Best Reuben PDX

Reuben's are quite possibly my favorite sandwich. My second favorite sandwich is a Cuban, which makes me question if a Reuben was named so to rhyme with it's Miamian sandwich cousin. A reuben is typically defined as a corned beef sandwich, topped with sauerkraut and melted gruyere cheese all between two slices of rye smeared with Thousand Island Russian dressing.  My favorite reubens are grilled enough so the bread has a nice crunch when you bite into it. Here is my list of my top four favorite reubens in Portland.
Note: I didn't take any of these awesome photographs. I stole them from yelp, urbanspoon, and the like. Please don't sue me.

4. Kenny & Zukes
1038 SW Stark St.
I used to order the reuben at Kenny & Zukes Sandwichworks, which has now turned into Kenny & Zukes Bagelworks (not to be confused with Kenny & Zukes Deli OR Kenny & Zukes Deli Bar). I'm now so confused with what each Kenny & Zukes location offers that I don't know where to find this delicious reuben anymore. This little number will set you back $5.75, by far the best deal reuben in town. Bonus: Comes with an incredibly crunchy pickle.

3. Guner
 527 SW 12th Ave.
Gruner calls their rueben a Gru-ben and it is delicious. This $11 baby comes with a vinegar based potato salad. Gruner is a German restaurant, so you bet your bottom dollar they know how to make a mean kraut.

2. Tasty & Sons
3808 N Williams Ave.
Although Tasty & Sons has my second favorite reuben in Portland, I've only had it once. Why? Because everything I've eaten at Tasty & Sons is the best of its kind, and it's hard to order a reuben again when there are so many other tasty concoctions on the menu begging to be ordered. This $10 sandwich comes with a generous portion of fries, which I instinctively pushed to the side in order to tackle the more important star of the show, the reuben. You cannot go wrong at Tasty, and their incredible food (and long lines) continue to blow me away.

1. Imperial
410 SW Broadway
I went to Imperial this past Sunday and was blown away by the best reuben IN THE WORLD, thus prompting me to author this blog entry. I should have known the 2005 James Beard Best Chef Northwest Award winner would do something delicious with his take on the Jewish sandwich staple. What stood out on this reuben to me was the kraut. Chef Vitaly Paley has foregone the typical green cabbage kraut for a beautiful bright red cabbage, and it is damn delicious. He uses an organic gruyere, which is so much creamier than a standard gruyere, lending itself to the likes of a fontina. The corned beef melts in your mouth, and is sandwiched between two toasty slices of Grand Central rye. For a (steep) $13, this little gem comes with a side of homemade potato chips.

Quotes

I just finished reading a book called "The Reach of a Chef: Professional Cooks in the Age of Celebrity" by Michael Ruhlman. A fantastic book and a must-read for anyone whose ever been sucked into The Food Network or wandered the shelves of Sur La Tab wondering how so many celebrity chefs got their own brand of cookware.  I loved this quote from the book about "finding" yourself in the kitchen:

"We've all got to eat.  A kitchen is a good place to be, almost always the best place in the house...  A place where you can't lie to yourself. Go to the kitchen.  Wipe down your counter till it shines.  Set out a heavy cutting board. Steel a paring knife and a chef's knife.  Gather your shallots, your parsley, your tomatoes, and the rest of your mise en place, and stand in once place and cook for a long time.  That's the greatest thing about a kitchen- it's guaranteed always to be there, will always be only and exactly what it is.  That's where greatness begins."

While I'm quoting, I might as well share a few quotes I found written on the walls of Delicatus, a favorite Seattle sandwich shop of mine.

"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing, and devote our attention to eating"- Luciano Pavarotti

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well"- Virginia Woolf

"Life is too short for self-hatred and celery sticks"- Marilyn Wann

"Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond , cauliflower is nothing more but cabbage with a college education"- Mark Twain

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food"- Hippocrates