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.

.

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