A CLASSIC REUBEN SANDWICH
The BOWERY DINER
NEW YORK, NY
Wow, The Reuben Sandwich is The Hot new food Item 2012. This is great. The Reuben is one of my All-Time Favorites. So why haven't I had one in ages, I wonder? And why if I haven't had one in ages, that it's one of my All Time Faves? Well I'll tell you. Number one, when made right, it's "Dam Tasty." And I say made right, cause if you don't have the right person or right place makin them, "a lot can go wrong."
So why is it one of my Favorites you ask, aside from it being so delicious? Well, The Reuben Sandwich takes my back to my youth, to my wonderful days at High School where I first discovered, made, and eat this wonderful thing. Wait a minute. No that's not where I discovered and first ate it, that's where I first made it, I'll tell you about that in a moment. Where I first discovered and ate it was at a restaurant I worked in as a busboy back in High School. It was the Moonraker Restaurant in Paramus New Jersey. Yeah, that's the place. I was working at this restaurant, the Reuben was on the menu and was one of the items we were aloud to order and eat for employee meal. How could I forget?
Well back to high School and making the Reuben. Me and a few of my buddy's loved food. OF course. Now there was a Cooking Class in our High School that only girls took. Guys were never in eat. Never ever! Now me and my buddy's as I've said love food and tow of us work in restaurants. Now we figure if we could get into this Cooking Class we can get to eat a lot of good food, learn to cook, and be a hit with the girls. We didn't care that no guys ever took this class before, just girls, we had "Balls" we didn't care what other people thought, we wanted to eat and we wanted to learn to cook. We signed up for the cooking class and we got in.
Anyway, one day the teacher asked us if there was anything we wanted to learn how to cook. A few things were thrown out there, I don't remember the other items, but i threw out The REUBEN and guess what, that's what we all decided on that we were going to make. The teacher researched the Reuben. She gave us printed han outs on the Reuben. All ingredients were assembled; Pastrami, Rye Bread, Sauerkraut, Mustard and Swiss Cheese. We were ready to go, me my buddy John P. and this girl Debbie P that my buddy John P couldn't stand. She was skinny as hell but ate a lot of food, more than her fare share and it drove Johnny Boy crazy.
Anyway, all ingredients were ready, we read the hand out instructions and went to town making our Reubens,. Exciting! I must say, they came out pretty good. We loved them and subsequently I made them a couple times at home. But guess what, I haven't had one of these lovely morsels of a sandwich in years. And guess what. Yeah, I saw the piece in Neww York Magazine this week about "Reintroducing The Reuben." It caught my eye. Especially the great pictures of Juicy Reubens. Dam it got me going. I wanted one. I read the article and decided I had to go. Go get a Reuben that it. Two things appealed to me as to the place I was going to get my Reuben Fix. Number one, I want a real classic Reuben, not some dumb alternative version of one, like a dumb ass Turkey or Chicken Reuben. Hey that's not a Reuben. I want the Real Thing, one on grilled Rye with either Pastrami or Corned Beef, both exceptable meats for the Reuben, although I lean more towards one made with Pastrami.
Daniel Bellino Zwicke
MY REUBEN at The BOWERY DINER
by Daniel Bellino Zwicke
Had a REUBEN SANDWICH at the new Bowery Diner yesterday. Yumm, it was Dam Good. Succulent and tasty as I could have hoped for. Saw the piece in New York Magazine this week reintroducing the Reuben. There were some really juicy pictures that got my juices going and yearning for one of these tasty baby's. I had to get one, and I chose the recently opened Bowery Diner for four reasons. Number one, I'm an old diner from way back. Two, I had read about the Bowery Diner a few weeks ago and because as I said I'm a Diner lover from way back, I wanted to check it out. Three, it's in walking distance from my apartment, and four, the price, it wasn't $15 and up, not like some of the other ones, although it is more than $15 on dinner menu at The Bowery Diner, but at lunch it's just $8.75. Let was the deal closer. And there is actually a fifth reason, as I saw in the picture in NyMag and read about it, it was a Classic Old School Reuben, not some Dumb Ass version of a Reuben made with Chicken or Turkey. The Reuben at the Bowery Diner was Classic and Old School and really looked mouthwatering in that picture.
So after my morning Coffee and reading the papers on Monday morning, I left the Cafe and started heading east on Prince Street and over to The Bowery, the street that is, of which is the namesake of the Diner. it was a nice brisk Winter's day. The Sun was out and it wasn't too cold, so I had a nice little walk.
So I get over there and take a peek inside first. It looked pretty cool and it was kind of dead, I was a bit surprised. Thought it would be a little more lively. Maybe at night? One good thing about it not being busy, although I was by myself i should have any problem of getting a nice booth, cause when I'm in a diner, I just gotta sit in a booth. If not a booth, then at the counter but not a regular table. So I walked on in and was greeted by the hostess. I asked for a nice booth and she gave me on. Excellent. The waitress brought me a menu and asked if I wanted anything to drink besides the water. A Coffee please? She brought me a nice Cup of Joe and asked if I was ready to order. Ready to order? I new what I wanted two days ago. So I ordered my Reuben, and oh by the way, I'm hoping and wondering if this baby is going to be as good as it looked in the picture and of how I had been hoping in anticipation that it would. It arrived arrived ten or twelve minutes later and guess what? Hell Yeah! My Reuben Sandwich was every bit as succulent Tasty and Marvelous as I was dreaming it would be. It was downright "Outstanding," nice and juicy and succulent, perfectly toasted Rye Bread, nice melting Gruyere Cheese, Sauerkraut and most important of all a nice thick pile of Succulent Tasty Slightly Smokey, Just about perfect Pastrami. "I Love it." I was in 7th Heaven and ectsty with my Bad Ass Tasty Reuben.
Well i gotta say, The Bowery Diner and new York Magazine with their little piece on the Reuben and the picture of the Bowery Diner's Reuben met my high expectations. So many times you get disappointed, but here I was thoroughly pleased, a Great Reuben, nice ambiance, and a real nice waitress taking care of me. Great service. And one other happy discovery I made on my way to the laboratory, they got a Cool Old Seeburg Jukebox. it's beautiful. i wanted to play a few tunes, remembrances of my childhood but the hostess said it wasn't hooked up yet. Let's hope it will be, cause it's always a lot of fun throwing quarters in those old baby's, watching your records picked from the pile, put on the turntable ans spun. Love It!
So, it was quite a nice lunch at The Bowery Diner with My Reuben, the booth, a Cup of Joe and a Cool Old Jukebox, Check it!
SEEBURG JUKEBOX
THE BOWERY DINER
NEW YORK, NY