Reubenesque at Mike Duffy's Pub & Grill

By Ian Froeb Thu., Jun. 2 2011 at 2:00 PM

Categories: Lunch Bucket List, Restaurant News & Reviews

Ian Froeb

The Reuben at Mike Duffy's Pub & Grill

The Place: Mike Duffy's Pub & Grill (6662 Clayton Road, Richmond Heights; 314-644-3700), the local chain offering standard bar & grill fare.

The Lunch: A Reuben sandwich, with fries, for $8.95

The Verdict: Over the last few years, St. Louis has been spoiled by the number of excellent sandwich joints in town -- from fun, casual places like Fozzie's Sandwich Emporium to the artisans at Salume Beddu to the seemingly universally beloved Blues City Deli.

Sometimes, you're reminded why you shouldn't take these places for granted.

The Reuben is a classic sandwich, but even its straightforward recipe -- corned beef or pastrami with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and either Russian or Thousand Island dressing on rye -- can go awry.

Here the problem was the lack of meat (corned beef). Not that a Reuben has to be an inch or two thick, but you need something more substantial than this to stand up to the toppings.

On Mike Duffy's Reuben, the Thousand Island dressing swamped everything else, rendering the flavor overwhelmingly tangy. It certainly isn't worth the nearly $9 price tag. That does include fries, but these are utterly generic.