Best Reuben In Town

I don't often order Reuben sandwiches, preferring instead the purity of a corned beef sandwich on rye with just a bit of mustard. Today, I woke up with a Reuben Jones for some unknown reason and I want to scratch the itch with the best Reuben in town. Any suggestions?

Some of my Favorites:


Manny's Deli - Chicago
Rockwell Inn - Morris
Country House - Lisle
Phillie's - Willowbrook
Cafe 47 - Yorkville

stevez wrote:I don't often order Reuben sandwiches, preferring instead the purity of a corned beef sandwich on rye

Do you include a pastrami rueben in your definition of a rueben? some do and some dont.

I like Manny's best based on quality of beef.

Palace Grill, around 1400 w madison is also very good.

If you are downtown the Berghoff in its current incarnation (underground) makes a servicable version.

One of my favorites- the Milk and Honey Smoked Turkey Reuben- far from traditional but so amazingly good.

iblock9 wrote:Do you include a pastrami rueben in your definition of a rueben?

Absolutely!

Try Valois if you are in Hyde Park:

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.ph ... ght=valois

Two unusual sources for really good Reubens are:

The lunch menu at Gibson's in Rosemont where the Reuben is run through the salamander to crisp it up versus being coooked on a griddle. It results is this kid of interesting meld of crispy bread, crispy corned beef edges, cheese, and russian dressing. Definitely a knife and fork reuben.

The Second, of the coffee shop variety is the Phoenix Restaurant at Cumberland and Lawrence. Griddled, melted corned beef magic with russian dressing and indsutrial fries on the side.

I know what's for lunch today, now! I'll be sliding by the Phoenix to try one to-go, shortly, oh so shortly, but not soon enough ...

-ramon

I was recently impressed with a reuben from The Depot. It was characteristically huge and the corned beef was fresh, moist, and had a homemade quality in both its thicker cut and pronounced brine which had a distinguishable allspice note. Very nice, now in rotation of my standard orders there (with the turkey club and pot roast sandwich).

I've had great reubens, though not exactly Jewish deli-style, at Seul's Tavern in Northfield. They use a soft variety of rye bread, which tends to work very well in the reuben. Their corned beef is solid, as is their kraut. The sandwich is large, melty, somewhat soft and very greasy. I can't say it's a destination reuben but definitely the thing to order if you are there or in the vicinity.

=R=

Seul's Tavern & Grill
1735 Orchard Ln
Northfield, IL 60093
(847) 441-8290

jpschust wrote:One of my favorites- the Milk and Honey Smoked Turkey Reuben- far from traditional but so amazingly good.

I know a place that serves this,
calling it a Smokey Reubenson.

In southeastern Wisconsin, the Star Bar & Restaurant(I94 & HWY S) serves a good Reuben(Vienna Beef), topped with an excellent home made dressing. Substitute the potato pancake for fries. Benji's and Jake's in Milwaukee serve fine Reubens.

Jake's Reuben photo courtesy of buffetbuster.

Star Bar & Restaurant
2616 120th Ave aka HWY 142(west) & HWY S(east)
Kenosha, WI 53144
262-859-2222

I think I recall seeing a Reuben on the menu at Depot American Diner. Now I guess I'll have to try it next time I'm there.

Hi,

There is an older thread on the same topic with other ideas: http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=22955#22955

Regards,

I'll second the Depot. I had one the other day and it far exceeded my expectations.

dukesdad wrote:I'll second the Depot. I had one the other day and it far exceeded my expectations.

Sent this thread to a friend who lives near there. He had this to say:

"Had one at Depot. Best reuben I've ever had."

I had a surprisingly good reuben the other day at, believe it or not, the American Airlines Admiral's Club in Terminal 3 at O'Hare airport. Granted, my reference space could not be more limited -- this was the first reuben sandwich I ever had in my life. Less than halfway into it I concluded that I have been a complete idiot and wasted most of my life so far. Where reubens are concerned, that is. I might have redeemed myself in a few non-reuben ways in the past 40-some years. But I digress.

It was surprising not only because I always thought (despite my mother's pleading and prompting) that I woudn't like reuben sandwiches (for the simple that sauerkraut screams SOUR to me), but also because, you know, many of you at least, what kind of sandwiches you usually get at the airport -- too much bread, too little flavor, costing way too much money.

I confessed my sin to reuben-lovers-in-the-know at my destination, and they said that the sauerkraut was the key. I presume they mean it should not be anywhere near as sauer as the name implies.

Next stop on my reuben fact-finding mission: Burt's Deli in Libertyville. I'll report back.

jimswside wrote:Some of my Favorites:


Manny's Deli - Chicago

I eat at Manny's fairly regularly as it's walking distance from the office . . . but I've never had the Reuben there. Mostly because I've only ever seen them pre-made sitting forlornly in a tray, not something I really want. Do you just tell Gino you want one made fresh?

Lured by the description:

Jefe wrote:the corned beef was fresh, moist, and had a homemade quality in both its thicker cut and pronounced brine which had a distinguishable allspice note.

I made a bee line to the Depot Diner for lunch today. Although the sandwich was nothing like the above description, the corned beef seemingly standard Vienna food service quality sliced thin, the Depot made a very good version of a Reuben on dark but soft bread. I was very glad I went.

Depot Diner Reuben Sandwich

Kman wrote:I eat at Manny's fairly regularly as it's walking distance from the office . . . but I've never had the Reuben there. Mostly because I've only ever seen them pre-made sitting forlornly in a tray, not something I really want. Do you just tell Gino you want one made fresh?

Well, the sandwiches are premade with a very small amount of corned beef, and then stuffed with fresh corned beef when you order 'em. So they're only sort of pre-made.

That said, I bet Gino or one of the other guys will make one fresh if you ask.

stevez wrote:Lured by the description:

Jefe wrote:the corned beef was fresh, moist, and had a homemade quality in both its thicker cut and pronounced brine which had a distinguishable allspice note.

Although the sandwich was nothing like the above description, the corned beef seemingly standard Vienna food service quality sliced thin,

FWIW, that looks different than the beef I tried two weeks ago. Possible?
Glad you enjoyed it, nonetheless.

YourPalWill wrote:. . . the coffee shop variety is the Phoenix Restaurant at Cumberland and Lawrence. Griddled, melted corned beef magic with russian dressing and indsutrial fries on the side.

Will, I hope you mean Thousand Island dressing . . . do you??? Since I too work in the O'Hare area, I'm curious to give this a try.

But my favorite Reuben is hands-down Manny's. It's everything a Reuben should be -- plenty of kraut, dressing, cheese, excellent corned beef and crispy, buttery rye toast. Don't be afraid to ask them to make you one from scratch because sometimes they have pre-made ones that look a bit old.

The duck reuben at Hopleaf is awfully good, too. Nice starter reuben for the timid - plus you get those awesome frites and aioli. Talk about good eats.

Without a doubt my favorite Reuben in the city is the corned beef and pastrami combo version at Francis' deli on Clark. Really. It is. If you like Reubens you should check this one out for sure.

BR wrote:Will, I hope you mean Thousand Island dressing

Funny you mention this...earlier in the thread I asked the OP if he considered a "Pastrami Reuben" to be a "Reuben" to which he enthusiastically said yes. It is my understanding that a Reuben, as created at the restaurant of the same name in NYC (at least according to my dad who knows about such things), can either be constructed with corned beef or pastrami, thousand island dressing or russian dressing and served on either dark rye or pumpernickel bread. That having been said, the constant is always sauerkraut

My personal preference is corned beef/thousand and dark rye which i consider the default construction at least in the chicago area

Not to get too tangential but I would be interested in what people think of the above.

Finally, in an earlier response I suggested avoiding 11 city diner's reuben...i thought about it for a while and edited my post to remove my comment as it had been some time since i had been to 11 city. Today I decided to cab it down to 11th and wabash for a long overdue return visit. I have to say i was pleasantly surprised. The soup was much better then i remembered, matzo balls were huge and light and the reuben and pastrami sandwiches were excellent with the pastrami being particularly peppery and good. I have definitely changed my opinion about 11 city and will return.

iblock9 wrote:i thought about it for a while and edited my post to remove my comment as it had been some time since i had been to 11 city.

IBlock,

In the future I suggest not editing past posts dependant on the ebb and flow of a sandwich (for example). It is infinitely interesting, at least to me, to read through a thread and see how places develop, change, modify over the course of time. Removing obvious points of reference, such as a ruben sandwich, tend to muddy the waters.

If you are worried someone will take your outdated advice, just do exactly what you did naturally, post an update to the thread noting your change of opinion.

Enjoy,
Gary

Point well taken, I wasnt really sure how to handle it because I felt like taking my remark back almost immediately after i posted it because i really felt it was unfair. Since I removed the comment shortly after my original post I thought it bordered on appropriate. I mentioned it because I am feeling guily about having removed it which is why i posted about it in followup. Obviously, the better way to handle the situation would have been a retraction or clarification in followup. Live and learn.

iblock9 wrote:It is my understanding that a Reuben, as created at the restaurant of the same name in NYC (at least according to my dad who knows about such things), can either be constructed with corned beef or pastrami, thousand island dressing or russian dressing and served on either dark rye or pumpernickel bread.

There is some controversy as to whether or not the Reuben was actually invented in NYC. Many people seem to think it was invented in Nebraska. Be that as it may, in New York, russian dressing and thousand island are often the same thing. They seem to be unaware of the orange/red stuff that we call Russian dressing here in the Midwest, but of course they know best. We're just a bunch of prairie wankers, to hear them tell it.

Kman wrote:

jimswside wrote:Some of my Favorites:


Manny's Deli - Chicago

I eat at Manny's fairly regularly as it's walking distance from the office . . . but I've never had the Reuben there. Mostly because I've only ever seen them pre-made sitting forlornly in a tray, not something I really want. Do you just tell Gino you want one made fresh?

On my trips to Manny's I have had the Reuben made fresh, I have even been in there during the end of the traditional breakfast time when they are cutting corned beef, and had the rueben for breakfast.

If you will permit a digression: as a burgeoning foodie watching David Rosengarten's old show on The Food Network, I saw him offfer up his favorite version of a reuben featuring corned beef, swiss, kraut and thousand island dressing, but with soft rye bread and - horror of horrors - he steamed the thing!

Rosengarten claimed when one steamed the sandwich all of the stacked ingredients were evenly heated through and the softer texture of the sandwich lent itself to enjoying more of the flavor combination without the distraction of the crusty bread exterior.

I grew up eating reubens in the western suburbs (we made them at home alot) and they were always grilled and always with dark rye. I thought - this guy has his own TV show and must know what he's talking about so I'[ll give it a try. What a disappointment. The thing was a mushy train wreck of a sandwich.

I am all about trying new variations but David - don't mess with my reuben!