OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — In this Week's Takeout Tuesday, 3 News Now Anchor Serese Cole takes you to a metro bar that's known just as much for its savory sandwich as it is for its craft beer selection.
At the Crescent Moon Ale House, comfort is king.
"It's like your favorite pair of shoes," said owner Bill Baburek.
It's just what Baburek had in mind when he bought the bar 25 years ago.
"I always had a passion for craft beer," Baburek said.
Back then, it was all about the beer.
"We try to support a lot of local craft beers," Baburek added.
Soon after he opened, there was another idea.
"The first guy who ran my kitchen was like, the Reuben was invented across the street. We really should have a Reuben on our menu," he recalled.
The old Blackstone Hotel was the birthplace of the Reuben and was in a stone's throw distance from Crescent Moon.
So they created their own Reuben recipe.
"The corned beef is so savory. We use local marble rye bread from Rotella's, sauerkraut, Thousand Island Dressing, Swiss cheese. So it's pretty standard," he shared.
What wasn't standard is how it was cooked.
"We experimented running them through a conveyor pizza oven. It gave you a really consistent product that you put it in one end and when it comes out the other side, it's done the same way every single time. It's done perfectly. Everything just kind of melts together really well, " Baburek said.
People noticed, including the Omaha World-Herald.
"That was kind of what started our claim to fame. They selected us as the best Reuben in town," he remembered.
They're still rolling out the Reubens, up to 500 sandwiches a week.
The Reuben sandwich is so popular at Crescent Moon they started experimenting with other Reuben items at festivals like the Reuben pizza, Reuben deviled eggs and even Reuben egg rolls.
Turns out the egg rolls are so good they're now on the menu.
A lot has changed over time, but not their Reuben.
"There's other restaurants out there that I'm sure have great Reuben sandwiches. I guess I'd like to think ours must be pretty good because it's always in the conversation and that's an honor to us because it wasn't what we set out to do," he said.
Beer is.
"We started with 24 beers on tap, now have closer to 70," Baburek stated.
Twenty-five years later, it's still about the beer.
But now there's another star inside the Crescent Moon.
"It's not gourmet by any means, but it's like this place: comfortable food," said Baburek.
A sandwich people can't seem to get enough of.
The Reuben sandwich comes with fries, slaw or chips and salsa.
It costs about $10.50.
The Crescent Moon is located in Midtown near 36th and Farnam.
To place your Takeout Tuesday order, go to this website.
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