Chiocca's

The third restaurant I chose to find the very best Reuben sandwich in Richmond was Chiocca's, located at 425 N. Belmont Ave., near Benedictine High School.
Although I have been to Chiocca's many times over the past 20 -30 years, I had never ordered a Reuben sandwich, mostly because my sandwich of choice there has always been the Pastrimi and cheese. One thing I do know about Chiocca's, is that while the wait staff is good, the time it takes to receive your sandwich can easily be 30 - 45 minutes. And one other thing I've learned over the years about this restaurant, is whoever is making the sandwiches that particular day, plays an extremly important role. I have ordered a Pastrimi and cheese from one sandwich maker and it is piled " 2" high with beautiful pastrimi and the next time I go, a different sandwich maker is there and my pastrimi is maybe "1/2" high. Not alot of consistency.

 At exactly 12:32 PM, I order my Reuben and ice tea from a very pleasant waitress, and begin my expected wait of 30 minutes for my sandwich. Waiting at Chiocca's is not at all painful for me, because i enjoy the character of this place tremendously, and do not find the wait unbearable. I normally bring a book or the morning paper with me to pass the time, or just watch the real characters that flow through this retro throw back deli.

They were rather busy for a Tuesday afternoon, so I was surprised when my Reuben was placed in front of me at 12: 55, not the 30 -40 minute wait I expected. At first glance this sandwich looks absolutlely great. The bread was nicely toasted with a bit of char around the edges, and the swiss cheese was oozing out of the sandwich which also had a few burnt marks on the sides. This sandwich is served with chips, a kosher dill spear, and a few sweet pickles, and is priced at $9.50. The thickness of this Reuben was around 1 inch, maybe "1 1/4" inchs, if I'm being generous. I was somewhat disappointed in the toughness of the corned beef. I must say it was not as lean as I would have liked it, but it did have a nice texture to it, and the sauerkraut was a big winner. The russian dressing was tasty, with just the right amount added.

As I mentioned earlier, it can be a hit or miss situation with whomever the sandwich maker is. On this particular afternoon, I think whoever was behind the counter making the sandwiches was the sandwich maker who makes them alittle less thick than his cohort. Don't get me wrong, it was a good sandwich, and I would definitly go back to Chiocca's, but I really want to go when the "stack'em high" sandwich maker is making them. I guess I need to start paying more attention to who is making the sandwich's. There also seems to be a link between the thickness of the Reuben and how well the entire sandwich is prepared. If it comes out "2" inches thick, then I know the sandwich placed in front of me will have the swiss cheese melted perfectly, and the bread nice and toasted.

I would say my Reuben at Chiocca's was a good sandwich, not great, but certainly good enough too warrent another visit. I would give this Reuben a B, maybe a B+. My search continues for the very best Reuben sandwich in Richmond.