Fork and Finger
232 2nd St,
Portsmouth,
OH
45662
USA
740-353-8500
https://fork-and-finger-restaurant.business.site/
Category: American
Price: $
| Overall: | A | (4.5/5.0 stars) |
| Value: | A+ | (5.0/5.0 stars) |
| Atmosphere: | B+ | (4.0/5.0 stars) |
| Service: | A | (4.5/5.0 stars) |
| Taste: | A | (4.5/5.0 stars) |
| Presentation: | B+ | (4.0/5.0 stars) |
Reuben Details
Sandwich Name: Reuben ($7.25)
Menu Description: Lean corned beef, Swiss cheese, kraut and Thousand Island dressing served on swirl rye bread.
Included Side Items: None. Fries or coleslaw could be added for $4.95
Presentation: The Reuben started with a slice of swirl rye bread, followed by a slice of Swiss cheese, then folded corned beef and a large amount of sauerkraut before a small amount of Thousand Island dressing and the top slice of bread. The sandwich was served on a plastic tray with the cut sides facing one another.
Dimensions: 441 cm3 (14 cm x 9 cm x 3.5 cm)
Bulk-to-Cost Ratio: 61 cm3/dollar
Review - Steven Rowland
Review Date: Jul 28, 2022, 3:20 PM
Liked: Corned beef flavor
Disliked: Very light on dressing and not much corned beef
| Overall: | A | (4.5/5.0 stars) |
| Value: | A+ | (5.0/5.0 stars) |
| Atmosphere: | B+ | (4.0/5.0 stars) |
| Service: | A | (4.5/5.0 stars) |
| Taste: | A | (4.5/5.0 stars) |
| Presentation: | B+ | (4.0/5.0 stars) |
Spending the week in Portsmouth and looking for a place to have lunch, I found myself at the Fork and Finger on 2nd Street. It’s a small building and easy to miss, but within walking distance from many of the other nearby businesses. The inside has a bit of a small-town diner aesthetic, but has likely seen better years—it all looks a little run-down, the booths aren’t terribly comfortable, and our waitress had to adjust a wedge used to stop the table from wobbling. It was a bit noisy and had a bit of a greasy spoon type of atmosphere, but the staff were friendly and it was a comfortable place (aside from the booths).
After seating ourselves, I ordered the Reuben sandwich without anything else, and it arrived in 14 minutes—which was quite reasonable, especially considering how busy the small establishment seemed. The Reuben as delivered was presented simply, but looked good at first glance.
I did notice quickly that this Reuben was quite heavy on the sauerkraut and a bit light on the corned beef, which on one half of the sandwich was so off-center that half of the sandwich was entirely beefless. It seemed to be only one or two slices or corned beef partially folded over. The Thousand Island was also difficult to find, so much so that I’m only guessing it was at the top of the sandwich. It was definitely in there, but the quantity was quite lacking.
The corned beef was surprisingly flavorful, enough so that it managed to not be overpowered by the amount of kraut on the Reuben. The Thousand Island was very weak, but in my opinion the taste of the meat more than made up for the difference even though the dressing is one of my favorite parts of the sandwich. The only real shame was the amount of corned beef. The one or two slices on the sandwich weren’t quite enough for me, and I would have liked twice as much meat on the sandwich. Other than that, I found this a surprisingly good Reuben.
Our server was quite friendly, and we only had to wait briefly for her once. The other staff seemed quite friendly as well.
If you don’t mind a little bit of a run-down, small-town atmosphere, Fork and Finger is worth the stop. The Reuben is good (as are the fish and chips we also ordered for our table), and for the low price it’s certainly a sandwich I would have again.