Rochester's best restaurant dishes: Reubens

• Vince Press is a native Rochesterian and longtime foodie who is always in the mood for food and drink done right.
• vincepress@yahoo.com
• @VLPress

Everyone seems to be Irish for a day in March, which explains why corned beef seems to show up on specials boards everywhere this time of year.

Once a mega, 17th-century Irish export, corned beef took on a new complexity when Irish-American immigrants in New York began buying kosher beef brisket from Jewish butchers. That variation on the cured meat, paired with cabbage and potatoes, became a staple of Irish meals here.

The Reuben sandwich, starring sliced and tender corned beef, dates back about a century. But several people have made claims on inventing it. Was it Reuben Kulakofsky, tossing together whatever leftovers he could find in the kitchen at his Blackstone Hotel in Omaha, Nebraska, to feed his friends during a late-night poker game? Was it Arnold Reuben of Reuben’s Restaurant and Delicatessen in New York City? Or yet some other Reuben?

Regardless, the combination of sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing, cheese, beef and rye bread caught on. Today, most neighborhood bars, diners and deli counters offer a Reuben as a house specialty.

All the components matter, but let’s face it: The beef is where it’s at. And there are options. The spices in the brine. The length of brining. Whether the beef is just boiled or boiled then seared on the flattop.

There seem to be more riffs on Reubens than almost any other original classic. Not just the type of bread (marble rye, dark rye, seeded rye, plain rye) but the creativity of mixing and mingling components in new and different ways. Some have replaced the beef with turkey for a sammi with the moniker The Rachel. Others have created baked casseroles with cubes of rye layered with the other fixings. And the genius who dreamed up Irish Egg Rolls? Thank you!

The Bee Hive Brew Pub - Irish Egg Rolls; $9.99

20 Pleasant St., Canandaigua; 919-2471. www.beehivebrewpub.com

Bits of diced, house-cured corned beef are neatly tucked inside crispy egg roll wrappers that ooze cheese when cut. It’s a satisfying snacker and a great substitute for the traditional Reuben. Neatly packaged Reuben flavors—without the mess! Four come in an order with Thousand Island dipping sauce. A great dish to pair with beer. Also intriguing are other daily egg roll specials such as the Cuban and Taco rolls. Pub co-owners Kim Killigrew and Tracy Sibmore have more plans: Look for Two Babes Brewery opening across the street in a year or so.

Tap & Mallet - Tempeh Reuben; $11.50

381 Gregory St., Rochester; 473-0503. www.tapandmallet.com

Vitamin-rich, fermented whole-bean soy cake makes for a fitting textural meat substitute.  Here it’s sliced, marinated in beer, then grilled; the sandwich proceeds as usual, just sans beef. Tap & Mallet’s recently retooled menu makes it even more difficult to decide what to order. This Reuben variation is a little lighter on its feet without skipping a beat. The marble rye is perfect (and reminds me of that Seinfeld episode). There are countless reasons to stop by the Tap. We’ve covered the food, but the beer, the vibe and the dedicated staff top the charts.

Fox’s Gourmet Delicatessen - “Classic” Reuben; $10

3450 Winton Place #15, Brighton; 427-8200. www.foxsdeli.com

Fox’s uses one-third pound of paper thin, melt-in-your-mouth lean corned beef. Mild sauerkraut becomes one with zippy Thousand Island dressing that owner Shelly Fox “schmaltzes up.” After my third one this month, I figured out why it’s so good: the ratio of meat to sauerkraut to cheese. It’s not overly greasy, and the grilled rye slices aren’t too thick. Being family owned since 1929, Fox’s has had time to perfect its Reuben. The colorful caricatures and catchy sandwich names—like Pleasin’ the Wease, Bologna and the Beast, and Risky Brisket—add to the fun. Don’t forget the matzo ball soup!

Shamrock Jack’s - Shamrock Pizza; $13

4554 Culver Road, Irondequoit; 323-9310. www.shamrockjack.com

Crispy, thin crust pie is sturdy enough to hold a heap of flaky corned beef, sauerkraut and beautifully melted Swiss. You can tell the beef is corned with care by background hints of the spiced Guinness brine. It nails all the savory salty-sourness that makes us love this so. Why not Reuben pizza? Shamrock Jack’s already turns out some of the most tender, slow-cooked corned beef around for use in their famous sandwich as well as their corned beef and cabbage (they go through 2,000 pounds in March). The 11-inch pizza might just fill you up, but just in case, a side is $4 more and you must try the fried pickle chips.

Magnolia’s - The Park Avenue; $9.99

366 Park Ave., Rochester; 271-7381. www.magnoliascafe.com

Creamy house-made coleslaw in lieu of sauerkraut is the first notable change. Corned beef shares the spotlight with thinly sliced turkey and hot pastrami. The Baker Street Bakery rye bread (three slices) is branded with tell-tale ridges from the hot panini press for maximum grip-ability. Aside from being an incredibly pretty sandwich, this Reuben imposter melds several familiar flavors into one of the Avenue’s tastiest sandwiches. Pastrami, a cousin of corned beef, is also brined but then smoked and seasoned during the final process. While the president didn’t order The Park Avenue on his visit to Magnolia’s, you should. It’s really, really good.

More Menus

Definitely try the Duck Reuben ($14) at Victoire Belgian Beer Bar& Bistro (120 East Ave., Rochester; 325-3663), which comes on marble rye with duck confit, chipotle 1000 Island dressing, pickled apple, red cabbage and Gruyere cheese. McColley’s (89 S. Union St., Spencerport; 617-4279) offers panko-crusted Reuben Fritters ($9.50) with the twist of pickle, cream cheese and cheddar. Among the many themed hots at Dogtown (691 Monroe Ave., Rochester; 271-6620) is the Irish Setter ($4), topped with the usual Reuben fixings.