Kahn's Delicatessen

I want to be clear that the Reuben here is not billed as a Reuben, it's a Reingau, whatever that may mean. My translation is that Reingau must mean untoasted and ungrilled Reuben. The sandwich wasn't served cold, however. There was a whole lot of meat on this sandwich, sliced thinly and packed together. The Russian dressing was applied sparingly and I couldn't really taste it. The bread was pretty hearty, but it probably wouldn't stand up to any more dressing. The lady who took our order was surly: I was the fourth or fifth person to order the "Reingau" and she wouldn't take my order unless I told her what number it was on the menu (#1). She wasn't very nice about that. When the person behind me asked the surly order-taker what the sandwich came with, she said, "the sandwich". This was not really true. It came with a boat-sized pickle that was very good. The cashier was a lot friendlier, though. The sandwich was worth having again, but the atmosphere is very utilitarian, sitting amongst the groceries. I didn't feel welcome here and probably won't be back.

Kahn's sells wines and wine accessories. I think the deli is a sort of side business. You can get sushi too (if you're into that sort of thing). In a sense, Kahn's is a kind of snack heaven; except, there are no free samples. You order your Reuben in the back of the store and wait until your name is called. You pay at the counter and find a seat in the store or you can eat outside if you like. There are incredible selections of cheeses, snack meats, crackers, chocolate, and nine types of olives (I thought that there were just green and black types). If you're looking for quality finger food to snack on while you sample wine, you'll find it here. Therefore, you have a lot of stuff to look at while you're waiting for your Reuben. The Reuben itself is okay, I guess, but lacks zip (or enough sauerkraut). There is ample very thinly sliced beef piled on firm rye bread. The Swiss cheese is the finest I have tasted. The cheese is the dominant flavor and nearly hides the flavor of the almost nonexistent sauerkraut. They use Russian instead of the usual Thousand Island dressing. This aberration makes the Reuben somewhat sweet, and may bruise your sense of tradition. They also break with tradition by not grilling the sandwich. The pickle that comes with the order is the largest thus far delivered with any sandwich I've ordered. It was all of 1/2 a cucumber, fresh and crunchy. While I was not particularly impressed by the Reuben, I am curious what a 5-dollar pack of hot dogs tastes like.

This is a strange place. I've driven past it countless times and didn't even realize it had a deli. I thought it was just a wine shop. Upon entering the foyer through the automatic doors (this is the only Reuben establishment I can recall with those, so that's worth something), it's still not clear where to go to get to the deli. We eventually figured out that you go through the doors to the left and all the way to the back through the shopping area. I'm not sure how to describe the shopping area. It's sort of a miniature gourmet grocery store for things you might want to go with wine you bought in the other side of the building. Anyway, back to the deli counter, which actually has a pretty extensive array of things to eat, most of it looking fairly tasty. There's even a sushi bar. But I didn't investigate these things too deeply: I was there for the Reuben, or whatever it was they call it. I placed my order at the deli counter, but there were problems with the register, so I had to go over to the shopping-area checkout to pay. The staff seemed rather non-plussed at having so many customers at once and for the most part didn't handle it very gracefully, though in the end I got what I ordered. As I went to sit in the dining area I saw my wife (Karen) and daughter (Morgan) through a window in the other half of the store: they had come to have lunch with me, but couldn't find the deli area either. They finally found their way over to me, and I sat with Morgan for rather a long time while they filled Karen's order. At least they seem to have fixed the deli counter register by then. The sandwich was served on waxed paper on a plastic tray, nothing special. There was only one item of garnish, but it was substantial: half of a large pickle, which was pretty good if you like that sort of thing. The sandwich, to my surprise, was on untoasted bread. The bread was thick though, and in no danger of getting soggy. There was a thick slice of cheese, and a good quantity of beef and kraut. The dressing was brown and sweet, reminiscent of barbecue sauce, but not bad, and that was mostly what I tasted. The bread and beef were okay, and I don't really recall tasting the cheese or kraut. Overall it was an okay sandwich, with interesting dressing, but not outstanding. Karen liked the place, and the potato salad I shared with her was good. She said the hot dog she shared with Morgan was excellent, which is high praise from her for a hot dog: I assume it was all beef, and it looked to be about an inch in diameter. I didn't get a taste of it, so Morgan must have liked it too. Morgan liked the chandeliers in the dining area, big black wrought-iron looking things with flower decorations and candle-shaped lights. Outdoor seating was also available in front of the establishment, but for some reason we didn't take advantage of it. I wish we had: the deli dining area was almost too bright with the electric lighting, and no windows for natural light at all. I felt like I was dining in a grocery store. I'm not sure how to sum up my Kahn's experience: it was so unusual, and I was distracted pleasantly by dining with my family. It wasn't bad, and I wouldn't be averse to trying the place again, but I'd prefer to try the outdoor seating next time. And one of those hot dogs, perhaps.

The sandwich was good-sized and had a lot of meat. It wasn't very heavy on the dressing, which was probably because they didn't toast the bread. Had they toasted the Reuben, it could have been a contender. Also contributing to a high value grade was the pickle. The pickle was big enough that you could land aircraft on it.

Kahn's is sort of an odd place since it's also a market. The sandwich was very good. For the price, I would expect a side of some type. Service was pretty quick.

I first thought that Kahn's was missing the boat by not toasting the bread. After I had eaten most of the sandwich I decided that toasting the bread (with the Russian dressing) would have subtracted from the overall sandwich. I really enjoyed the sandwich.

Having been to Kahn's before (never having the Reuben), I had high expectations. I enjoyed the atmosphere, the restaurant is split into two sections, one is for wine, and the other is a deli. This deli is definitely for a crowd with "refined taste". If you have a hankering for Blueberry Beer, or Orange Cran-Apple Berry Mustard -- this is your place. I enjoyed seeing creative condiments at $5 a jar. The sandwich was good, but not great. The meat, cheese, kraut were all quality, but didn't stand out. The sandwich is made with Russian dressing (which I guess makes it truely authentic), but the dressing wasn't a huge positive or negative. The bread was good, but not toasted -- I favor toasted bread, it seems to add to the sandwich.

Despite the easy access to all kinds of liquor, this is just not the kind of place that I like to hang out in. Something in the atmosphere is just lacking.

Some complained about un-toasted bread but I liked it the way it was. Taste was good too with Russian dressing (bit sweeter) and Swiss cheese. Definitely would like to go second time (to shop exotic food if not Reuben).