Firehouse Brewing Company

As you drive across South Dakota on I-80, you can’t help but notice the dozens and dozens of billboards advertising the Firehouse Brewing Company in Rapid City. Most of the billboards featured actual decommissioned fire engines next to the signs, inviting travelers to wonder: what amazing dishes awaits at this venerable establishment? I was excited that our plans actually allowed us to stop at Firehouse Brewing to see what all the "brew"-ha-ha was about.

When you walk into the restaurant, you are in a bar area with a central bar and seating around it. They also have heated outdoor seating. The high-top tables had chairs that were sized strangely and made you feel like you were a four-year-old who was sitting at the grown-up table.

The restaurant wasn’t very full, but the service was ridiculously slow. Was the food ever going to arrive at our table? Should we just go home? Was the food ever going to come? Where is my “side of house-made Reuben sauce” that was supposed to come with my sandwich? Was the check ever going to come so that we could go home? These questions—and more—were on our minds as we waited and waited at the Firehouse Brewing Company.

Being a “Firehouse,” perhaps someone needed to “light a fire” under the wait staff, or maybe pull a fire alarm to awaken the kitchen, or something. For a Reuben to take 35 minutes to arrive was about twice as long as what might be expected.

As for the sandwich, the bread on the Reuben was super crunchy, and appeared that maybe it had been stuck in a toaster for a super long time. The bread was so hard that you could not bend it without causing it to shatter.

The meat itself was pretty good, and I felt that the corned beef had a good flavor and a good amount to it. The sauerkraut was about the right ratio and was nice with a little bit of a sweet tang to it.

The server originally forgot to bring the Reuben sauce (whatever that might be), so I had to ask for it. The sauce’s makeup was unclear; it was a little bit more mild than I had hopes for. Whatever it was, it didn't seem like Thousand Island at all—it was very neutral and tasted kind of like mayonnaise or maybe a little bit even like ranch dressing: two things that aren’t quite right for a Reuben.

Honestly, the Reuben sauce was really terrible, and the lack of a decent dressing, combined with the crusty bread overshadowed anything good about the sandwich and kind of ruined the whole experience.

As a small beacon of surprise, the fries that were served with the Reuben were very good. However, after this dinner, I cannot recommend the Reuben sandwich, nor the Firehouse Brewing Company in general.