Houlihan's - Keystone at the Crossing

The restaurant had a very nice interior with expensive-looking decor, including cloth napkins. It was quiet without needing to be empty--the tables had a nice secluded feeling. The Reuben had a lot of corned beef on it, which was great. However the sweet Bavarian sauerkraut wasn't overly appreciated. The waitress made a blanket offer of bringing more Thousand Island to which we all nodded, but then she only brought some out to two individuals--leaving me somewhat disappointed. Our server did a great job with separate checks, and I really liked the variety of side items offered (even though not printed anywhere on the menu--somewhat frustrating). I'd probably come back despite the sweet kraut.

This may have been a precedent setting event. I’ve found that usually the farther I drive, the poorer the experience. This location was a matter of minutes away and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Easy to find and plenty of parking. The staff was very accommodating in seating the largest group that I’ve lunched with during these events. The interior appeared to be done in an early twentieth century style with a lot of interesting wall hangings and paraphernalia, and a large Tiffany style light fixture in the center of the ceiling. “Low tones” conducive to conversation. After we befuddled the waitress with the near compulsive set of sandwich orders, it did seem a while before the plates hit the table. They had Arizona raspberry ice tea in the can which always enhances my patience. I had dittoed someone else’s order, so my plate arrived with a large pile of onion straws, a pickle, and one of the best sandwiches I’ve had during one of these sessions. A “variegated” marble rye with lots of lean flavorful corned beef, a thick slice of real Swiss cheese, a sweet German style caraway sauerkraut, and just enough dressing to taste. Although it was on the higher end of the dollar and cent scale, it was one of the best Reubens I’ve had, and the unique sauerkraut gave it an interesting twist. I would definitely return, but next time I might have to do a “Fat Tuesday” review of the Jambalaya instead.

Wow, what a classy joint! The Reuben was top shelf. The sweet kraut was different, but very good. There were many different hot teas to choose from in a felt-lined briefcase. The price is high for a sandwich, but it pays for the service and decor.

This is a classy place. The decor is lovely, with brick arches, good lighting, and some sort of glass dome in the ceiling that fascinated me. My water was in a real glass (with lemon), and the meal was served on a China platter with metal flatware and a linen napkin. Service was polite and friendly for the most part: my only complaint was that the waitress asked how our meal was before I'd actually had a chance to sample it, so I couldn't immediately request additional dressing, and the servers all bustled about so much it was difficult to get their attention to request one later. The waitress mentioned that they didn't put much dressing on their Reubens (and mine was no exception), and people frequently requested more on the side, so it occurs to me that it would make more sense for them to simply bring out additional dressing with each Reuben without being asked, as so many other places do. They didn't have a printed listing of their side choices, which resulted in the waitress having to rattle it off several times while she took our orders. I selected the onion straws, which were very tasty, onions cut into thin strips so they have lots of surface area for batter to cling to. The bread on the sandwich was a pretty marbled rye, but overtoasted. It was lined on both sides with cheese that I don't recall tasting. It had no shortage of beef, which was of adequate but unspectacular flavor. Mostly I noticed the flavor of the "sweet Bavarian sauerkraut", with little seeds in it, which was a good deal sweeter than the flavor you typically expect from sauerkraut. This gave the sandwich quite a distinctive taste, which I wouldn't say was actually bad, but I didn't enjoy it as much as a more standard Reuben of good quality. The sandwich also came with a standard pickle spear. Mostly the experience was a good one, but the prices are too high for me to eat here often, and I'd order something other than the Reuben next time. (I've had their lettuce wraps before, and _they_ were tasty.)

Well, that's my last Reuben at Houlihan's. My first review was not exactly positive, and I'm afraid this one won't be either. Typically, I've been quite pleased with the food at Houlihan's, but they really shouldn't make a Reuben. The thing that stood out the most was that the sauerkraut was sweet. Sweet sauerkraut is just not right. The $8.29 was just too much, as well. Sweet sauerkraut... What is this world coming to?

This was a good and satisfying sandwich in an A+ atmosphere. I ordered my Reuben with the onion straws (onion rings which are not round). I was hungry, and it seemed to get here quickly enough. The sandwich was very well put together and tasty. The corned beef was thin cut lunchmeat rather than sliced corned beef, but it was piled high and folded up neatly in the bread. The onion straws were very good and not too greasy. Once we got to the table, the service was attentive and good.

The kraut was sweet; it was supposed to be sour. The bottom slice of rye was soggy because the kraut was on the bottom. This is bad practice. The meat was standard thin sliced corned beef. I expected better for the price. My side of red mashed potatoes was excellent. The restaurant was 75% empty, but somehow we ended up with a table located in a bus station.

Just when I was thinking "Wow, Houlihan's must be running low on thousand island," along comes the waitress and asks if I want extra dressing. Now that's service. The choice of sides was a nice touch; still, the price was a bit high, at $28 for two Reubens, two teas, and a dessert. Well, this is the Fashion Mall, after all, home to the likes of Saks Fifth Avenue and its $200 shirts...

The meat was wonderful, not too much gristle or fat. The sauerkraut had caraway seeds in it, which was quite complementary. However, the sauerkraut tasted sweet, as if fried with the Thousand Island sauce, since it didn't have its regular consistency. The sandwich actually was a little on the dry side. I tried to compensate for that by adding mustard, which didn't quite satisfy. The pickle tasted like chlorine or some kind of cleaning solution - the first time I couldn't eat the pickle. I did like the side dish selection. I had green beans with my sandwich, a peculiarly healthy choice, I know, but especially delicious because of the savory sauce. The green beans was the favorite part of the meal. I have to say that I still felt hungry after that plate, I wish there was a little more.

I had the Turkey Reuben and it was good. The only improvement I would make is to use a bit more thousand island dressing on the sandwich as it was slightly dry. I also had the snicker dome for dessert, which I would highly recommend!