ($3.99 for two pieces), is sourced from farms within 10 miles of Ohio City. Each cob is cut in half and slathered in copious butter and mayonnaise mixed with Searcy’s light, sweet signature D’Ete Sauce.

Finally, the corn is covered in creme fraiche, fresh parsley and a dusting of a spice mix intended to represent some of Cleveland’s most prominent cultures. Searcy says it pulls from Hungarian, Asian, Latin and African American flavors.

The result is a sweet, slightly salty side. Searcy, who has a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling and calls himself a “food therapist,” says that’s the point.

“All those spices come together to give you a nice, warm, nostalgic feeling,” he says. “It’s supposed to take you back to a point when life was good.” 1400 W. 25th St., Cleveland, 216-795-5033, saucethecitycleveland.com

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