The scorecard: Rating the Reubens

Madeleine’s Café and Patisserie, 707 W. Main Ave., (509) 624-2253

Cost: $10.95

Score: 27 ½

Tasting notes: Deb Green and her team start with thick slabs of melt-in-your-mouth corned beef that fall apart much like shredded meat, add house-made kraut and dressing along with a perfect touch of cheese for a magnificent sandwich. Try soup or a salad on the side.

O’Doherty’s Irish Grille, 525 W. Spokane Falls Blvd., (509) 747-0322

Cost: $8.95

Score: 25 ½

Tasting notes: Moving up from a third-place tie with The Elk last year, downtown O’Doherty’s Reuben is a brilliant mash-up of shredded corned beef grilled to order with kraut and cheese mixed in for a wonderful melding of flavors. And if you persist in believing a Reuben is Irish food, you need to order yours here.

Jimmy’Z Gastropub, 521 W. Sprague Ave., (509) 838-7613

Cost: $9

Score: 25 ¼

Tasting notes: Jimmy’Z sits on a tough-luck section of Sprague downtown and would be easy to ignore, but you need to step inside for a great Reuben with plenty of shredded corned beef and a good balance of flavors. Jimmy’Z also got the vote for the best fries of the places we tried.

Davenport Hotel, 10 S. Post St., (509) 455-8888

Cost: $10

Score: 22 ½

Tasting notes: The Davenport lobby almost makes the Reuben elegant simply by association. This is the only sandwich in town whose glop you get to wipe off your face with a cloth napkin as well as the only standard Reuben we tested this year that adds mustard. Dry bread this year cost them points.

Brooklyn Deli, 122 S. Monroe St., No. 101, (509) 835-4177

Cost: $8.97

Score: 22 ¼

Tasting notes: A whole Reuben here was nearly double the size of every other sandwich and the house-made soft, dark rye bread – more of a slab than slices – is a unique variation on the norm. Two other twists: the Brooklyn Reuben goes into the oven rather than on the grill, and the sauce on the side allows for dipping or slathering. The Brooklyn also offers a “Chicago Reuben” that adds olives, jalapenos, extra cheese, and sweet-hot mustard.

Perry Street Café, 1002 S. Perry St., (509) 535-4949

Cost: $7.99

Score: 22

Tasting notes: Geoff White serves up another great Reuben out of his small neighborhood café tucked into the heart of the South Perry Business District on Spokane’s South Hill. The sandwich comes together with great marbled rye grilled to perfection, and is the other contender this year that offers the sauce on the side.

Studio K Bar and Grill, 2810 E. 29th Ave., (509) 534-9317

Cost: $8.95

Score: 21 ¼

Tasting notes: This venerable and admittedly seedy South Hill bar has been serving a strong Reuben for years that balances all the flavors well around shredded corned beef that doesn’t overpower. The option of battered onion rings as a side is a winner.

Cyrus O’Leary’s, 516 W. Main Ave., (509) 624-9000

Cost: $10.99

Score: 20 ¾

Tasting notes: Cyrus O’Leary’s Reuben got more write-in votes for the best sandwich last year than any other sandwich, and my first bite this year was absolutely perfect. Several of our team felt the sandwich would have been stronger with shredded rather than sliced meat.

Maggie’s South Hill Grill, 2808 E. 29th Ave., (509) 536-4745

Cost: $9.95

Score: 20 ¼

Tasting notes: Maggie’s Reuben boasted thick bread and a nice balance of shredded meat, kraut, cheese and sauce; but took a hit for too much salt and fryer oil that needed to be changed. Brilliant Cajun tartar for the fries.

Northern Lights Brewing Co., 1003 E. Trent Ave., (509) 242-2739

Cost: $9

Score: 20

Tasting notes: The crew at Northern Lights will give you a Rachel rather than a Reuben since they make their sandwich with pastrami rather than corned beef. Decent, but points off for dry bread and not enough sauce.

Illinois Bar and Grill, 1403 E. Illinois Ave., (509) 482-6033

Cost: $7.50

Score: 19.5

Tasting notes: Big sandwich with thin-sliced corned beef and thick bread in an easygoing North Side neighborhood bar with friendly service. Bonus points for the massive house-cut JoJos, but a deduction for leaving off the cheese entirely.

Isabella’s Gin Joint, 21 W. Main Ave., (509) 624-0660

Cost: $8.89

Score: 16

Tasting notes: We may have hit Isabella’s on a bad day, but the fact that our server suggested we try a Reuben at a place across town didn’t inspire confidence. The sliced meat dripped grease from the edges while the center of the sandwich remained cold. The sauce was disproportionately well-represented.