What Is A Reuben?

The Reuben consists primarily of the following:

• Rye Bread
• Corned Beef
• Sauerkraut
• Swiss Cheese
• Russian dressing

However, it does have a number of variations depending on the restaurant you're at. The most common variations are 1) The type of Rye Bread used, and 2) Using mustard, or an offshoot of a mustard/mayonnaise based dressing instead of actual Russian dressing.

The History of the Reuben

The Reuben sandwich supposedly originated from its creator, and namesake, Arthur Reuben, owner of New York's once-famous "Reuben's Delicatessen" on Madison Avenue. Reuben is said to have created the original version (which was reportedly made with ham) for Annette Seelos, the leading lady in a Charlie Chaplin film being shot in 1914, after she purportedly said she was so hungry she could "Eat a brick."

Another version of this famous sandwich's origin is that an Omaha wholesale grocer, Reuben Kay, invented it during a poker game in 1955. Its claim to fame came when one of his poker partner's employees entered the recipe in a national sandwich contest the following year...and won.

The Results (Out of a possible 5)

Dunn's Famous Montreal Deli
284A King Street West

A double-decker delight on dark rye bread. The corned beef was a little suspect on both occasions, however, ample Swiss cheese and sauerkraut gets good marks. No native sauce to be found detracts from the overall score.

Reuben Rating:

Pickle Barrel - Yonge & Eglinton
2300 Yonge Street

Ultra greasy, and heaps of really fresh corned beef made this one a beauty. A little weak on the sauerkraut loses a few points, and the dark rye was a little too well toasted for my liking. No one likes cutting the roof of their mouth on a sandwich.

Reuben Rating: