The Reuben Sandwich

A summary of my adventures eating Reubens from around the area. I'm not a sandwich guy since I grew up in another country. Reubens and Italians are just about the only sandwiches that I like. Feel free to recommend other places with excellent Reubens. A Reuben should be made with Corned Beef Brisket, Swiss cheese, Sauerkraut, and Russian dressing between grilled or toasted slices of rye bread. The corned beef brisket should be thickly sliced. Using slaw, it's called a Rachel.

The Irish Cottage in Methuen. Online listed as Corned Beef Reuben, but on the menu called "Sligo Corned Beef Reuben" (13.00). "Slow Cooked, Hand Cut Corned Beef, Swiss Cheese, Sauerkraut and 1,000 Island Dressing on Thick Cut Rye". The original calls for Russian dressing that is less sweet. For my side, I picked Beer Battered Onion Rings, which was a far cry from the soggy rings I got on a previous visit. I also asked for extra dressing on the side, which was no problem. You never get enough dressing with your Reuben. The Sauerkraut was essentially missing, but I got extra kraut on the side. The corned beef was thickly cut, and I guess that's what hand cut really means. The corned beef was tender and tasty, and the Sauerkraut was good. The bread was nicely toasted. Biggest pickle ever! With extra dressing and Sauerkraut, this is my favorite Reuben.

Millers Tavern in Methuen. Tavern Reuben ($14.49). This wasn't a Reuben but a Rachel because they used slaw instead of Sauerkraut. My fault didn't pay attention to the description. The corned beef was excellent, and I got extra dressing on the side. The bread was toasted nicely, and the cheese was melted. The fries were outstanding, coated, and seasoned. They get a mention since they use real corned beef brisket, not round.

Deli King in Tewksbury. Deli King delivered a classic Reuben ($9.25) executed perfectly. I got it made with light rye since I'm not a fan of dark rye and, of course, extra dressing. Nobody gives me enough dressing. The Reuben was griddled nicely with the cheese melted. Plenty of corned beef brisket that was delicious, but why do they slice it so thinly? The corned beef was evenly distributed on the bread and wasn't just a lump in the middle. There was plenty of crisp Sauerkraut. This is an excellent rendition of a classic sandwich.

Olde Magoun's Saloon in Somerville is really in Magoun Square. Magoun's Reuben (16). "House cured corned beef brisket, bacon infused thousand island dressing, Swiss cheese on grilled marble rye & choice of ale braised sauerkraut or homemade coleslaw". Sauerkraut of course; otherwise, it's a Rachel. I picked the excellent onion rings that come with a horseradish dip for my side. Make sure to ask for the dip on a plate. The last time it arrived in a small container. Didn't work at all. The onion rings were excellent, really crunchy, but also very light. And they were salted! The Reuben has thickly sliced corned beef made of brisket, which was tender and delicious. There was also ample sauerkraut that was tasty and crisp. This was an excellent Reuben made the proper way. According to the server, everything is made in-house. The service was delightful. This is really a winner! Contender for first place!

Lendy's Deli in Saugus. Reuben ($12.25 $13.45). "Corned Beer or Pastrami piled as high as the New York sky and melted Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing and served with choice of French fries, potato salad, macaroni salad, or coleslaw." The corned beef wasn't really "piled high", but the sauerkraut underneath was. Thinly sliced corned beef brisket, and it was brisket. Light rye and an enormous pickle. The potato salad is excellent, but I don't remember having so many olives.

OUR PLACE in Peabody. REUBEN (14). "Fresh Corned Beef, Sauerkraut, Swiss Cheese and Thousand Island Dressing on Marble Rye." Extra dressing, please. Took another trip to get the dressing. The Reuben had been toasted nicely, and there was plenty of Sauerkraut. Couldn't say the same for the corned beef. The corned beef was cut so thinly that I have no idea if it was round or brisket. The texture indicates that this was, in fact, round and not brisket. The dressing was excellent. The bread here is really fantastic, light and very fresh. The homefries were terrible, overcooked, and soggy. Even if the skin was thin, it was still slimy.

Hale Street Tavern in Beverly Farms. CLASSIC REUBEN (17). "Corned beef, sauerkraut, thousand island, swiss cheese, rye." With their hand-cut fries of course. The rye turned out to be marbled rye, and that's fine with me. See any sauerkraut or dressing? Me neither, but my waitress quickly brought me some. To top it off, they charged me extra for the dressing! The corned beef brisket was the real deal and cut thicker than you usually get. If it is sliced very thinly, it is usually round and not brisket except at the various Brothers, who actually use brisket. The rye had been lightly crisped up, not enough to melt the cheese or heat up the brisket that was stone cold.

Reuben ($10.99) from Shawsheen Luncheonette in Andover. The choices of a side were FF, Housemade Chips or Coleslaw. The chips were excellent, but the fries are the coated version that I really like next time. I asked for extra sauerkraut and extra dressing. I wonder what it would look like without the extra? The bread was fresh marbled rye, and I'm happy with that. The corned beef was announced as hand-cut, and it was the real deal made from brisket and thickly cut. Not really thickly cut but not as thinly as when they are using round. The brisket was excellent, and I have to return for the hash.

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