Yesterday, Pi Day, 3.14, Robin says, “The Plaza Grill” is having a Reuben special for lunch. That’s all I needed. Read about their Reuben, #7.

Rated on 1 to 5-Stars, here is how we rate the several places in Boise that serve a Reuben Sandwich. 1-Star is enough for this year and a 5-Star is one that meets the criteria.

1. Barbaccoa – Big thick slabs of meat, no rye toast, they used bread, and soggy from an over abundance of kraut. No grilled onion. Rating: 1-Star

2. Donny Mac’s – Rye toast was weak on the rye, heavy on the 1000 Island dressing. Sloppy to eat because of the really wet kraut. The pastrami was good. Raw onions. Rating: 2-Stars

3. Cucina di Paolo – Yea! Russian Dressing. Good pastrami and not overly salty. Great kraut. Did not notice any grilled onion. Good rye toast, although it was Marble Rye. I would prefer a straight Jewish Rye, Deli Rye. I always like a good Jewish Kosher pickle with my Reuben. None of these places had that. Rating: 4-Stars

4. Seasons Bistro – Wow!! We’ve got a foot race. Homemade Russian Dressing, as was Cucina di Paolo. Good pastrami as was Cucina di Paolo. Great kraut that is special ordered and, in my opinion, better than Cucina di Paolo. Good rye, that I actually tasted the caraway seed, although it was the Marbled Rye!!! I told Rachael Hurn, Owner, that I really would like to give her the 5-Stars for this sandwich, but I couldn’t. She asked, “Why?” And I told her, “No Jewish Kosher deli pickle.” She said she would go get me one. Too late. But, Rachael does know – as did Paul at Cucina di Paolo – the difference between a Reuben and a Rachael Sandwich. She has both on the menu!!! Rating: 4½ – Stars

5. Westside Drive-In – I was disappointed. The pastrami was poorly heated. And the dressing was not Russian. I think it was 1000 with horseradish. The kraut was very good though. He also uses marbled rye. No pickle!!! And I’m really getting tired of the marbled rye. Why not a good deli rye? Sorry Lou.
Rating: 3½ – Stars

6. Willowcreek Grill – Most of their lunches that we’ve had here have been pretty good. Great salads and a good clam chowder. Sorry, but I can not say the same about their Reuben Sandwich. Where’s the pickle?? The taste just was not there. The pastrami was just OK. But the kraut at least perked it somewhat. The rye – mediocre marbled at best. The sauce – OK, but nothing to write home about. The cheese is hard to find. It looks impressive, but the taste is just not there. Sorry.
Rating: 3 – Stars

7. The Plaza Grill at the Owyhee Hotel Yea!!! Look at that green “thing” on the sandwich. A Pickle! Yea! And out of 7 Reuben establishments tried, this is the first pickle! But then, from their menu, “Grilled Reuben on Rye – Grilled on rye with cured lean corned beef, sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing and melted Swiss cheese” $9.95. Did I see Thousand Island dressing? Sure did. Wrong dressing, remember? Should be Russian dressing. Too bad. And, I don’t think that the kraut was grilled long enough, either. It was still pretty runny. Can’t get rid of that Marbled Rye either. There’s got to be a bakery in Boise that makes their own rye bread – Deli Rye bread that tastes like rye or caraway. I was glad to see the pickle – but sad to see the Thousand Island dressing.
Rating: 3½ – Stars

Are we really closing in on “The Perfect Reuben Sandwich in Boise“? It looks like a difficult job, but someone has to find Boise’s Best. Or am I being a traditionalist? To coin a phrase, “It’s tradition!”, or so it’s been said. If I had a fiddle and if I could play it, I’d shout “It’s Tradition!” from the roof top. At this point in time, the Seasons Bistro (Eagle) and Cucina di Paolo (Boise) are taking the lead. They have set the bar pretty high. Cheers!