Friday, May 28, 2010

Reubens in Washtenaw

Over the last 6 months, I've become a bit less vegetarian than I had been for years. In October of 1993, I stopped eating meat & then in the fall of 1997 I went vegan for a couple years. After that, when Stephanie was pregnant, I started to eat cheese & ice cream again since it was around the house more. Then about 10 years ago, we took a trip to FLA where we enjoyed some fish. At that point, we became occasional fish eaters (a few times a year). Lately, I've been enjoying the more carnivorous side of life again. I'm aware it's not the most environmentally sound dietary change I've ever made, & I can think of a few animals who had other plans than t be digested by me, but I certainly haven't gone overboard w/ this. The one thing I have been enjoying again, though, is a Reuben Sandwich. I'm loving me some Corned Beef. Here is a run-down of the Top 5 Reubens in the area.5) Conor O'Neill's
I was a bit surprised that an Irish pub didn't make it a little higher on the list. The slices of corned beef could have been thinner, but the bread was good.

4) Sidetrack
I had this one quite a while ago; I haven't had another 1 since. I think when going to Sidetrack, I'll have to stick to the Tempe version.

3) Cafe Luwak
I just had this 1 an hour ago. The corned beef was great, but the bread was a bit think & dry. I liked the added touch of the grainy mustard though.

2) Aubree's
I tried this 1 a few Weeks ago when we went there for Aiden's b-day. It's fantastic. They use a great marbled rye & load it down w/ thinly sliced corned beef.

1)The Village Kitchen
The don't have a web-site so a restaurant review page will have to suffice. I tried their Reuben for the 1st time a few months ago when I was out to lunch w/ Laura. It's perfect. The bread is grilled to a delicious buttery crispness. The corned beef is thinly slices & heaping. The Swiss cheese & kraut are great. I was kind of shocked that this place topped the list, but it's a really fantastic sandwich. (I also had their corned beef hash a couple months ago. It's equally good.) They're located right by Plum Market, & if you're over on that side of on, give 'em a go!

9 comments:

Stephanie said...

You forgot to include your own on the list! That is still my favorite!

peltierinator said...

Gianni's has a pretty good one. you also forgot to include your chili dog/fries experience. That would have been the highlight of the post.

jason said...

Zingerman's dude. Your list is woefully incomplete without including Zingerman's.

Andre said...

I've actually nver been there. I'll have to give it a go.

jason said...

Amir's had a pretty good one from what I remember too. Have you tried one there? In fact, have you tried more than the 5 on your list? How about Arby's? Where does that one rank?

Rex said...

Are you kidding me? Zingerman's ruben was rated by GQ magazine as one of the sandwiches that will change your life. And you propose a list of the top 5 rubens in washtenaw county and have NEVER BEEN TO ZINGERMANS?!

I swear I'm not some sort of Zingerman's zealot, but give me a break. I really do want to believe that Village Kitchen has an incredible ruben, but I wasn't impressed the few times I've been there for breakfast. As far as I could tell, Village Kitchen was just another in a long line of restaurant that might as well be owned by Sysco or GFS.

I second the suggestion that you try Amer's Deli, and Casey's, Red Hawk, Sava Cafe (not to be confused with Seva), and Zingerman's.

jason said...

Yeah Andre. You should stick to things you know, like the Top 5 Glory Holes in Washtenaw County.

Andre said...

I will never get a Ruben at Amer's. If I'm going to go in there, it's only for the falafel ranch.

And no, I haven't been to Arby's in17 years. What's gthe fuckc is Casey's? I heard about Sava a few days ago, but no, actually, these are 5 of the 9 I've had. The other 4 (one in Saline, and three in Ann Arbor) have sucked. I have no faith in Red Hawk or in a GQ list. They listed Sidetrack's burger in a similar way... it's just a fucking burger.

LBS said...

You should also try Mike's Deli in downtown Chelsea. GREAT reuben sandwich, along with pretty much everything else they make, without the high cost of Zingerman's fare.