I love a good Reuben. I first learned to eat Reubens when I was working at the German restaurant Alfred’s in Houston. It was more than just a restaurant. It had a delicatessen, small market with nothing but Kosher food, the restaurant, and a bar. I was 15 when I started working there as a bus boy.
For its day, the restaurant had quite the reputation. There was a theater near by and when the actors had a chance, they would come and dine at Alfred’s. I saw two celebrities while working there. As a busboy, Pernell Roberts ate there. Since I wasn’t a fan of Bonanza, I didn’t recognize him.
Some time later, when I moved over to work in the delicatessen, Jo Ann Worley of Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In fame came through. She was bouncing around, saying hello to everyone while I was slicing corned beef and she asked what I was doing. “Slicing corned beef.” She asked for some. I gave it to her. She liked it. I’m sure my words still resonate in her memory to this day.
It was during this time that I was introduced to the Reuben. We were allowed to have one meal for lunch when we worked all day, and I had grown tired of their hamburgers. Someone suggested the Reuben, which was put in a broiler before served, so I gave it a shot. I’ve been hooked ever since.
When I saw that it was an option at the Corner Kitchen in Asheville, NC, that was my immediate choice. I had already had a great hamburger on our trip to Tennessee, so needed something different. It was worthy of the name Reuben. Heidi had corned-beef hash, and it too was delicious.
Just so happens that the Corner Kitchen also has a door worth sharing. So this post is a part of Dan’s Thursday Doors.
The Actual Door
All photos are copyright © Timothy J. Hammons 2021.
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