Loughmiller's Pub & Eatery

The main thing I noticed about the Reuben was the massive amount of meat in it. It was a little fatty and stringy (I had two bites I couldn't chew) but it was real meat and tasted good. The bread was lightly grilled and delicious. The cheese held up well, and was subtle. The sauerkraut was a bit crunchy and the dressing was mild. So proportionally, there was just too much meat--perhaps that's their excuse for having such an expensive sandwich. I would have gladly paid a dollar less for less meat but more sauerkraut and dressing. As for the chips on the side, it was like they had dumped out the last of a bag because the chips on top were nothing but crumbs. Overall it was a pretty tasty Reuben that I would enjoy again. The dining room is built around a long bar, and it was a little smoky in the room. We were along the back wall where the smoke wasn't too bad. When we arrived, one of the serving gentlemen heard that we were there to have Reubens, and he refused to give us menus (even though he was holding several in his hands), even after I asked politely. Instead, he rattled off the listing of side items a few times, and that was it. Needless to say, this guy wasn't Mr. Customer Service. But the server who actually waited on us was very nice and accommodating and seemed to balance out the menu Nazi.

Travel time for me was about two minutes. Historically speaking, based on the equation that the greater the distance, the crappier the sandwich, this should have been the best Reuben ever. It started looking up when I found street parking at a broken meter... hey, free parking is good. I walked in with the group... that's a second plus for me. They already had a table set aside for the "Reuben Club" (probably should involve membership cards and a secret hand shake). The group was large enough that we had to annex a small table. From this point on... slightly "ehhh". My favorite of raspberry tea was unavailable and the backup was fountain lemonade by Minute Maid--yuck. I was offered an "Arnold Palmer" which I thought meant I was about to get hit in the head with a 9 iron for being difficult. I learned that this is a blend of iced tea and lemonade... that's unconscionable. Getting your chocolate in your peanut butter may be acceptable, but you just don't put lemonade (especially bad lemonade) into tea. Water with a slice of lemon became the last resort of choice. At least twenty minutes went by before the first plate hit the table. Gives you a lot of time to look at the walls to study all of the old political media memorabilia. My plate, of course, arrived last. I think the cottage cheese side threw them off. The Reuben itself looked great on the plate. It had been cut in half and when I pulled it apart, steam rolled out which indicated that it hadn't sat anywhere too long. The first bite was almost too hot to eat... now that was a definite first, a real "hot" sandwich. The grilled marble rye was good, but as someone noted, you needed to flip it over after arrival so it didn't soak itself through. I failed to do that, so it sogged out early. I saw some color but tasted no dressing and the kraut was lacking in flavor. The corned beef looked dry, but there was plenty of it and the flavor was excellent. I also didn't notice any fat. There was a lot of cheese that had melted causing cheese tendrils between lips and sandwich. I think the Reuben had potential, they just may have been running out of patience by the time they were done with mine. I would go back since the quality of the ingredients seemed fine. I would just remember to "flip" and I'd ask for a side of dressing--and probably stick to chips or fries. They still need raspberry tea. Maybe I'll bring my own.

The skies were completely overcast, yet the noontime sun illuminated the clouds brightly. People traveling the sidewalks shadowed by the statehouse were from all stations of life. The sharp-dressed shared the sidewalk with tourists, street people, and me. The "eatery" was a short walk from my parking spot. By chance I was first to get there, though it was only minutes before the rest of the group arrived. We were seated in the rear of the place where they had pressed a group of tables together. The walls are painted a subdued hue of maroon that showed clearly in the light streaming in through the large unobstructed windows. Mementos of each political party and numerous past and present candidates were hung with care on the walls everywhere. Clearly the "eatery" was a neutral establishment that chose not to choose sides; after all, money is green regardless of the owner's political bend. I sat and wondered for a moment on the political deals, tax compromises, laws, and such that had transpired over a drink or two in these very walls. Our conversations drifted between seat belt laws, the 10th amendment (Bill of rights), school vouchers and Reubens. The sandwiches arrived in waves, depending on which of the half-dozen sides you ordered. I ordered mine with fries (what no onion rings?). The sandwich itself is moderately sized, not too large or small and cut diagonally for you. Being an experience Reuben eater, I flipped one side and picked up the other. It arrived almost too hot to eat. After blowing it enough to cool a little, I bit into a yummy delight. Sauce streamed down from a large pocket of the stuff. The meat was slightly salty to the taste and perfectly cooked. The bread was toasted, yet not crunchy on the outside. The cheese was almost so bland the rest of the ingredients overshadowed its presence. There were scant amounts of kraut placed in the sandwich, but on the whole it was pretty good. The second half had more kraut and less sauce, so consistency in construction was off a bit. The service was great considering how many people were in the group. The waitress filled glasses, brought extra napkins and was attentive to our every whim. The experience was kinda pricy given the meal, but then the new taxes to pay for the new Colts stadium were in effect. It's ironic that I get to pay new taxes in a place themed to politics.

Loughmiller's is a pub-type establishment with a political motif: pictures and memorabilia of local and national politicians cover all every available surface. Large windows on the east wall let in a good amount of light. It has no non-smoking area, but I only noticed a tiny bit of smoke smell. Outdoor seating is also available on the sidewalk. The establishment has no parking of its own, so you'll have to find a garage or meter if you haven't already: don't park in the alley on the east side or you'll get towed. Service was friendly and good, except that with all of us ordering Reubens it shouldn't have been too hard to remember who had which side items and drinks. On the plus side our waitress did refill my drink without asking, and precalculated a 20% tip on the bill but did not place it automatically on my credit card. She also showed me something I didn't know, that you can tell Coke and Diet Coke apart by looking through them: Diet is darker. I asked if they had real lemonade, but they serve Minute Maid: I opted for the Diet Coke instead though Fred had the lemonade and said it was good. Table service was plastic cups, paper napkins (and the waitress thoughtfully brought more later without being asked, always a good thing for all but the dryest Reuben), metal flatware, and plates and bowls that looked like china but were too light and must have been plastic as well. I opted for potato salad as my side: it was of the mustard variety, and quite tasty. The sandwich was a good size, with plenty of good thick-sliced beef. The beef had just a bit of fat on it, but not too much for my taste. The bread was pretty moist, but mostly held up against the sogginess after I flipped it over. Toasting it more might have helped, but might have dried it out too much, I'm not sure. I could see dressing and kraut and cheese, but mostly I just tasted the meat: not a bad thing, but I prefer more flavor balance. I definitely didn't walk away hungry.

The corned beef was excellent and plentiful, and the rest of the ingredients were of good quality and seemed to be in good proportion. It made for a pretty good sandwich, but it was a bit on the expensive side. The restaurant seemed to have a cigarette smoke recirculation system that was focused on our group.

Loughmiller's is a neat little downtown bar. The lunch food service was pretty quick with great service. The Reuben looked perfectly put together. The meat (real meat--not lunchmeat) was plentiful, but a bit over-grilled and dry on my sandwich. Otherwise it was very good.

It did take 20 minutes to get our meals. Once my plate did arrive there was lots of meat to be found along with a large portion of French fries, which were rather yummy. Not enough dressing on the sandwich and the bread could have been toasted longer. The taste of the meat was above average but the thing is that you got a ton of food but I also spent $13 for it, a little pricy so thus my low value rating. On the plus side the atmosphere was cool, lots of neat political items/pictures on the walls. It would have been nice to have a non-smoking section option though. Overall I give it a B and would eat a Reuben there again, but I'd add a side of dressing to sauce it up a bit.

Rather nice Reuben, but upon talking to the others I heard comments that made me think that they were inconsistent. Some noted too much sauce, others not enough, same goes for the kraut. Mine was just right. I heard one mention that the meat was a little dry. Well in my experience that is exactly what corned beef is supposed to be like. I thought the meat was of high quality and in abundance. However as a side I ordered the pasta salad. You should pass on that. It was very much like the pasta salad that is found at every "pitch-in" dinner you have ever attended. You know the one that sits untouched until you hear it was made by your boss's wife and then everyone tries to force down a spoonful. Service was a bit slow, it was in the 20 minute territory before we received the sandwiches. But all in all a nice place.

Make sure to order extra napkins with your Reuben since they make 'em sloppy but good. My Reuben came with lots of dressing and loaded with more meat than I've ever seen.

Excellent Reuben! The ingredients were well balanced. Interesting atmosphere too--wooden bar and floors with red walls and a political theme. Smokers will enjoy the atmosphere.