Apple Tree Restaurant

The restaurant was busy, and just like the Paragon, there was plenty to eat here. The side salad was pretty good, and the complimentary rolls weren't bad--hard on the outside but soft on the inside. The Reuben didn't come with any Thousand Island dressing--a big disappointment because it really could have used it. The corned beef and sauerkraut were balled up on different halves of the sandwich--plenty of each but not blended well. The corned beef was thick and had a good flavor. The Swiss cheese was too thin and small to even be noticed. The bread wasn't distinctive either. The bottom slice of bread got really soggy so I had to flip the sandwich over. If you want a corned beef and sauerkraut sandwich, this is the place to go--but for a Reuben, it could stand quite a bit of improvement.

We set out to find Java Town / When arriving, we found it closed down / We traveled in haste / To Apple Tree, (another place) / The food, its fare doth abound. This was my first visit to the Apple Tree. I remember before shopping of any sort existed in Plainfield, you had to travel to Indianapolis to buy anything fashionable. I think that the Apple Tree was once a Waffle House restaurant. My wife and I would sometimes eat here many years ago when we shopped at a nearby store. The place was nearly full; the patrons were engaged in quiet conversation. No big screen color TVs or loud music blared from corners. A home-like dinner place, really. Wall to wall windows let in the blue sky (a hint of spring to come). The shades were drawn mindfully to keep the sun from blinding the diners along south wall. As you walk in there is a refrigerated glass case showing various cakes and pies. They also have eclairs if you just got to have one. We were seated and handed menus. Our waitress turned out to be a former fellow employee of our company. She took our orders (mostly Reubens, but a few heretics chose other food items). The wait time for food was surprisingly quick considering how busy they were. One thing you need to consider when you come to Apple Tree, how much can you eat? You had better loosen your belt a notch. The portions are big. I guess my only complaint about the food was that the fries are piled on top of the sandwich. I had to move them to the side to get at the sandwich; maybe a bigger plate would help the problem. My first bite was a big surprise. The kraut was hot; steam billowed forth when I peeled the bread back. I waited a few minutes to let the heat dissipate somewhat. There were loads of kraut, meat, and cheese. It was quite delicious. It was all I could do to finish the sandwich; I left most of the fries behind.

Apple Tree would seem to be owned by the same people that run Paragon. However one could say that the Paragon is serviced by their varsity squad while this establishment is worked by the B-team. They forgot to put the sauce on the Reuben, and did not refill my drink until we were about to leave. These were all things that would not have happened at the Paragon. The only reason this rates as high as it does is due to the quality of the corned beef and the great price. However you get the same beef and price at the Paragon but without all the chaos of Apple Tree.