Reuben Report

New restaurant in town!!! I spy a reuben on the menu 👀👀👀

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there!! To celebrate (and give myself a night off from cooking), we went out for dinner!

To be honest, I really wanted Gyros Express, but they’re closed on Sundays. Honestly, devastating news for me personally. So, pivoting plans, I checked my list of restaurants still to try and we landed on Tailgaters! I had never been there before, so I really didn’t know what to expect.

When we arrived, the parking lot was packed — always a good sign when it comes to food! No one fights for parking over mediocre food.
The menu had tons of options and something for everyone. Of course, I ordered their Reuben sandwich.

Let’s discuss.

At $14, this MASSIVE sandwich also came with a hearty side of fries.
First glance told me this thing meant business: marble rye bread, Swiss cheese on both sides, a generous portion of thinly sliced corned beef (not usually my favorite style, BUT the quantity here impressed me), plus Thousand Island dressing and sauerkraut.

Now, the sauerkraut side was placed face-down on the tray, so the bottom piece of bread got a little soft. Thankfully, not soggy enough to fall apart, and I caught it quickly enough to flip the sandwich before it became an issue.

The Thousand Island dressing was actually on the lighter side, which honestly impressed me. The waitress DID ask if I wanted extra sauce on the side (very thoughtful), but I declined because I wanted to experience the sandwich exactly as it was served. Next time though, I’m absolutely getting extra sauce because I would’ve loved just a little more tang in my bites.

The sauerkraut was perfectly distributed and added a delicious crunch throughout the sandwich.

And the Swiss cheese on BOTH sides…construction genius. The chef clearly knows what they’re doing. It helped hold everything together while also delivering that glorious melted cheese pull… ahhhh… pure bliss.
The marble rye was toasted though it maybe could’ve gone just slightly longer, but definitely not a dealbreaker.

The corned beef was not fatty at all and was such a generous portion, getting to sink my teeth into such a full sandwich and have it deliver on flavor with every bite was just the mothers day meal I wanted!

You guys, this is a SOLID Reuben that not only won’t break the bank, but will absolutely fill you up and have you planning your next visit back. I actually didn’t even eat my fries because the sandwich was THAT good and I’d rather save room for sandwich than fries. (Though the fries WERE really good too.)

So… Tailgaters… who knew?! This one is definitely climbing the ranks as one of my new favorites. Nicely done!!!

From the Archives: March 2024
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Hey there Ruben friends! I went to Yardarm
yesterday for dinner with the fam! I've heard good things about their reuben and it's only seasonal (March) So I've been waiting a long time for this one!!

I've got to say, I feel a bit conflicted with this report. I'm also obligated to admit I'm a bit stuffy, so there's a chance taste was altered because if this.

I'll start with the pros. This is BY FAR the BEST corned beef I've ever had. Not a single fatty piece, it was so tender and juicy. The flavor was spot on and no freezer funk. This was fresh and cooked to perfection. I don't prefer the huge chunks of corned beef, but it was so delicious I didn't really mind.

The sandwich was served along with sand dollars, and the whole thing was served on the tiniest little tray I've ever seen. I spilled sand dollars trying to pick up my sandwich so I could prop it up a bit for a photo... I prefer an plate that fits the portion size of the meal. Oh well.

The marble rye was toasted, however when I picked my sandwich up to eat, the bottom piece was so soggy my sandwich fell appart. I had to use a knife/fork to eat the entire thing. There was a generous portion of sauerkraut, which had a good taste. I wonder if they make their own...?

The presence of 1000 island dressing was so miniscule, I really felt the lack. Definitely missing a key team player.
Swiss cheese was also not a top player in this sandwich.

All on all, it TASTED good, but was missing the 'more'. And I don't love a sandwich I can't eat with my hands. Would I get a reuben there again next year? Probably. Maybe. But it's not gonna hit my top 5 list.

Here's how it scored:

Presentation: 2
Smell: 3
Distribution: 3
Creativity: 3
Marble rye bread: 3
Swiss cheese: 3
Sauerkraut:4
1000 island dressing: 3
Meat texture: 5
Taste/balance: 3
Temperature: 5
Portion size: 5

42/60 total score. A kind of average run of the mill reuben. Still good. But not the best.

Till the next time!!

From The Archives: February 2024

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Sunday Reuben, anyone? Yes please! There’s nothing better than a hot lunch after a great morning at church.

Today we stopped at The Blue Badger Bar & Grill and it was a pretty unique experience. They don’t have staff taking orders, instead you order straight from your phone, which honestly made it kind of fun. You can really customize everything exactly how you want it. Price point was great, and the portion sizes were surprisingly generous.

Let’s get down to business.

The Reuben was priced at $11, and that included fries, which already feels like a win. Definitely a lot of bang for your buck here.

Right away, I was impressed by the size and the fact that it came on actual marble rye. Even better, it was well toasted and held up with a nice crisp through every bite. At first bite, I noticed a slightly different flavor in the corned beef than what I’m used to—maybe it was the sliced style? Not sure. Either way, it wasn’t a dealbreaker at all and I kept going strong.

The sauerkraut had a nice tang, and there was plenty of Swiss and Thousand Island to balance everything out. This sandwich really did hit all the marks.

I do keep finding myself missing that really unique parm-crusted marble rye from Dewey’s… that one still lives rent-free in my head. But overall, this Reuben absolutely held its own.

I’d come back for sure.

From the archives: February 2024
*I forgot how much I liked this one, I need to go back!*

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I went out to dinner last night with some friends, and we decided to try The Ivanhoe Pub & Eatery ! This place has been on my Reuben wishlist for a while. If our local Irish pub can't get a reuben right, who can??

I had to find out for myself.

I'm happy to announce that Ivanhoe did not disappoint! This is one of the better executed sandwiches I've had in a while. The minimal ingredients were appropriately distributed, with no bulky spots. There was the perfect amount of swiss cheese, enough so that with every bite, there was that (kinda annoying, but I'd be mad if it wasn't there) cheese string from sandwich to mouth.

The sauerkraut almost had a lemony taste to it, which was a surprise to my palate, and I found I enjoyed it. I appreciated that the bread was heavily toasted, so it remained crunchy the entire meal. However it was tosted so much, I can't be sure it was marble rye bread.

The corned beef was in perfect slices, not quite deli meat style but also not quite chunks either. The meat was tender, juicy and only had a few fatty parts. I suppose if I had one main complaint, I wish there had been a bit more 1000 island dressing, but all in all this was a great sandwich!

From the Archives: November 2023
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I had to write this while it’s still fresh in my head. Tonight I went to Reefpoint Brew House for dinner with a group of friends, and of course, my ongoing hunt for the best local Reuben—I ordered theirs.

First impression: messy. The sandwich was sloppily assembled, lopsided, with uneven distribution of ingredients. The bread was nicely toasted (at least on the top half), but unfortunately, that’s where the positives end.

The corned beef, if you can even call it that, was the biggest issue. It came in large chunks, most of which seemed to be pure fat. What little actual meat there was felt tough and grisly. Every bite was a struggle, with chewy strands of fat that refused to break down. It was genuinely unpleasant.

It got to the point where I removed the meat entirely and just ate the sauerkraut and Thousand Island between slices of crunchy-on-top, soggy-on-the-bottom bread.

This was my third time ordering a Reuben here, and somehow it’s been worse each time. The only reason I gave it another shot was because I hadn’t documented the last experience. Lesson learned.

Overall, a major disappointment and a waste of money. I’d rank it just above the Dienasty one (check my album for that post 🤢).

On the bright side, the fries were good and the company was even better.