Episode XXXIX: Rainforest Café (SAT)

I was back in Texas for the Christmas holiday and my nephew Matthew was very excited for us to arrive. He had been telling us for days about volcanoes, jungles, snakes, and dinosaurs.  You parents out there probably know that he was talking about the Rainforest Café and he wanted to go back. We packed up the family in the car and headed down to the San Antonio Riverwalk to see what all the fuss was about.  It was our lucky day. We got a table right by the Pandas!

Rio Reuben
“classic reuben with corned beef, melted swiss cheese, steamy sauerkraut and thousand island dressing on grilled marble rye”

Appearance – (4.6/5.0)

This Reuben experience started well when the Reuben arrived at the table.  I like the sleek black slate and the double stack presentation, even if it did require a vampire stake.

This presentation does not surprise me at a corporate location like this. The whole restaurant is carefully planned like an amusement park or a casino.

Quality Of Ingredients – (3.7/5.0)

You know, I wasn’t thrilled with the individual ingredients here. I could go down the list and all of them would fall under the off-the-sysco-truck category.  If this was Vodka, it would be one step above Mr. Boston but not quite to Smirnoff.

Price – (4.0/5.0)

$13.95. On the surface this does seem like an expensive Reuben. You have to remember that you are paying for more than the sandwich, you are paying to listen to the volcano go off every 15 minutes. It freaked both of the boys out, by the way. Danny got up from the table and said it was time to go home the first time it went off.  It is also right on the Riverwalk in downtown San Antonio. So all-in, it is an ok price.

Je Ne Sais Quoi – (3.8/5.0)

The Reuben itself had little mystique but what the Reuben was lacking was made up for by the Pandas.

Taste – (7.1/10.0)

This Reuben was just not very good and it upsets me. This blog is trying to introduce the Reuben to a new generation and bad Reubens like this one puts people off.  When you have acidic sauerkraut, Caraway/Rye, corned beef… These are strong flavors and need to be handled with caution. It’s like cooking Meth, things can go very wrong. Labs can explode and people die if you don’t know what you are doing.    

Overall – (23.2/30.0)

Would I order it again? No.  Am I going back to the Rainforest Café? Yes. The kids love it and now I know not to order it again. The Sushi tower my sister got was pretty good. Danny loved his hotdog and Matthew ate all of his dinosaur chicken nuggets.

I have a feeling will be right back there next time we are in town.