Dawson's on Main

The interior of this restaurant is completely remodeled and gorgeous. The wallpaper and paint are in beautiful hues with contemporary fixtures. The service was also friendly and accommodating of our large group. The Reuben had meat in thick slices, springy and pleasant to chew, but a little tough in places. The bread was grilled nicely but was a little thin. The other ingredients didn't stand out because the beef taste was a little overpowering on my sandwich. The sandwich was somewhat messy which attested to the taste being pretty good overall. The restaurant's web site advertised a "Reuben Philly" but apparently they have changed to a more traditional sandwich construction since their web page was published.

This place is surprisingly classy when compared to many nearby establishments. It's nicely decorated and quite family-friendly. There's definitely a racing motif, but it's subdued and tasteful. The most unusual aspect of the decor, in my opinion, is the sink in the men's room: an amber glass basin set in a marble countertop, providing a clear view of the plumbing beneath. There are TVs in most of the dining areas, but ours was off, and thus no distraction: the ambient noise was low enough that I could converse with people at both ends of our table. Drinks were served in real glasses, with metal flatware and linen napkins. The glasses were tall and thin, which might lead to easier spillage and require more frequent refills, but service was good and refills came without asking. Service was friendly as well, but they did have quite a bit of trouble sorting out our checks. I splurged an extra 50 cents for a side of onion rings: they were pretty tasty, but strangely clumped together so I really only had about five individual rings. The sandwich was on a pretty marbled rye, lightly toasted, with a mild but ocassionally noticeable flavor. The beef was sliced thin and piled in good quantity; some complained that it was a bit tough, but mine was tender and good. The kraut on my sandwich was tucked inside layers of beef. I don't know if this was intentional, but it did help reduce the sogginess, which is especially important with a sandwich as lightly toasted as mine was. I couldn't taste the cheese, but I could feel its texture. I didn't really notice any flavor from the dressing. It made for a good-sized lunch, and I was pleasantly full afterward. I had a little trouble leaving, because I'd parked on the east side of Main street, and had to back into northbound traffic with my view obscured by the parked vehicle to my right: I'd recommend looking for parking elsewhere. Overall it was a good meal in a pleasant setting. If I have a criticism of the place, it's that while it presents itself well, it's so restrained in its character that it succeeds in being pleasantly unremarkable; it's more fun to be in a restaurant that celebrates something, that adds little extra flourishes. My sandwich should have come with little checkered flag toothpicks.

The ingredients of the sandwich were not blended very well. The value was acceptable. Presentation was average. Atmosphere was nice. Could have been a little lighter. Service was also very well done. Nothing about this place knocked me off my feet. Just an average place. I would go back.

My Reuben was presented on two different types of bread. They must have run out of the marbled rye and switched to a regular rye. This did not impact the taste, which was good. It could have used a bit more dressing for my taste though. Overall I thought it was a good sandwich in a nice setting.

Very nice decor. Very comfortable place. However I did not really like this sandwich. The meat seemed to be processed rather than true corned beef. The bread was a bit thin to contain the kraut juice. The cheese was without flavor and the dressing tasted an awful lot like what one gets in a BigMac. I might come here again but I will not get a Reuben. Come on, it did not even come with a pickle.

This is a part of town that I had never been to before. The restaurant was very nice, and the Reuben was very solid. I like the really dark ryes better, but this one was very good. I also like the balance of sauerkraut, corned beef and thousand island.

A classy place without being ostentatious. It was a solid Reuben, though not the best.

Loved the atmosphere, very classy. I loved the meat, only a slight fat trim that easily came off--it wasn't marbled with fat. It seemed like not quite enough, but then I'm pregnant. The cheese seemed more like provolone than Swiss--it tasted good but I prefer a stronger Swiss flavor. I would have liked more meat (only two slices), and more sauerkraut. I loved that the sandwich was warm throughout.

When I got my sandwich, the bread was different, it was a marbled rye, but I didn't have as much marbling. The bread tasted fine. The sauerkraut overwhelmed the sandwich, and didn't seem to have enough liquid removed, so it made it a bit mushy. I can still taste the sauerkraut after 2 hours. For sides, I chose onion rings for my side, and compared to others that chose onion rings, I didn't get the same portion (to me they didn't taste homemade--my boyfriend said they were). I would go back, but I wouldn't get the Reuben.

Upon arriving at Dawson's I was pleasantly surprised to see ample street parking near or in front of the restaurant. The location is within walking distance from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway administrative offices--maybe 5 or 10 minutes. It was lunch and the restaurant was fairly busy, but we were seated in what appeared to be a large banquet room. Our large group did not feel cramped at all and the room could easily accommodate 2 large groups at the same time. The overall decor of the restaurant was nice and appeared to be recently remodeled in modern tones. I also appreciated the cloth napkins instead of paper. I ordered my Reuben with a side of cottage cheese. I figured I'd swipe some onion rings from Rachael. The wait time from order to table was what I would expect with a large table. When the orders started arriving at the table there was the normal 'who had what' by the wait staff, but I'll give them a pass since everyone had the same sandwich. After everyone's plates were down I noticed immediately that the bread didn't look the same from plate to plate. I'm not sure exactly what type of bread was used and I'm assuming it was marbled rye, but not every piece was marbled. This left me wondering if they ran out of bread and substituted something else. The other thing that I noticed was inconsistency in the portion of the sides. It appeared that some people had a larger portion of onion rings than others (for example). My side of cottage cheese was generous and was served in a side dish on my plate. The potato salad and cole slaw were also served this way. Not sure if this really was necessary. On to the Reuben. Other than the bread issue I felt the sandwich itself was a little thin or small for the price. The bread was nicely toasted and held up well while eating the sandwich. The meat slices were bit on the thick side. The dressing was a bit messy, but I expect this on a Reuben. As far as taste I thought it had a decent balance, but really didn't wow me. Service overall was decent and refills were reasonably handled. At check time, there was another bit of confusion by the wait staff of 'who had what' which I also expect at a large table. However, I've seen this handled much better. If I had to guess they were a little too busy for the number of staff they had on hand. I don't recall a manager checking on us during the meal. Overall I was satisfied with my dining experience, but I wish I left feeling a little more full. Be prepared to spend around $20 for 2 people if you each order a Reuben and soft drink, which is a bit pricey in my opinion. On my way out I heard someone mention that their tenderloin sandwich was good, maybe I'll try that next time. If I were in the Speedway area and wanted a decent meal in a pleasant atmosphere, then I would recommend Dawson's On Main--you will get more for your money here than at a concession stand at the track.

Excellent Reuben! The thousand island appeared to be mixed with the sauerkraut, which made for a wonderful and unique taste. The potato salad was mustard-based and well-balanced. The atmosphere is lovely with a waterfall in the main seating area. make time to sample this Reuben and enjoy the dining venue.