Brewpubs and a Terrific Grilled Turkey Reuben Recipe

Portland, Oregon turned me into a beer snob! It's true! Ever since living there I've come to appreciate thick and heavy stouts, chocolaty porters, hoppy IPAs and a good bitter from time to time. As you might imagine, this dovetails perfectly with being a full-timer - moving from place to place in search of...good microbrew?!?!? Well, there's more to it than that but when the opportunity arises I gladly partake.

Case in point. I was in Duluth, MN recently enjoying a breezy walk along Lake Superior when I came upon the old historic Fitger's Brewery building (a long forgotten brand of beer - anyone out there remember it??) housing a brewpub called Fitger's Brewhouse. It had that dark and inviting pub feel, a super menu, only served their beers (kudos) and was calling my name. The beer selection was more than decent and the brews were tasty!

I had an El Nino IPA - hoppy and a bit citrus-y. My husband had a Starfire Pale Ale - again delicious! We also split a very interesting Grilled Turkey Reuben sandwich which went great with the brews.

Here's the recipe for the Grilled Turkey Reuben. As for the beer...you'll have to fend for yourself :>

Grilled Turkey Reuben Sandwich

• hearty bread - cut into thick slices (a sourdough works well) - 2 slices per sandwich
• mayo
• smoked turkey breast
• cheese (swiss or provolone is great)
• coleslaw
• butter for grilling

• cranberry sauce served on the side (may I suggest Mom's Famous Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce?)

Prepare the sandwiches using however much of each ingredient you desire. Heat a skillet on the stovetop or heat up the bbq grill. Butter the outside of one slice of bread and put butter-side down on grill or skillet. Butter the other side while it's toasting. Flip when toasted - brown the other side.

Serve the cranberry sauce on the side - can be eaten alone (yeah, it's that good!) or on the sandwich (or both - why not).

This goes great with chips and your beverage of choice. Enjoy!

Evanne
RV Cooking Show

PS - I have some friends that love to seek out pubs when they travel and they highly recommend http://www.pubcrawler.com/.