The Reuben is having a moment right now courtesy of Subway.
They tried launching it a few months ago and I tried two different locations
and was unsuccessful each time. The first one was “out” and the next week when
I tried another location the promotion had ended. Arby’s tried to push the Reuben a few years
ago and I reviewed it in Episode X, but the Subway commercials are ubiquitous.
My phone started blowing up with messages from friends, family, and fans (ok,
so maybe it was just my dad) asking when I was going to try it. I couldn’t let
my fan(s) down and decided to give it a go.
Corned Beef Reuben
“Corned Beef, Bavarian Sauerkraut, Swiss Cheese, Thousand Island on Rye
bread”
Appearance – (3.2/5.0)
Safe to say it doesn’t look like the commercial. I should
have asked for double meat and told the lady to make it look like the
commercial. This is the “new” Rye bread but you can’t really tell. It is not
marbled and the caraway seeds are too small.
Once Danny took the bag of Doritos off my plate it just looked strange
sitting next to the side order of banana peppers.
Quality of
Ingredients – (3.9/5.0)
I was suspicious going into this review. I know Subway has
spent lots of money trying to rebrand with local produce and the new logo, but
I still wasn’t sure, especially about the sauerkraut. You may remember the last
Reuben had some issues with the sauerkraut. Well, turns out it was not bad. I
don’t know what Bavarian style sauerkraut is, but I like it. That seems like
something that would be hard to replicate in so many Subway shops around the
world. It is such a volatile ingredient.
The Rye was actually pretty good once you got past the lack
of visual cues.
The corned beef was also not bad either. What I appreciated
is that it was not too salty and seemed to have some good body to it. I thought
it would be as flimsy as the thin cut turkey but it wasn’t.
Price – (3.9/5.0)
The sandwich itself was $5.75 but you throw in chips and you
are closer to $7.25. Most of the other places I try include fries or a side dish
so to keep the comparison fair, we will go with $7.25. Given the small portion
size I don’t think it is a great value.
Not to mention, I was in a Subway in Coppell. You are not exactly paying
for ambiance. There are two minimum-wage
teenagers providing labor under high efficiency light bulbs.
Also, most of the time after a Reuben, I don’t have to eat
the rest of the day. That was not the
case here. This Reuben was just like a normal meat so the cost per calorie was
high.
Je Ne Sais Quoi
– (3.6/5.0)
The JNSQ is low here but it didn’t have to be. There is a
great little donut shop just down the road that I go to almost every Saturday
to get donuts with Danny. It is not much to talk about. It is literally a
mom-and-pop operation with one table. What I love about it, beside the donuts,
it that their windows are filled with the posters of all the local high school
teams. It gives the place a real small-town feel. Subway didn’t have that. It was more of a planned corporate
environment.
Taste – (9.3/10.0)
Despite low scores up to this point, this was one of the
better tasting Reubens out there. It really was not bad at all and there are a
few reasons why.
First off, the bread was toasted and was not covered in
butter. The butter problem was really starting to feel like an epidemic. This
is probably why I wasn’t so weighed down after the meal. The absence of butter
really let the Rye flavor come out and I really liked that. Second, the balance
of ingredients was right on. This is a benefit of a corporate environment. You can have anyone behind that counter and
it should come out the same every time so kudos to Subway for good operational
execution. Third, the temperature was just right. They toasted the bread and
melted the cheese perfectly. Look at this shot.
There were no unforced errors and no toothpicks!
Overall – (23.9/30.0)
Would I order it again? Yes. Really? Yes, I would. I thought I would need
to pack in the banana peppers to save it but it wasn’t necessary. I had those for dessert.
This is another good introduction Reuben. I have so many
people tell me they have never had a Reuben. This is a good place to start. If
your deli/pub can’t beat this then they should probably rethink having the
Reuben on the menu.
Thank you to Subway to helping push the Reuben to the
forefront of pop culture.
