Episode VI - Reuben's Deli (ATL)

The Reuben Ranger was back in action today in downtown Atlanta checking out Reuben's Deli. This place boasts several awards including best rated Reuben on Yelp, a top ten deli in America, and others. I had very high expectations walking in.

Under the HOT STUFF section:
THE REUBEN
"(traditional, turkey, or pastrami) served grilled with kraut (#1 rated on Yelp)


Appearance - (4.0/5.0)
The appearance is pretty good once you unwrapped it from the deli paper. There was another squashed pickle sighting. Overflow is big for me and in this case it was the thousand island dressing that caught my eye flowing out of the sandwich. That is not great. I think cheese is a best thing to be overflowing or piles of tender beef. The marbling on the bread was good but looked artificial. It did have a great buttery grilled look to it though.

Quality of Ingredients - (3.2/5.0)
Yeah, I was surprised by how low this was too. The buttery bread was the bright spot but it was not enough to save the sandwich. The "kraut" was good but the thousand island dressing tasted like it came straight out of a can. I could not tell what was going on with the cheese. I was debating if it was nacho cheese or if they forgot the cheese and it was just the dressing.  Most of all the beef was not tender at all. The menu says they feature Boar's Head products but I have had Boar's Head sandwiches better than this.


Price - (4.6/5.0)
At $7.05 I think this is the cheapest sandwich on the blog so far. It seems like you get what you pay for.


Je Ne Sais Quoi - (4.0/5.0)
I think the deli atmosphere really boosted sandwich. Unwrapping the sandwich adds suspense, you don't know what to expect. The big reveal would make anyone crack a smile. The deli itself has some charm  even as it was quiet on a Saturday afternoon. You can tell the place must be packed during the week for lunch. The staff was friendly and I even spoke to the owner.


Taste - (7.6/10.0)
Maybe I should go back during the week. I think I may have gotten the leftovers from the Friday lunch hour. I had read so many good things about this place and yet I was not impressed. As noted above, the ingredients themselves were not great and the sum of the parts was less than the whole.


Overall - (23.4/30.0)
Mediocre. I really thought a place called the Reuben Deli would have a better product to offer. My wife took a bit and was also unimpressed. In their defense, the turkey and pastrami sandwich she had was awesome.