Review: Rick's Deli Cafe

A lunchtime spread at Rick's Deli Cafe encompasses Cobb salad, a Bumpy Johnson meatball and marinara sandwich, and a Donnie Brasco sandwich built with housemade chicken salad. (Credit: Johnathan L. Wright)

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It's not every day you get to nosh on Baby Face Nelson. Or Donnie Brasco. Or John Gotti. But if you stop by Rick's Deli Cafe in south Reno, you can.

Sandwiches are named after gangsters, the soup is hot and the drinks are cold. And at about $6 for a sub, lunch is a great deal.

The deli is easy to miss in its unassuming storefront space amid the office buildings on Double R Boulevard. The floor is green-and-white checkered. Two huge — they cover nearly the whole wall — photographs of the New York City and Chicago skylines hang on the right and left walls, respectively, accompanied by old black-and-white portraits.

Breakfast and lunch items make up the menu — Rick's is only open during the day, after all. But breakfast isn't served all day, only until 10 a.m., so don't stroll in at noon expecting an omelet or breakfast burrito. Sandwiches make up the majority of the lunch menu, with a few salads and a soup of the day thrown in.

The soup special one day is corn chowder. Corn kernels, bacon and potato pieces bob in a creamy base. The soup lacks seasoning, however. Several sprinkles of salt and pepper almost remedy the blandness.

The chopped Cobb salad has chunks of chicken, avocado, bacon, blue cheese crumbles, tomatoes and egg served atop a bed of romaine lettuce; creamy blue cheese dressing accompanies. The salad is hearty, with crisp greens and plenty of toppings.

The delicious Donnie (misspelled Donny) Brasco sandwich features housemade chicken salad on a Dutch crunch roll with tomato, lettuce and mayonnaise. My companion adds a slice of Havarti cheese. The chicken salad has a mild (but not too much so), nutty flavor. It's moist without being too mayonnaise-y, and the roll is sufficiently crunchy and fresh.

The Bumpy Johnson offers housemade Italian meatballs, marinara and gooey provolone cheese on a sourdough bun. The meatballs are good-sized and not overpowered by herbs, as meatballs often are. The marinara is standard, but the cheese adds richness to the sammie.

Stick with the packaged chips available near the counter because the café's side dishes are forgettable. Pasta salad reeks of industrial Italian salad dressing. One bite is almost enough to make me never touch the stuff again. Potato salad is better, but still a waste of time.

A gigantic brownie for dessert is speckled with chocolate chips. The brownie is sufficiently gooey and moist, and I love the surprise of the chocolate chips.

Service at Rick's Deli Cafe is solid, considering it's the order-and-pay-as-you-go-at-the-counter variety. But the woman behind the counter looks at the name on my credit card — and that of another companion — and addresses us by name later when she drops off our order. It's a nice, unexpected gesture at a casual place.

Rick's is a decent place to grab a sandwich — no frills, mind you, but frills aren't always necessary.

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