Perkins Family Restaurant

The sandwich was very good--and quite sloppy, also. Having the thousand island dressing on the side was good, and I applied it liberally to my sandwich. None of the flavors of the Reuben really stood out, it just tasted very Reuben-like. The fries on the side were excellent, but the cole slaw had some seasoning that I didn't care for. The staff had prepared a special table for our party in a side room, and our waitress kindly left us pitchers of iced tea and water so that we could refill our own beverages. I would recommend the Reuben Melt to anyone stopping at a Perkins Restaurant.

This Reuben was, I felt, exquisitely adequate. It wasn't bad; there were large portions of the individual ingredients; but the sandwich as a whole did not make my taste buds soar. One notable thing was that the sauerkraut, while plentiful, did not seem to have much taste, which, of course, threw off all the other notes in the Reuben. Also, and this is just me being finicky, but I really prefer to have the Thousand Island already on the sandwich. I had trouble separating the layers to smear the sauce on, and then the sandwich got all gloppy. It was nice to have pitchers of iced tea and water at our disposal, but I'm afraid that the gesture ended up seeming more along the lines of not having to bother with us than thinking of our comfort. I was also put off when the waitress accused us all of being pokey drinkers. I will drink at my own pace, thank you, not some industrially-mandated rate. This all makes me sound very grumpy, I know, but I was less than enthused about the service. I was afraid I would be reduced to chewing the rinds of the lemons in my water to ward off starvation! All around, this was an acceptable Reuben, but I plan to continue searching for true Reuben nirvana.

The sandwich was neither hot or cold, and had ample ingredients. The sauce was served on the side. The cheese was melted and made putting the sauce on inconvenient. We were served in a private dining area due to the size of our group. The sauerkraut was crisp, yet somewhat tasteless. The service was a big improvement from a previous visit some time ago.

I was pretty concerned going in, since it was nearly noon and the parking lot was pretty empty: in my experience that's a very bad sign as to the quality of the dining experience. Dining area didn't have a lot of people in it either, but this probably improved the place's atmosphere rating: it doesn't get as dirty when you don't have customers. Not many people showed up before we left at 1pm, either. And yet I'm not sure why the place was so empty. The service, while at the low end of acceptability for speed, was quite competent and friendly; the food was good; the price was reasonable. The sandwich came with garlic pickle chips, cole slaw, and fries. I don't much like cole slaw, and this was no exception. The fries were excellent at first but not very tasty once they had cooled. The sandwich itself was quite good: each component was in good supply and had distinct flavor. Well, okay, the sauerkraut didn't really have any flavor, and that would have been a disappointment except that it was _crisp_, which was unusual and rather enjoyable. The bread was nicely toasted and not soggy at all (they used the "line the toast with cheese" trick). There was a lot of cheese. I heard complaints from Jim and Matthew about the quality of the meat, but mine was just fine: tender and lean. And the thousand island on the side let me control the amount, though it was a bit difficult dipping such a thick sandwich into the little dressing cup. If my experience is typical for the chain, then when you're on the highway and get a reuben craving, Perkins is a good place to stop: unless, perhaps, you're in a hurry.

The sandwich was really pretty good, but the sauerkraut was a bit too bland. There was plenty of food included, and the fries were excellent. It was a welcome experience after the mustard fiasco at Einstein's.

The flavor was good. The meat was not as tender as it should have been. THe fries and pickle were first rate. The dining area was also clean.