Champps Americana - Circle Centre Mall

The meat on this Reuben was very tasty, and the sauerkraut was also delicious. The sandwich was very light on Thousand Island (if it was even there at all), but they kindly brought out small crocks of dressing after we requested some. I really liked their dark Russian rye bread. The restaurant got pretty loud as the lunchtime crowd began to show up, and if you like looking at TV screens, they had plenty of them. The Reuben at Champps certainly didn't disappoint and I would love to return.

We parked in the parking garage right next to the corner elevators, and didn't have a long walk at all. Parking cost us $1.50, pretty reasonable downtown, so it didn't seem like a big deal that the restaurant wouldn't validate our ticket. This place is pretty noisy, and there are TVs all over. It's a little hard to concentrate on the people you're with. Fortunately we ended up (not uncomfortably) with seven people at a table that was originally set for five, so that made it a little harder to be distracted by the rest of the restaurant. Service was friendly and reasonably prompt, and drink refills were brought without needing to be requested. Glasses were plastic, but we had linen napkins, china plates, and metal flatware. I ordered a Diet Coke instead of water, and that alone, with just its tip, cost me about $2.70; I won't make that mistake again. I also ordered onion rings on the side for a dollar extra: they were big and looked tasty but turned out to not be very flavorful. Chris said the chips that came with the sandwich were actually pretty good, and I'd stick with them in the future. The sandwich itself was on a dark rye that had a nice texture but felt a little bit too greasy, and I had to wipe my hands a lot. I had a couple of bites early on that had a strong dressing flavor, but didn't notice it so much later on: on the other hand, Larry apparently felt there wasn't enough dressing, because he requested more on the side, so I guess the dressing was applied pretty inconsistently. The kraut was flavorless, but there was a good amount of tasty cheese. The highlight, as is often true in the upscale sports pub Reuben, is the huge pile of meat. There was lots of it, and it was pretty good. I usually clear my plate at these events, but between the sandwich and rings I was happily full, and forced myself to stop. It was an expensive meal, but if I'd just had the chips and water to drink, it would have been pretty good for the price.

There was no wait during the peak of lunch hour and the waitress was very attentive. She noted that I had a side of ranch, and there was my food--no ranch on the side. A feeling of sadness washed over me but then--like the feeling you get when hearing the sounds of sleigh bells on Christmas eve while nestled in your bed, I saw a plate, with ranch on the side, being delivered to one of my colleagues. I was about to say something but the waitress looked at my plate and noticed the mishap and saved the day. Once again I was happy and ready to munch down a yummy looking sandwich. Indeed the sandwich was yummy and the waitress brought extra dressings. Again nice job!! But, do not get the onion rings unless you're into giant, fat, tasteless foods. Plus, for me the onion to breading ratio was way off as well--way to much onion. Overall the experience was good, but on the pricey side but we were eating downtown and we must pay for that stadium somehow! ;)

Huge Reuben that was truly a full meal. A bit light on the dressing, though.

Excellent sandwich and service!