Otto's Pub and Brewery -- State College, PA

I stopped by Otto's with some friends from roller derby for Firkin Friday were they have a special conditioned ale on tap. Getting there half an hour after it was tapped means I missed out. I did get a sip and the vanilla raspberry beer tasted very much like Cap'n Crunch with Crunchberries.

The reuben came to me undercooked on one side and slightly overcooked on the other. The bread wasn't soggy at all.  The pastrami was a bit bland but all together it was a good sandwich.

4 out of 5.

Westside Stadium - State College, PA

This was another recommendation from a friend. The Westside Stadium is a small sports bar on the western side of State College. It has tables, booths, a full bar and obligatory bottle shop.

I was pleased to find another friend waitressing.  She confirmed that the reuben was indeed excellent. The sandwich came out hot and loaded with meat and dressing. Pulling it open revealed lots of gooey Swiss cheese. The bread was a marbled rye. It was only lightly grilled and a bit doughy but was not the least bit soggy which is excellent.

I prefer more intensity in the sandwich but all in all it was very good.

4 out of 5

Scout Camp!

This weekend I am one of the scribes for Woodbadge course N4-497-12. Today was a staff prep day and lunch was Reubens and tater tots.

During breakfast the cook and I had an intricate discussion. Drain and grill the kraut. Grill the meat. Seeded rye. Grill the bread.

At lunch we discussed the results and he was quick to point out that there wasn't quite enough meat. I would have liked to have the bread crisper.

I used to be an Eagle...

Olde New York - State College, PA

The Olde New York restaurant had been recommended to me as a great place to get a reuben.  Perusing the menu I saw several variants as well as a large selection of German and Italian foods.  This caused some confusion and flashback to episode of Kitchen Nightmares where Gordon Ramsey berates owners for overly large and complicated menus.  Although I was tempted by the promise of würsten I went ahead with plan A and ordered the rueben.

It was on pumpernickel.  It was lightly grilled and the bottom was tiniest bit soggy.  The bread was also a little chewy.  I guess I am a total bread snob.  I want it perfect.  The dressing was okay but there was a lot of it.  The sauerkraut was interesting.  Usually the sauerkraut that I see is white, sharp and acrid.  It is crisp and raw.  This sauerkraut had been cooked, almost stewed and was soft, dark and sweet.  The only time I have seen sauerkraut like this was at Herwig's, a local Austrian restaurant.

All in all it was a good sandwich and the french fries were awesome.

4 out of 5.

Philadelphia Tavern - Manassas, VA

We were down in Manassas for a Jimmy Buffet concert and were looking for a place to eat. The Philadelphia Tavern is a hole in the wall with an old feel to it. The walls are stone with a textured metal ceiling and copper covered tables.

The house specialties are marked on the menu with a liberty bell and the reuben was one of them. I ordered it with high hopes and was not disappointed.

The corned beef was hot and flavorful. It had been chopped on the grill into fine pieces and tossed with the sauerkraut. The cheese was hot and melted. The bread was a marble rye and was nice and crispy.

My only complaint is that the sandwich was the tiniest bit soggy in the middle.

4.5 out of 5

Otto's Pub and Brewery - State College, PA

Otto's is a a local brewpub.  I have previously been impressed with their food but had been warned that the quality had gone down hill.  That seems to be the trend with all restaurants in State College.  They start out good and then things just slide.

Being a facebook fan I received their weekly update of what is on special.  This week they had a reuben pizza.  This isn't going to be a typical review since this isn't a traditional reuben.  This is more a review of the concept.  Instead of red sauce there was the russian dressing.  Pastrami, sauerkraut and swiss cheese topped it along with a sprinkling of caraway seeds.  It was baked in a wood fired brick oven.  I know because I was sitting there watching the oven.

The end result was sadly too greasy, and remarkably bland.  The dough was chewy as well.  Oh well.  It was a good idea, probably not worth trying again though.

Smoky Mountain Brewery - Gatlinburg TN

They built it and people came. Gatlinburg is a tourist destination with nothing really there. Pigeon Forge and Dollywood are just down the road but once again there is no reason for them to be *there*. Yes, this is a beautiful section of Appalachia but nearly every on of the 120,000 square miles is beautiful.

At a rest area we saw a brochure for a distillery tour of the first legal moonshine distillery in Tennessee. This led to the beer, wine, and shine trail. Visiting 5 locations would earn us a free shirt. Following the trail to the Smokey Mountain Brewery, we stopped for a late lunch.

I ordered the reuben, otherwise what would be the point of the story? For a side I choose broccoli in cheese sauce. If you were to look at the picture, there seems to be a dearth of cheese on the broccoli. It is there, more underneath than on and a tad runny. The beers I had were good, the selection tended towards over-hopped ales, but the summer wheat was great for a hot day.

Cutting to the chase, the reuben was pure awesome. The bread was well-grilled with a buttery crispness and not soggy . The pastrami was flavorful and hot. The cheese was gooey. The sauerkraut was tangy and bold. The dressing added just a hint of sweetness.

5 of 5

Finicky Frank's Cafe - Omaha, NE

My wife and I were in a quilt shop in Fremont and I overheard a woman talking about a local restaurant called Finicky Franks where she had the best reuben that she had ever had. Googled, GPS'ed and Went(Go'ed?). Frank's is a little hole in the wall in a strip mall which while only a hop skip and a jump from the freeway is not in an obvious place. Outside there is a patio with signs for regional beers. Inside the decor is modern.

We were there about 12:30 and there was a reasonable crowd. I ordered the "Finicky Reuben" with a side of hand cut onion rings. The waitress said that it was a very popular choice and that she had served 10 so far that day.  I had high hopes.

The sandwich came and the bread was nicely browned and not at all soggy.  The cheese was melted and there was a good mixture of sauerkraut, dressing and pastrami.  I could tell why the woman in the quilt shop had called this the best reuben she had ever had.  It was an excellent reuben.

The onion rings had a lot of potential but failed to live up to it.  It tasted like a good quality onion but the batter was sadly lacking.  It had no seasoning in it.  It tasted like flour with a hint of beer.  A little salt and pepper would have made it an order of magnitude better.

My only complaints with the reuben were that the cheese could have been more melted and a proper rye bread instead of the marbled.

4.5 out of 5.

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The Brick Kansas City, MO

What kind of city names itself after another state? For that matter what state allows another state's copy of its city to be nicer than its own? Geography aside, the Brick is a bar near the headquarters of The Kansas City Star with art on the walls and stage for live music. They have local craft beers, including a wheat which is excellent on a hot summer day.

I ordered the reuben with a side of sweet potato fries. I guess I am becoming a broken record with those., but they are so yummy.

The sandwich came with marbled rye which seemed a bit doughy and not at all grilled. Fortunately, it wasn't soggy. The corned beef had a nice cooked taste. It had been grilled before the sandwich was assembled.

The reuben could stand to have a bit more cheese. The dressing was an appropriate amount but poorly distributed.

All in all, the sandwich was okay but not wonderful; however, I did have an excellent raspberry lemonade cupcake for dessert.

3 out of 5.

Marzoni's - Altoona PA

Marzoni's is a brewpub in Altoona, PA owned by the company that owns the Hoss's chain of restaurants.  I found out about it in book of Pennsylvania Breweries that I got for Father's Day (Thanks Ida!).  We got there about 11 a.m. figuring that we would beat the church crowd (Horray early service!)  It was empty when we got in but fairly well packed when we left.

I ordered a flight of beers, a reuben and some sweet potato fries.  After a bit of a wait and an apology the beer came.  Yummy, yummy beer.  After more of a wait and apology my wife's pizza came.  Brick fired oven, thin crust, lots of cheese, quality toppings, definitely a hit.

A flight of 8 samples.  The 6 standard on the wheel and the 2 special of to the side.

My sandwich wasn't there though; it turns out the printer was broken and the chef didn't see my sandwich.  At least, I had my beer.

The sandwich arrived.  The dressing was off to the side.  The bread was almost an inch thick.  Although it was a marble rye, I had high hopes.  Hoss's is a steakhouse with an epic salad bar, the highlight of which is the fresh baked breads.  I figured that since Marzoni's is owned by Hoss's, and in fact shares a parking lot with the corporate headquarters, the bread should be fresh and excellent.  It was very good bread but I could have dealt with a more intense taste.  I could also have handled it being grilled a bit longer.  Perhaps the grilling of the sandwich was rushed to get it out due to the bad printer.

The pastrami and sauerkraut were okay.  Nothing to spectacular.  The pastrami was tepid, as was the sauerkraut.  With the dressing on the sandwich it came across as being a cold sandwich rather than a hot one.  

Halfway though my sandwich the fries came, also a victim of the dodgy printer.  They were mighty tasty.

For dessert I had banana nut bread pudding. That is bread pudding made from banana nut bread.  It was pretty good as well.

I would definitely recommend the pizza, fries, and the bread pudding; and not showing up when they just opened.  I'll be headed back there again.  Just not for the reuben.

Final Ranking 2.5 out of 5.

Stage Deli - NYC

The Stage Deli, 7th Avenue and 54th Street on the northern end of Manhattan's Theatre District. This restaurant has been an icon since it opened in 1937. The sandwiches are expensive though, as expected with the caché that accompanies it. $22 is more than I normally want to pay for a sandwich at lunch.  Nevertheless, I plunged ahead and ordered the #25 Tiger Wood Reuben with Pastrami (Corned Beef, Turkey and Salami were also options.)

The sandwich was open faced and piled high.  Off to the right is a bottle of Russian dressing allowing me to sauce bits as I go.  With the sandwich piled as high as this was saucing as you go is a necessity.


The first thing I did when I got the sandwich was to lift it up and inspect the bread.  It was just bread, no toasting and no grilling or anything.  I took a taste of the bread and was very happy with the flavor.  First rate, a little dry but piled up with sauerkraut and meat and cheese and dressing it's not a real problem.



The sauerkraut was okay, maybe a little too fresh.  The cheese was good. The pastrami was good but not spectacular.  Perhaps I've become too jaded by the intense and flavorful meats available in farm country.

Rating 4 of 5.

Plaza Diner - Fort Lee, NJ

I am in the New York City area to tryout for Jeopardy! tomorrow afternoon.  At Ida's suggestion we came in a day early so that we wouldn't be rushed tomorrow.  It was getting on to 5 o'clock and lunch had been small so we were both looking for dinner.  The hotel where we are staying, in spitting distance of the GWB, had a card with a list of local restaurants.  One of them was the Plaza Diner. 

It is a classic-looking diner with friendly staff.  On the menu was a reuben and when I ordered I was given a choice between pastrami and corned beef; score!  I went with the pastrami and when it came i was greeted with this.

It was an open-faced sandwich.  I didn't see any dressing on it and it came with a plate of mustard packets.  It was something different, I can respect that, but I am not sure about the plate of mustard though.  I took a peek under the sandwich to see what I was dealing with.  The bread had been lightly grilled and honestly didn't look like much.  I was afraid that I was going to be eating soggy bread.  I hate soggy bread. 

I picked up my knife and fork and then dug in.  The pastrami was not good.  I had a bite or two that was a bit funky and the rest almost tasted boiled.  The sauerkraut was pretty good and the cheese was melty at first.  It seems to be the peril of an open-faced sandwich is that it gets cold much faster.  The cheese and sauerkraut were good, the pastrami wasn't and the bread was rather disappointing, but at least it wasn't soggy.

This also marks the first time that I left one of my blog cards.

Rating 3 out of 5

Museum of Science and Industry - Chicago. IL

I am late on this.  I ate this sandwich Saturday afternoon.  Usually I get the post written within a couple of hours, but I am late this time.

Part of me wants to blame the lateness on my being on vacation.  Part of me wants to blame it on the bout of depression caused by eating this sandwich.  I was just lazy about it and I admit it.

I am reminded of the grilled cheese sandwich from the old Infocom game Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.  It is a sad hard stale thing.  Not really worth eating.  In the game, you even lost points for trying to eat it.  In the game you fed it to the dog to keep him from eating the microscopic space fleet.

I should have known better than to order it.  It is museum food.  Museums, like airplanes and hospitals use their hostage situation to coerce you into buying over priced food.  Since the food is so overpriced, it doesn't sell well.  Since it doesn't sell well, it goes stale.  Since it goes stale, bloggers end up waiting 3 days to tell people don't eat this.  Since I imagine even in a museum dedicated to gourmet cuisine the food would be atrocious. 

It was stale.  It was bland.  The meat was bland and tasteless.  The sauerkraut was bland and tasteless, the dressing was almost tasteless.  The bread was a crime against humanity.  It was tough and chewy and hard and tasteless. 

The sandwiches were premade and sitting out in a display case.  When I ordered mine the pulled it out of the case and put it dry into a sandwich press.  I should have known how it was going to turn out when the thickness of the sandwich didn't change when the person heaved the handle of the death machine down and the handle didn't fully go down.

On the plus side the museum was awesome.  They had several Mold-O-Ramas.  I also thoroughly enjoyed the Mythbusters exhibit.  It was awesome to see actual things built on/for the show.

Not a smooshie-headed lion but still awesome!

Cafe Karla - State College, PA

Cafe Karla is a small coffee shop on the back side of a professional building.  I have been meaning to try it for a while since it was walking distance from where I work.  When my wife pointed out that the special today was a Reuben I knew it was fate that I eat there today. 

The board listed the sandwich with the ingredients.  It came with a pickle and some chips.  I ordered a cup of chipotle cheese soup to go with it.  I had a choice with the chips of either the standard bagged fair, or I could have some of the home made chips.  These potato chips are made by a local Amish family and sold at the farmers' market.  It is amazing how great something as simple as potato chips can be.  Or how transcendently awesome they can become with good ingredients and care.

On to the sammich.  The obvious thing that hit was was that it was grilled in a panini press.  I am a big fan of the traditional griddle so I was a bit put off by this at first.  After tasting it though I think it is an passable substitute.  After biting into it, I found the true star of the sandwich was the corned beef.  This is not sliced deli corned beef but a thick chunks like you would see served with potatoes and cabbage for St Patrick's Day (or perhaps sauerkraut and homemade potato chips).  The sauerkraut was a bit mild and I didn't taste the Russian dressing.  There was a slight mustard taste to it that I am not certain about.  All in all it was a great sandwich for a cold day.  

Rating. 4 of 5

Bullfrog Brewery-Williamsport, PA

Let me start by saying that I love brewpubs.  Brewpubs are awesome, the beer is incredible, the food is incredible.  Even if you don't drink, you should try a brewpub for the food.  Every one I have been to has been excellent, and they all have been different.  The Bullfrog Brewpub in Williamsport was no exception.  They have a great collection of beers and some excellent food.  Most of the meat comes from a sustainable co-op in Troy, PA, and they source everything as locally as possible.  

There were many choices to be made with the Reuben at the Bullfrog, turkey, pastrami or tempeh (a variety of that which is not meat)  There was also a choice between coleslaw and sauerkraut.  I went the traditional route with pastrami and sauerkraut.  My side of choice was garlic fries.  

I was rather surprised to see the dressing on the side and once again a marble rye.  The contents of the sandwich were a bit wet which caused the bread to start to get soggy but on the whole it was well grilled and crisp.

The pastrami on it was incredible.  It had a great flavor.  It tasted like meat should taste.  It was salty, peppered, and mildly smokey.  If the pastrami was great, the sauerkraut really raised the bar.  It was a peppered kraut rich in flavor and texture.  It blended well with everything else and added a sharpness which I didn't realize I wanted until I had it.  

The sandwich came together and was one of the best ones that I have had.

Rating 4.5 of 5.

A sample of the beers available.

Arby's - Reedsville, PA

Need a Reuban... Not!

Recently, Arby's commercials have been promoting their reuben and their "super-reuben" a reuben/rachel hybrid.  For the uninitiated a rachel is a turkey reuben.  Reedsville is outside of my normal stomping grounds but the local Arby's has been closed due to a tendency for people to confuse the dining room with a drive through.  This is my second attempt to hit a non local Arby's.  The first ended in frustration when I attempted to visit one that closed at 9 pm.  "Needing a Reuben Now" must not occur after 9 pm in Bradford, PA.

I visited the Reedsville Arby's at about 8 pm and found it reasonably active.  I ordered the reuben with a side of curly fries and a drink.  The reuben came wrapped in paper.  The bread was stale and dry.  It might have been toasted but it didn't seem to be.  The surface of the bread had an odd flat texture, almost polished.  In addition the bread was bland, chewy and stale.  The pastrami had flavor like it had been boiled for a while or perhaps microwaved.  The dressing was watery and the cheese was practically non existent.  Yes, this was a reuben and perhaps it would satisfy a craving if there was nothing better available.

The only thing that saved me from great disappointment was low expectations.

Rating: 1 out of 5.

Garfield's Pub - State College, PA

Garfield's Pub, a national chain of casual dining restaurants.  Kitsch on the walls, uninspired food, and frou-frou drinks.  One of a dozen chains that are almost indistinguishable.  This one is in the Nittany Mall in State College, Pennsylvania.  I ordered the reuben with a side of beer battered onion rings and the featured beer, a vanilla porter (as opposed to a chocolate one?).

The bread was dry.  Not just not soggy, but actively dry.  It was like it was thrown on the grill without oil or butter.  Once again it was a rye pumpernickel swirl, a fine bread on its own but not aggressive enough.  The corned beef was thinly sliced and well stacked.  The sauerkraut was okay.  The Swiss cheese was excellent. It was melted and tangy and was probably the best part of sandwich.  On the whole it wasn't bad.  3.5 of 5.

As for the beer, it was okay, a bit hoppier than I like with a hint of vanilla.  The beer battered onion rings were mediocre.  They were battered in what is essentially catfish batter; a lot of corn meal, not much beer flavor and far more batter than onion, and only 3 rings for an upcharged side.

Perkins-State College, PA

Perkins is a chain of diners much like Denny's. They serve classic American food and have an attached bakery with all manner of pies and cakes. They also take their coffee seriously; instead of the bottomless cup of coffee, it is a bottomless pot. The quality is okay, but the quantity is excellent. I am here for an early dinner before a meeting about an upcoming Boy Scout Camporee that I am helping to organize.  The rueben was even listed on the chalkboard at the entrance as the special sandwich.  Yes!

I ordered the Reuben with a side of sweet potato fries (Hooray Vitamin A!)  The waitress said that she had just had that yesterday and that it was a good choice.

The first thing I noticed about the sandwich was the bread, a nice rye, reasonable thickness, evenly toasted.  It tasted slightly of margarine.  The corned beef was layered thick.  Although it was sliced thin the way it was stacked it was like a monolithic slab.  It was slightly off center making the sandwich slide.  The sauerkraut was crisp and flavorful and the dressing was passable but barely there.  The cheese was nicely melted.

All in all an excellent sandwich but the meat dominated,  It could have stood to have a another slice or two of cheese and a shade more dressing.  The biggest area for improvement would be the layering of the ingredients.  If the meat had been "fluffed" a bit more it would have been a bit easier to eat.

Final score 4.5/5

As a side note, the sweet potato fries were tasty.

Daily Special W00T!

If you order coffee they bring you a thermal carafe, and when it runs empty they bring another, and another, and another.

The inspiration...

A reuben sandwich consists of pastrami, swiss cheese, russian dressing, and sauerkraut, served on grilled rye bread. It is a sandwich of intense flavors that should be well balanced. Each of the ingredients have potentials to dominate lesser food stuffs, the joy of the rueben is that it is balance of greatness; game seven of the world series; overtime in the superbowl.

Fifteen years ago I had a Rueben that was the best I had ever had. The kraut was crispy and sharp, the swiss was aged and melted just right, the pastrami was hot and rich, and the rye bread had been grilled just right, It was crisp with a strong aroma. As I bit in the flavor of the layers exploded in my mouth.

The problem was that I couldn't remember where I had it. For nearly 10 years I searched restaurants in the area trying to remember where I would have had it. When I finally found the restaurant I was overjoyed. The reason it took so long was that it was at a breakfast restaurant.

Recently my wife showed me the blog Nachos NY dedicated to reviewing nachos. She suggested that I start one documenting reubens.

The Tavern-State College, PA

The Tavern is an fine dining restaurant in State College, Pennsylvania. It has been there for 60 years and the walls are lined with photos of the town and university. I was there for lunch and so decided that it would be a good restaurant to start the blog with.

Instead of the standard rye bread the Tavern has it served on a pumpernickel rye swirled bread. The bread was sliced a bit too thin but it was still strong enough to hold together. The first few bites were disappointing. With the way that it was lying on the plate the bottom slice had gone soggy. Additionally the grilling wasn't even. Part of the bread was burned and part of it was merely dried out. The second half of the sandwich was fine though.

The sauerkraut was bland, as was the corned beef. The cheese was well melted but once again mild. The russian dressing was overall the most dominant element but it tasted old.

On a whole the sandwich was good but not great. The flavors were well balanced but lacked in intensity.

Rating 3/5