Randi's Grill & Pub — Restaurant in Winter Park

The Reuben dissertation follows. It is impossible to find the Reuben sandwich that is always promised with the first impression once one is laid before you. You see the bread and a flash of pink beneath, reach out and... well, the experience always deteriorates from there. The seven elements of the perfect Reuben are qualified within your subconscious, evoked in that instant before you reach out, and then your disappointment builds. Nonetheless you persist, grasping for any hope that the sandwich buried within you exists. You catch a glimpse of your own reflection in an Arby's window, clinging to a soggy mess, Thousand Island dripping down your chin, knowing you've hit rock bottom.

You may even think you are capable of crafting one yourself. But how fine, in quality, let alone your julienne, is your Sauerkraut? Did you pickle your own Thousand Island ingredients?

I have found the perfect Reuben for you. Don't rush out and experience it, continue your quest, for to simply have it dropped in your lap is a disservice to your human capacity to overcome.

The 7 elements of the Reuben, and how Randi's got them right on the Third of August 2019.

Marble Rye. Dry enough after toasting to hold the sandwich together for 10 minutes, yet fresh to the taste and with exactly the proper capacity to soak excess moisture from the Sauerkraut, Thousand Island, and Corned Beef reaches for napkin while recalling

Corned beef. Outrageous. Outrageous. Fresh, perhaps cooked in the last 72 hours, but not so freshly cooked that it cannot be sliced as thin as homemade paper. Indescribable flavor. Quite.

Cheese. Chosen by a genius to lend what cheese has always been called upon to bring, though it took 48 years for me to understand. Some element of the thing you are eating is juicy, but you need it tamed so it does not turn to soup. This element allows you to move that Corned beef out of a moist environment and yet still have a subtle substitute for beef fat conduct the incredible and indescribable (as we have noted) flavor profile of the protein across your tongue. That element is cheese. Randi's genius has selected a cheese WHICH DOES NOT beat your sandwich down with pungent Swiss nonsense. It supports and enlivens.

Thousand Island. You don't even know. What if you created a Thousand Island from scratch, one not intended for week old Iceberg lettuce but to really tie a sandwich together? It would be thick, subtle on the two ends of the Sweetness vs. Acidity spectrum, yet not bland. You would swear it had a minced pickle in it I SWEAR is homemade or something. Magnificent.

Sauerkraut. Always killing Reuben. Instead of a soggy yet crunchy thick chunk of excrement that is trying to pull apart whatever is right about the sandwich, long woody stems of lunchmeat pry-bar that pull out the once balanced promise of satisfaction, see what Randi's has introduced. No sog, the cheese and Thousand Island will step in to support you. Fresh, balanced, julienned to a digestible nay melt in your mouth Profile.

Proportion. We're all well aware of what happens when you feel every element is RIGHT THERE but the amateur assemblers have skimped on Corned beef, slathered on a quart of Thousand Island, and left you a desert of crust to navigate before your first disappointing bite through the filling. Randi's is also aware. They've got your back. See the photo, a tantalizing quarter inch of meat peeking around the edge, holding up a visible promise of their perfect Thousand Island, SHOWING OFF NOW.

Will you, provide enough meat, for a change: BY GOD. You remember the promise of the Reuben, why you gamble again and again on that menu you picked up in some far flung cafe in a valley in the center of the Rockies. You've dreamt of it. All the elements are there. Perfection. And it's over before you are sated. This is why you must never enter Randi's and offhandedly order this idol. Resist. Like you did when you were offered cocaine or heroin. You know no experience will surpass it, you will be ruined for life. Randi's...

Today, I stopped by for the first time and ordered some food. The veggie burger with a house-made patty was very good, as was the service and atmosphere. However, the experience I had getting seated was quite off-putting.

I arrived around mid afternoon. When you walk in and wait to be seated, you will see two separate areas. To the left is a seating area with no TV monitors. To the right is a corridor that leads to the bar area with TV monitors. When I arrived, everyone was in the bar area and the area to the left was completely empty. I asked the "hostess" (shared role) for seating for one. She asked me if I wanted a table or to sit at the bar. I said that I wanted a table. She immediately looked perplexed and went back presumably to speak with someone. She came back wanting to seat me in the area to my left. I told her that there was a table for four in the bar area clearly not occupied. She replied with some nonsense about some hypothetical foursome that might arrive later and that she would seat them there. I pushed back saying to seat ME at the table in the bar area now, and when the hypothetical party of four arrived later, she could seat THEM in the area to the left. :-D She then begrudgingly ushered me into the bar area. (I felt like I was imposing on her, for crying out loud.) It turns out that the bar was full anyway, but there was a long table for ten occupied by only a couple of people and she seated me there. Perfectly fine. After that, I looked around and saw a number of empty tables. When the server (who was very nice) came to wait on me, I told her about my unpleasant experience, saying that such an experience is exactly what causes negative reviews. I won't/can't repeat her answer involving only two servers and one was new, etc., because I didn't understand it and it was not very convincing. When I received my bill, I noticed that the second beer was missing, and the server said she didn't charge me for the second beer because of the seating problem. That was very nice of her, and I really appreciate the gesture. I am only mentioning this with the hope that the owner reads this and can take action to prevent this from happening again to someone else. Hopefully it was a one-off.

Anyway, I like this establishment and I'm sure that I will return some time...

I recently visited Randi’s Irish Pub for a large group lunch and, while the food was absolutely fantastic, the overall experience left much to be desired due to a series of missteps with the service and accommodations.

We had made a reservation well in advance for a large group, expecting to be seated together so we could enjoy the meal and company as a cohesive group. However, upon arrival, we were told to split up into two separate areas of the restaurant. One table was in a quiet corner near the back, and the other was across the room. Not only did this prevent us from enjoying each other's company, but it also made the entire experience feel fragmented. For a place that takes reservations, this lack of organization was especially frustrating.

What made matters worse was the staff’s lack of communication about the situation. There was no acknowledgment of the issue or apology for the inconvenience, and no attempt was made to rearrange seating so that we could be together. It was clear that the restaurant either didn’t plan well or didn’t care to properly accommodate large parties.

Adding to the frustration, Randi's Irish Pub did not have enough Guinness glasses on hand to serve the pints properly. As any Irish Pub lover knows, a Guinness tastes best when served in its signature glass, and it was disappointing to be served in a mug glass instead. It seemed like an avoidable issue for a pub of this caliber, especially one that prides itself on serving traditional Irish fare and drinks.

On a positive note, the food was absolutely exceptional. The wings, Reuben, and Irish nachos were all perfectly prepared and full of flavor. Each dish was clearly made with high-quality ingredients, and it was clear that the kitchen staff takes pride in their work. But, unfortunately, great food alone couldn’t make up for the service shortcomings.

Overall, I would be hesitant to return with a large party. While the food is fantastic and the pub has potential, the lack of preparation for seating large groups and failure to provide essential details like the right glasses made for a less-than-ideal experience. I hope Randi’s Irish Pub addresses these service issues, as I’d love to come back for the food — but only if I could be sure the seating and details would be better...