"The Second Street Cafe is located in Hotel Ottumwa, but has its own entrance from the street. There are stands and tables in the restaurant. The tables were a bit far from each other due to COVID-19, which made it look strangely economical. One could say that they tried to make the place look elegant, but it came to me somehow how these “fake elegance” look that you will often see in a Chinese buffet restaurant. But things were clean (with small signs that said "sanitized" on each table), and things were in good repair. They had old photos on the walls of the buildings in the city. Since the restaurant is located in the Hotel Ottumwa, there is certainly a lot of interest in the history of this city Iowa. My server, Nick, seemed to be the one responsible for the dining room, and he was fast and attentive. I was amazed that the reuben came to my table only 7 minutes after my order. In less than 10 minutes after I went to the restaurant, I eat my reubs. The reubs themselves mostly tasted with beef and bread. The deli-style horned beef slices they used were quite delicious. The Thousand Island and the Sauerkraut were mixed and a hint of knall was added to the meat. Maybe a little more sour wort and dressing would help to balance the flavors a little more. The marbled rye was supposedly grilled, although it tasted for me as if it had been roasted instead of grilled, because the strength of the bread seemed to be in every slice, instead of just on the outside of the sandwich. The sandwich was not very inadmissible, except a little Thousand Island dripping here and there, because it was a little runny and not thick enough to stick the ingredients in the sandwich. I ordered the potato chips and they seemed to be the homemade variety, and were very good. They were beautiful and crispy around the edges with an occasional softer part in the middle of each chip I somehow enjoy. Overall, this was a good place to stop for a quick dinner. I was on the street, so I guess I'm able to spend less than 30 minutes in the restaurant, from the time I went until I went out, and my bill in the cash register. It is not an amazing sandwich in any way, but it should not disappoint when you go through Ottumwa and want a reub."
