The Beginning and a Reuben

I have enjoyed eating sandwiches for as long as I can remember. It can be, and should be, a unique experience. Perhaps the lure lies in the fact that they are simplistic yet complicated in the same bite. They are easy to make but not necessarily easy to make well. As a person who regularly orders from the "Sandwich" section of the menu, I can tell you that I have had several negative experiences with the sandwich. At the same time, I have had sandwiches that seem better than any gourmet meal prepared by a classically trained chef.

Case in point: The Reuben at Henk's Bait and Bite (302 N Henning Rd, Danville, IL 61832; Ph: 217-443-4111) I have had many reubens in my time and few compare to my mother-in-law's fine efforts, but this reuben was well worth the stop at Henk's. First of all, Henk's is a place you might pass by if you are unaware of its charm and reputation. You would be remissed to do so. The wait staff is friendly and knowledgeable (our server was able to describe the taste of Bluegill to my wife who had never had the fish before). The atmosphere charming and very "diner-esque." But the star of this show was, by far, the reuben.

First a note: The reuben is a standard for me in measuring the quality of a sandwich shop or a restaurant. There are several reasons for this. It is a sandwich that requires less-often-used ingredients (i.e. sauerkraut and corned beef or pastrami along with rye bread). If these ingredients are fresh and are clearly being rotated, there's a good bet that the establishment is rotating their pickles, onions, tomatos, and other more frequent sandwich toppings. Secondly, it is a fairly easy sandwich both to create and to screw up. Too much kraut will over-sour the sandwich and dominate the entire palate. Too much sauce will do the same. The cheese has to be melted in a certain way that allows it to mix with the meat, sauce, and kraut. The construction of a reuben is simple, but the execution of the reuben is not.

Henk's Bait and Bite's reuben met all the tests. The bread was perfectly toasted, using butter and a slight amount of salt to add flavor. The rye had a golden exterior with a clean crunch that gave way to a chewy center that remained true to the original consistancy of rye bread. The sauce, cheese, corned beef, and kraut were expertly mixed and melted, creating a creamy interior that highlighted the strengths of all the ingredients without truly featuring any single one. The result was an excellent reuben worthy of the All Star list.

This blog will be about sandwiches and where, especially in the Danville, IL area, to find some of the best. It's all my opinion, of course, and I welcome comments on where readers may have had their penultimate sandwich experience. Let's all share our sandwiches. I'll also be building an "All Star" list, so if you have a sandwich that you feel deserves to be on the list, send me a description similar to the one above. I'll be happy to include it.

The next mission is to find a great Italian beef sandwich, another sandwich that is easy to prepare but often misses in its final execution. Off and running for more great eating!