Dormont Dogs

Not quiet a reuben sandwich, but I appreciated the homage to my favorite kraut combination; I had to try it!

Dormont Dogs is a cute and quirky hotdog shop in... surprise surprise... Dormont. Located right off of Potomac, catty-corner from the famous Dor-Stop, this little walk-in has some really inventive dog combos. Lots of the hotdogs are named after streets and locales in the area, and are all pretty amazing. I highly recommend the Parking Ticket!

On to the Rueben Dog! These skinny little gourmet dogs are snuggled inside a buttery, grill-toasted split bun. The meat-to-bun ratio is a little off for my tastes at 1st, but the toppings and thoughtful flavor profiles really make Dormont Dogs' inventions worth it. That being said, I will go ahead and admit that the Rueben Dog (which was the 1st thing I'd tried there) is not my favorite. But the construction is interesting, the dog nestled down in the bun, with the kraut and thousand island dressing on top, and everything sealed in with a layer of melted swiss. Worth a try! Go for the Rueben Dog, stay for their walking tacos. And when you're done, get your hair cut at Chiodo's next door. 

Armstrong's

I (for once) didn't even have the intention of ordering a reuben/rueben. Since the new year, I was trying to eat a little better. And I already had at least one reuben with earlier this week. I was meeting my mum at Armstrong's in Caste Village for dinner, she beat me there and ordered. Not a salad. A reuben. I was pleasantly disappointed that my diet plan was intercepted.

Armstrongs is always busy, often times there's a line out the door. And for good reason. Reasonable prices and a great menu with a low key family atmosphere. I hadn't been there in over a decade, and it was still a great stop. Our food arrived ridiculously fast.

When I thought of Armstrongs I always thought antipaso salads, wedding soup, and fried zucchini. So for some reason I had been ready for a sub-par reuben. But this rueben surprised me! Starting with a seriously buttered rye toast, mild-not-too-sweet thousand island, there was a generous helping of corned beef round. This grilled sandwich was really well balanced, and was surprised, given the restaurant  that it wasn't squished by a panini press. The kraut was a little less than average in quantity but what this and the mild swiss lacked, the meat made up in flavor. What made this rueben stand out for sure was it's size. This was one damn big sandwich! I normally split a sandwich with my comrade, but since he wasn't there I took half to go for him... I couldn't finish! Although I really wanted to. :)

Unfortunately, I deleted my sandwich shot! I'll just have to go back. ;)