Very Dissapointing!
Written: Dec 22 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good service
Cons: Expensive and they use too much butter
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| lizf's Full Review: Ruth's Chris Steak House |
I have a rule and I broke it. My rule is to never get my hopes up that a chain restaurant of any kind will be as good as or better than non-chain restaurants. I let the hype about Ruth's Chris Steak House get to me. I started to think this one might be the exception that proved my rule. I got my hopes up. I went to Ruth's Chris Steak House expecting an outstanding meal, only to have my hopes dashed. It was a total disappointment.
The restaurant was extremely expensive. I believe the ad on Epinions says the average dinner would be 17 dollars. At the restaurant we went to the cost of the average appetizer was 17 dollars! Although, this restaurant was on PRIME real estate. We went to the Ruth's Chris Steak House in Weehawken, NJ. We had window seats on the edge of the Hudson River and dined with a view of Manhattan. I'm sure the cost of our meal included the view.
Lest anyone think I dine like this all time, let me explain. It was a very special occasion. I have a very dear friend who was celebrating her birthday. It was her first birthday since her mother died and she was devastated to be celebrating it "alone". She wanted to spend the evening in a beautiful place with good food. We got the beautiful place, but were both very disappointed with the food.
Food:
Everything on the menu is ala Carte. If you just order a steak, that is ALL you get... just a steak. But since this was a celebration, we went a little crazy.
I ordered the BBQ Shrimp appetizer and petite Filet Minion. We decided to get Potatoes Au Gratin and Mushrooms to split. When we ordered, the waiter told us the steaks would be pre-seasoned with salt, pepper, and butter and served sizzling on a 500 degree plate. Yum! My mouth was watering at the thought of this meal.
They brought out the BBQ Shrimp. It was not what I was expecting. I was expecting a thick, tangy BBQ sauce. Instead, I got a thin, buttery sauce. It didn't really taste like BBQ sauce at all. It tasted more like curry powder dissolved in butter. There were six large shrimp in the serving, so I can't complain about the portion, but it didn't really taste that great.
When it came time for my steak, I really got my hopes up as it was put in front of me. The smell of sizzling butter was magical. But just like pretzels from NYC street vendors, the smell was the best part of the meal. The steak was drowning in deep pool of melted butter. Don't get me wrong -- I love butter. In fact, I would consider myself an avid fan of butter... but this was just too much! (My husband almost fell over dead when I told him my biggest complaint was too much butter.)
The Au Gratin Potatoes were not very good. It looked like they were topped with some kind of fake, cheep cheese. They were also drowning in butter. The sautéed mushrooms included another inch think pool of butter. Aside from the butter, they didn't have much taste to them.
Service:
The restaurant's service was pretty good. I ordered Iced Tea, and they refilled my glass without asking me whenever it got low. Our food came promptly, but we never felt rushed.
Decor:
The restaurant had a very pleasant decor. The entire wall overlooking NYC was glass. The floor was designed to step up one step as you got further away from the window, (almost like stadium seating) so that all the tables had a good view of the river and the city.
Because of the spectacular view, I don't remember much about the room, except that it was tasteful and elegant. It was a room fitting of the view and the prices on the menu.
Special Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations:
If you do decide to go to Ruth's Chris Steak House, I would highly recommend that you order carefully. I had no idea about the amount of butter that was used in cooking. That night I was up until four in the morning with the worst case of heartburn. I tried all kinds of antacids and heartburn remedies, but it wouldn't go away. There was just too much butter used in the meal.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
lizf
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 - Top 1000 |
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Location: VA
Reviews written: 124
Trusted by: 109 members
About Me:
A writer is a controlled schizophrenic. Edward Albee
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