Galahad's Cafe and Spirits

Matthew Durkee : Galahad's now has new management. With the new management comes new ideas and that is reflected in the food and atmosphere. First, I love a place that provides pre-food food! At a Mexican place you can count on corn chips, rolls at a traditional American resturant, but Galahad's has them both beat. They had a snack bar set up on one table with chips/salsa, crackers/cheeseball and my favorite, in-the-shell peanuts. I don't know if this is an everyday thing or just on Tuesdays or what, but it is a very nice touch. The atmosphere is quite improved. It was not as smoky as before and the lighting was dark but warm. Now this was not the best Reuben we have had, but it is better than before. The kraut was grilled and had a nice bite to it. The Swiss cheese was much more potent than before. It was well suited for use in a Reuben. The sauce was average, neither added or detracted to taste. The corned beef is a bit of a different story. It was rather tough. However it came by this toughness honestly--I inspected the meat closely and realized that this was some of the leanest corned beef that we have ever been served. Truly a high quality cut, but perhaps a bit too high end for this use. A bit of fat is needed to keep a meat you intend to grill tender. Meat this lean is perfect for the crock-pot. If you are one of those Atkins people who need protien with limited fat you should consider the Reuben here and just throw away the bread (carbs). I must applaud the new management for keeping the best attribute from the old establishment, which was the chips. Forget the fries, the onion rings or whatever. The default potato chips are the way to go. The service could not be beat. It was spot on, nothing could be improved. Is service always this good or was it just for us? They knew who we were and that they were being rated. I for one am going to take a Christian attitude and believe that you can expect the sevice to be very good. Quite improved over the last time. (2004-02-24)

Tim Foster : It was very tasty. The service staff was friendly and fast. The only bad things were the fries were just warm not hot, and smoke from the bar. But, a very tasty sandwich! (2004-02-24)

Andrea Heininger : I found the sandwich very tasty. The corned beef was very flavorful and distinct. I like the marbled bread. I'm glad to see they have kept the potato chips. The chips add a nice alternative to fries. (2004-02-24)

Marc Houle : Since I had never been to Galahad's before, I did not have any pre-conceived notion of how this experience was going to be. I'll therefore assume that the excellent service was a result of a good staff and not because of any previous visits or reviews. I will also assume that the helpful portions, the great bread, the good taste, and the excellent Reuben were all a result of a fine establishment trying to perfect the Reuben experience. Good job. (2004-02-24)

Jim Kidd : It's another gray, cold, windy winter day. Crocuses begin to peek at the sun. Tulips, having better sense, decide to hold off a few more weeks before testing the above ground world. Robins, entirely bird brained, have shown up too early again and now sit here and there, all puffed up, and looking out of place and uncomfortable. There is a bright spot however, the Reubenators are returning to Galahad's. Boasting of new management and improved menu, they have thrown caution to the wind and asked that we return for a second opinion (see first opinion). We walked into the family dining area. The blinds were tastefully closed, blocking what wimpy sunshine could burn through the clouds. The management had reserved two tables for us. I began to feel our celebrity status, not on the same level as say--the governor, but somebody nonetheless! I recognized our waitress as the same as the last visit. She took our orders as the last time, not surprised at all at the homogeneity of the group's culinary habits. As a bonus, she invited us to partake of the snacks setup in the bar area. Both TVs are now turned to CNN, but thankfully, no sound emanates from either. I noted with surprise, that smoke was not drifting over from the bar area. There were not more than five patrons in the area, so maybe the lack of smoke was proportional to the lack of smokers. The snacks consisted of peanuts in the shell, cucumber slices and dip, and two other items I can't remember. The peanuts were great. I was instantly transported in time to a baseball game at Indianapolis' old Bush Stadium. We drank beer, ate peanuts, laughed, and didn't care a wit if the Indians won the game or not. Back to reality---the Reubens were different this time; they possessed a certain character. The Swiss cheese had holes. The corned beef was quite lean, and the sauerkraut was layered in between slices. The sauce was not special, just regular thousand island. The bread was toasted a bit too much, but not bad. When you bite into the sandwich, you have to fight it somewhat to bite through. You can taste each of the ingredients, as they stand out slightly from each other. It was delicious. I chose the potato chips this time and have to agree with my fellow eaters; the chips are good. Definitely not like the last time, and in fact, better. The only improvement I can suggest at this time is to use homemade bread and back off on the toasting process. The service was top notch, our waitress made sure we had all we needed and checked frequently to top off drinks. Try the "new management" Reuben, it's improved. (2004-02-24)

Carl Klutzke : This is, I think, my fifth meal at Galahad's. The dining environment is comfortable and dark, as I recall from past visits. The sunlight wasn't as blinding today. I caught a faint whiff of smoke late in my meal but that was the sole intrusion from the smoking section: not bad at all. The waitress (I believe she was the same waitress from the previous trip) was very attentive, which was hardly any surprise considering that we'd been asked to come back. We even had tables reserved for us. She invited us to partake of some snacks while we waited for our sandwiches: there were chips and salsa, peanuts, and a cheese ball in the smoking section, and a few of us brought some back to our table. It was a welcome distraction while we waited. I had the Reuben with chips this time instead of onion rings, and the chips were excellent, crunchy and tasty. I avoided the lemonade, having learned my lesson, and just drank water. The sandwich itself was an improvement over the last trip. The kraut had a bit more flavor; it even had little seeds in it, which I've not seen on a sandwich before. The corned beef was very lean, and so not quite as tender as I would have liked, but it had decent flavor. The Swiss and dressing were noticeable, and seemed to be in good quantity. The marbled rye was as attractive as ever, but sliced a bit thin for my tastes, and I think that's why my bottom slice was somewhat overly moist. At least they've learned about the line-the-bread-with-cheese trick. And the pickle was decent. Overall, this was an improvement over the previous Galahad's Reuben, but still not a remarkable sandwich. If I go back I'll have the tenderloin instead (the last time I saw one it was HUGE), with the chips. Or maybe the beef stew, which I had for my first meal here. But no lemonade. (2004-02-24)

Mike Kubik : Having not been able to attend the previous Reuben Tuesday at Galahad's, I can only comment on the current review. This Reuben was excellent. The bread was a toasted rye, the meat was fresh, tasty, and a thicker cut then the average Reuben. The cheese was perfectly melted and the kraut and dressing were above average (they need to drain the kraut a bit more). Overall, the sandwich rates as one of my favorites and I would recommend it to people who don't want to spend a fortune for the Reuben at Shapiro's. The server was friendly and was omni-present in a good way. The atmosphere was my only complaint (and I believe the management has done all they can with the architecture they inherited). The smoke was overpowering. I think when they built this restaurant, the dining area was considered an afterthought. At any rate, I would definitely battle the smoke to have another one of these Reubens. (2004-02-24)

Carl Rothenbacher : I think now that Galahad's is the kind of place that's enjoyable to visit. Nice atmosphere and a good solid Reuben. (2004-02-24)

Chris Rowland : The last time I was at Galahad's, I said that I wouldn't be returning. Well, based on the information I had at that time, I thought that was correct. But then Bobbie (new Galahad's management) e-mailed us and politely addressed all of the concerns we brought up in our previous review. Since it was new management, we thought we would give them another opportunity. And I don't think we were disappointed. The Reuben was no longer bland! Now it wasn't necessarily a zesty taste delight, but it at least tasted like a Reuben sandwich. The sandwich was large and filling. The sauerkraut was a little crunchier than I have had recently--the parts of the sandwich with the thousand island dressing were especially flavorful. The two slices of Swiss cheese were also good. The sandwich was built differently than last time. This time, they had Swiss and dressing against both slices of bread. I think this helped the flavor a lot. The chips were still very tasty, and very crunchy. The atmosphere is pleasant but tends to get crowded during the lunch rush. The china plates had a nice pattern--much prettier than the plain white china plate from our last trip (compare the photos for yourself). I can now recommend Galahad's for a highly satisfactory Reuben experience--especially one that is still available for less than $6. (2004-02-24)

Brian Skiles : Galahad's promised us an improvement over our last trip, and they certainly delivered. The Reuben was no longer bland. The sauerkraut had a good flavor, and you could easily taste the Swiss cheese. The only thing that detracted from the sandwich was that the corned beef was a little tough in a couple of spots. I was glad to see that they did not change the chips, which were still excellent. Overall, it was a pretty good Reuben experience. (2004-02-24)

Aimee Zahora : The London Reuben was very tasty! The marbled bread, the lean corned beef, and the caraway seeds made for a great sandwich. The service was exceptionally pleasant, although there may have been some preferential treatment due to the fact that the establishment knew we were there to rate their Reubens. (2004-02-24)