Date of Review 2003-02-11, 11:35 a.m.
Sandwich name The Reuben
Price Per Reuben (PPR) $5.09
Reuben Delivery Time (RDT) 10 minutes 
Reuben Dimensions 14x9x3 cm (378 cm3) 
Included side items Potato chips and pickle slices
Bulk to cost ratio 74 cm3/dollar 

Reuben Ingredient Matrix (RIM) Rye bread Corned beef Swiss cheese Sauerkraut 1000 Island
SunShinE Cafe' X X X X X on side

Description (taken from the menu):
The Reuben: Thinly sliced corned beef with sauerkraut and melted Swiss cheese, on grilled rye bread with Thousand Island dressing on the side.

Sandwich presentation:
The sandwich was cut diagonally and served on one half of the plate. The potato chips were served on the other half of the same plate. The thousand island dressing was served in a small plastic cup on the side next to a few slices of pickle.

Reuben Eater Rankings
Carl Klutzke B+ A B+ A- B+ B+
Chris Rowland A- A B+ B A- B+
John Money A- A- C+ B+ A- B+
Summary A- A B B+ A- B+

Reuben Ruminations:

: The sandwich had a good balance of flavors. The bread was a bit thin, and so became somewhat soggy, but it was proportional to the rest of the ingredients. The chips were not overly salty, and therefore acceptable, but chips aren't my favorite anyway. The atmosphere was pleasant, bright, and family-friendly. The seventies music was maybe a bit loud. The sandwich initially looked rather small, but as I finished it I decided that it was just large enough to be satisfying. Diet Coke was available, but expensive at $1.38. I didn't think to ask about caffeine-free, or lemonade. Order is placed at the table, but paid for up at the register: I prefer to take care of everything at the table unless the service is really slow. The lady at the register was very pleasant, however, asking "How was everything?" and saying "Have a nice day!" I applaud the accenting of "Cafe'", but what's with the capital E at the end of "SunShinE"? ()

: This was a highly satisfatory Reuben--nothing exceptional about it, but a solid contender. It had what I would call a classic "diner Reuben" taste, which is different from a "pub Reuben" or a "deli Reuben". The sandwich's ingredients were very well balanced. The restaurant was in pretty nice condition, but some things such as peeling wallpaper and crayon marks on the wall had been neglected. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the sandwich, because I didn't have overly high expectations before our visit. I would be glad to recommend SunShinE Cafe' to anyone wanting a good Reuben value. ()

: The atmosphere was pretty good; it was not very busy, and had a homey kind of feel. The Reuben was very good overall, with a few critiques: 1) it was a thin sandwich; 2) the corned beef was good--however I had to trim the fat off of a few pieces which caused me to deduct from the presentation score; 3) the bread was just a little too soggy--but not too bad. ()