Rubicon Deli owner Cheri Corsiglia presents my half tuna sandwich

It can take considerable online sleuthing to determine where to dine on a road trip into unknown territory. And then there’s the anguish of guessing if a four-and-a-half star eatery should take precedence over one with four stars. Sometimes, it just seems so arbitrary, with a good chance I’ll never be back to check out the close competition.

So, it’s a tremendous relief when I can simply ask Mark Trujillo, owner of the sterling Hub Coffee Roasters, which of several Reno, Nevada sandwich shops I should check out. Without a second’s hesitation he answers: “Rubicon Deli, a hole-in-the-wall in MidTown. And get the spicy tuna sandwich. It’s fantastic.” Done and done.

The Rubicon Deli is a no-frills sandwich shop that concentrates on great food

I just cross to the Rubicon counter and present my order to long-time owner Cheri Corsiglia. My only decisions are the type of lovely house-baked bread (I go with jalapeno jack in keeping with the spicy theme) and whole ($10.49) or half ($7.49). The half sandwich is still so loaded with albacore tuna salad, pepper jack, pepperoncini, avocado and fixings that I take half of it with me for a second lunch.

Spicy tuna and a complementary wee cookie

I rarely order a tuna salad sandwich. What launches this into the stratosphere is the quality albacore, the kick-ass habanero mustard and the great, soft bread with its slight cheesy crunch.

Thanks, Mark. And thank you, Cheri.

Rubicon Deli
445 California Avenue, Suite B, Reno, Nevada
Monday to Saturday 10 am-4 pm, Sunday 11 am-4 pm