Bite Club: The Reuben sundae
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The Katz's Reuben at Kith. Photo: Carrie Shepherd/Axios
New York's legendary Katz's Delicatessen has landed in Chicago, but don't expect pastrami and corned beef.
The latest: Clothing store and soft-serve ice cream cafe Kith has teamed up with Katz's for three limited-time treats.
- The Latke, The Egg Cream Deluxe and The Reuben are on the menu until Oct. 10.
The bite: The Reuben consists of vanilla ice cream mixed with Cheez-Its, rye croutons, beetroot powder and topped with black sanding sugar, a dehydrated Swiss cheese chip, Maldon salt and a Katz's pickle.
The verdict: Not sure how this works, but wow, it does! Dipping the pickle into the cool vanilla was refreshing, while the Swiss and Cheez-Its resembled a cheese danish. As I dug deeper, the beets' earthiness punched through.
- I will order again!
For a more classically sweet combo, the Egg Cream's vanilla ice cream, infused with black and white cookie pieces and Rice Krispies, doused in Egg Cream (chocolate syrup, milk and seltzer water) delivers, especially with a whole Katz's black and white topping off the treat.
- Katz's has one of my favorite black and white cookies, with soft, slightly lemony base with frosting rather than icing.
Between the lines: I've never had a Reuben as I don't eat meat, and my husband informed me it doesn't exactly taste like a Reuben, but I think that's ok.
- Iterations don't always have to be a 1-to-1 match, but can be inspirations.
Context: Kith opened its only Chicago location on Walton Street last year, and lines for its clothes, sneakers, jewelry and soft serve quickly formed.
- Like many of its apparel partners, such as Louis Vuitton and Adidas, Kith Treats features several famous names. The King's Treat is named after LeBron James and The Flat White after the late Chicago artist Virgil Abloh.
- The lines have definitely gone down, so don't expect too much of a wait for any of these special items.
If you go: Kith Treats x Katz Deli is available at the Gold Coast store until Oct. 10.