Substitute turkey please

What can I say? I'm simply not a very big fan of corned beef. But I love the other components of the reuben sandwich--rye bread, thousand island dressing, swiss cheese, and sauerkraut--grilled or broiled to sweet perfection. I don't remember when I had my first turkey reuben. I'm sure it was at some sort of deli years ago. But ever since then, anyone I dine with often can attest to the fact that it's become a staple go-to sandwich order.

There's one core problem. Most restaurants that have a reuben on the menu only list the traditional corned beef version. Well...that's a lie. It's never really a problem. Any restaurant that has a reuben also has some sort of turkey sandwich so it's a simple substitution--one that I've always found common enough that you can request a turkey reuben without extra explanation. Usually.

Last night Darrin, Ochs and I stopped by Kitchen 24 in Hollywood for a bite after viewing the disappointing Inglourious Basterds. I've been a few times before. It's a style over substance diner that tries a little too hard, but it's less expensive than the other nearby options and things were decent enough on prior visits.

Point of the story is when I requested a turkey reuben, the concept was so completely foreign to our waitress that I might as well tried ordering fried grasshoppers with a side car of plum sauce.
"Turkey reuben, please"
"Turkeyburger, next."
"No, I'm sorry, a turkey reuben please. Not a turkey burger."
"Turkey...reuben? Huh."
"A reuben with turkey..."
"I don't think we..."
"...instead of the corned beef"
"Oh. Turkey REUBEN?"
"Yes, please"
A moment of silence as the idea of a reuben constructed with turkey blew her mind.
"OK. Turkey ... reuben."

Wow that was hard. Clearly the kitchen had made these before as it came out correct. Certainly not the best turkey reuben I've ever eaten, but not terrible either.

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