The Ranger has made a quiet comeback. I didn’t tell anyone about the last post when I came out of retirement. Word got out. Apparently, people still check on it and noticed the new Episode. I’ll keep things pretty low-key and see what comes of the reincarnation of the Ranger.
I found myself in Nacogdoches, Texas on a “Danny and Dad Adventure”. We used to do these all the time when I still had flight benefits, and they’ve always been a great excuse for us to travel and spend time together. Nacogdoches has been on the short list for a long time, and with Danny taking Texas history this year, it seemed like the perfect time to go.
When I asked friends for recommendations in Nacogdoches, they all said the same thing - Dolli’s Diner. They had a Reuben and I knew it was time for the next episode.
REUBEN:
“corned beef, sauerkraut and swiss cheese on rye ”
Appearance – (3.9/5.0)
Good toasting on the bread. There was some concern when I saw the kraut to meat visual ratio. It is usually a mound of meat or melty cheese that captures the eye. Tots look great!
Quality of Ingredients – (3.8/5.0)
Sometimes with diners the menus can get too big and it’s hard to do everything well. This might be the case at Dolli’s.The breakfast items looked great. I could see the staff taking what I think was homemade cream cheese and putting it into individual portion bins. With all of that going on, it looks like this was a Sysco-truck Reuben. I don’t get the sense any of the ingredients were made in-house, especially the sauerkraut.
Price – (4.3/5.0)
$11. Not bad for a good size sandwich and some tots. The location is also prime real estate, right on the square downtown. It was well staffed and felt like a reasonable price for everything.
Je Ne Sais Quoi – (4.2/5.0)
Dolli’s Diner was our first stop when we got into Nacogdoches. There was a wait so we walked around the historic town square and took it all in. The process to take names was low-tech: a hostess stand and a notebook. The dining area had exposed brick and some retro Betty Boop memorabilia. Overall, a great local place.
Taste – (7.9/10.0)
Sauerkraut has a strong flavor and should be handled with caution. This was not the case here. Sauerkraut is an essential flavor for a Reuben but many places are scared to deal with it so it’s often the first ingredient to be substituted out. Losing the sauerkraut is the first step in going from a classic reuben to a Reuben in Name Only (RINO). The lesson here is if you are going to use sauerkraut, it has to be good and it has to be in proper balance with the other ingredients. Both of these were issues for this sandwich, and it was hard for me to get past it.
Overall – (24.1/30.0)
Would I order it again? No. Would I go back to Dolli’s? Yes. The breakfast items looked delicious and Danny really liked what he got. It looks like a wonderful community hangout and I would recommend it to anyone passing through town – just stick to the breakfast menu.
