Omaha is known for the number of places that make a great reuben sandwich. Local lore is that the reuben sandwich was first made in Omaha by a gentleman by the name of Reuben Kulakofsky who put together a sandwich of corned beef, sauerkraut mixed with Thousand Island dressing, Swiss cheese, and put it on dark rye bread for his poker playing friends at the old Blackstone Hotel. (Of course, there are people in New York City who say the sandwich originated there.) Because of the history of the reuben sandwich in Omaha, a number of places have taken the sandwich and put their own signature on it. One of the places that I had read about having a good reuben was a place on Leavenworth Ave. near the University of Nebraska Medical Center by the name of Barrett's Barleycorn Pub & Grill. (see map)
Frank Barrett is a prominent lawyer in Omaha now in private practice, but at one point he was the Chief Counsel to the Mutual of Omaha insurance company. He was also a high-powered political operative for the Democratic party in Omaha for a number of years. But on the side, Barrett opened the Barleycorn (as the locals refer to it) 30 years ago. Today, his daughter Karen Barrett-Jeffrey runs Barrett's Barleycorn Pub along with her husband, Phil. The family also runs Castle Barrett Reception Hall next door to the Barleycorn that's used for weddings, anniversary parties, and family gatherings. (Pictured below left)
The Barleycorn is a cozy little neighborhood watering hole with a low ceiling. It's one of those kind of places that have small lamps on the tables along the wall to give it a bit of an intimate and classy feel to the place. A number of flat screen televisions were hung on the wall throughout the bar/dining area.
There is a back patio at Barrett's Barleycorn that features a small dining area with a handful of tables. A large mural depicting farmland along the Loess Hills was featured on the wall of the patio. The patio was full on what was a nice evening, even though rain was in the area.
The back patio overlooks a sand volleyball court that features teams in league play at Barrett's Barleycorn. A strong game was going on when I ventured out to take a look at the patio area. A number of players from a couple other teams were congregating near the court as their game would be starting later on.
Not long after Frank Barrett opened the Barleycorn, the 1987 edition of the College Baseball World Series was held in Omaha, as it's been every year since 1950. The Louisiana State University Tigers (or Bayou Bengals, to many) had played in Omaha for the first time the year before and were back again. A handful of LSU fans congregated at the Barleycorn before and after the game, some staying during the game if they didn't have tickets. And as the Tigers came back - 16 times in the last 30 years - Barrett's Barleycorn became the unofficial Louisiana State local bar for the College World Series. It turned out that the Tigers were playing Florida in the final round of the College World Series in downtown Omaha that evening. (Unfortunately, the Tigers lost to the Gators that evening in what was the final game of the series.)
I took what turned out to be the last seat at the bar near the open grill they have in the corner. A large LSU flag was hanging over the vent fan. The one thing I immediately noticed was that they needed to change the oil in their fryers. There was sort of a old burnt smell that permeated the area around the open kitchen.
I was greeted by my server/bartender for the evening - Angie, a young blonde girl with a quick smile and a playfully sassy attitude toward her co-workers and patrons. You couldn't help but like her. I ordered up a Smithwick's from Angie and looked through the menu that she gave me when I sat down. It was a beehive of activity behind the bar with a number of what appeared to be regulars seated near me cracking jokes and carrying on with the bar staff.
The menu was your standard bar fare food with a number of appetizers, soups and salads. They also had a number of burgers, chicken sandwiches and deli sandwiches to choose from on the menu. But it was on their specialties part of the menu where I found their reuben along with a number of other sandwiches such as a French dip sandwich, a beef and cheddar sandwich, and a Philly steak sandwich. There was no doubt in my mind that I was getting the reuben.
The reuben at Barrett's Barleycorn featured thinly sliced corned beef and it was slathered with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing, and served on grilled marble rye bread. Using a phrase I stole from fellow food and drink blogger The Slakingfool, it was a glorious mess. Multiple napkins were used during the course of this meal. The thin-shaved corned beef was moist, tender and full of flavor. There was a lot of cheese on the sandwich and it oozed with a combination of the Thousand Island dressing and Swiss cheese with each bite. Compared to the other toppings, the sauerkraut seemed to be a little light. But that was fine with me - there were so many wonderful taste sensations going on with the reuben sandwich that a little less sauerkraut wasn't all that noticeable.
A side of curly fries came with the sandwich, but I only had a few of them. The taste of the fries confirmed what my nose was telling me earlier - they needed to change the oil in their fryers. I think they'd left the oil in a day or two too long from what I could tell. And they were frying up a lot of fries, onion chips, mozzarella sticks and breaded mushrooms while I was there.
Barrett's Barleycorn has been voted in local publications as having the best reuben in Omaha in the past. The reuben at the Barleycorn was piled high with thinly-sliced corned beef and was oozing with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing with each bite. The marble rye bread that it came with held together very well with the mess of a sandwich. I've had a number of reubens in Omaha over the past couple three years and it's difficult to me to say which one is my favorite. But the one I had at Barrett's Barleycorn was very good.
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