My husband and I usually go to a different restaurant every year for our traditional anniversary dinner, this year he treated me to Ruth Chris Steak House in Cleveland.

I must confess I had never even heard of Ruth Chris Steak House before but after the dinner and the pure experience of it all I will never forget my twentieth wedding anniversary dinner at Ruth Chris Steak House.

My husband made the reservations for October 8th at seven o'clock and we arrived a few minutes late because the Eton Collection Shopping Plaza in Woodmere Village where Ruth Chris Steak House is housed was undergoing construction and we drove right by it.

The staff did not penalize us for being a bit late and were quite gracious to my husband and I. They knew it was our wedding anniversary and were prepared to make it one we would remember.

Atmosphere

We were led into the main dining area which was done in very elegant cherry woodwork with tables and chairs to match. The lighting was dim with candles on the tables adding to the relaxing atmosphere. There was also a beautiful marble and cherry fireplace which made it quite cozy. It was not crowded as it was a Wednesday evening, there were a few tables occupied mostly by business executives and their clients.

We arrived at our table and there were beautiful big rose petals scattered at the center of our table for our anniversary celebration.

As the dress requirements were dressy casual or business casual, I wore dress slacks and a fancy sweater and my husband wore dress slacks and a dress shirt.

Our waitress came over and introduced herself and explained the menu to us and took our drink order. The side orders, salad, soup, vegetables, and potatoes,are all a la carte but the portions are huge so splitting the sides are recommended.

Appetizers

Barbeque Shrimp
Sauteed New Orleans style in reduced white wine, butter, garlic and spices.

Shrimp Remoulade/Shrimp Cocktail
Plump Gulf shrimp dressed with your choice of our classic Creole remoulade sauce or our spicy New Orleans homestyle cocktail sauce.

Mushrooms Stuffed with Crabmeat
Broiled mushroom caps with jumbo lump crab stuffing sprinkled with Romano cheese.

Seared Ahi Tuna
Perfectly complemented by a spirited sauce with hints of ginger, mustard and beer.

Sizzlin Blue Crab Cakes
Two jumbo lump crab cakes with sizzling lemon butter.

We opted for the Mushrooms Stuffed with Crabmeat and we were not disappointed, the taste was delicous with the sweet taste of the crabmeat, the butter, and the hint of Romano cheese creating a succulent preface to our dinner.

Soup

Louisiana Seafood Gumbo, Lobster Bisque, and Onion Soup au Gratin

I picked the Lobster Bisque and my husband opted for the Onion Soup au Gratin. My Lobster Bisque was thick, creamy, and rich with the sweet taste of the lobster apparent in every bite. My husband enjoyed his soup but is not one for words in explaining how it tastes, he just said it was excellent.

Salads

Sliced Tomato and Onion
A sliced Beefsteak tomato on field greens. Topped with sliced red onions, vinaigrette and Bleu Cheese crumbles.

Steak House Salad
Iceberg, Romaine and baby lettuces with cherry tomatoes, garlic croutons and red onions.

Caesar
Fresh crisp romaine tossed with Romano cheese, garlic croutons and red onions.

Ruth's Chop Salad
Julienne iceberg lettuce, spinach and raddichio tossed with sliced red onions and mushrooms, chopped green olives, bacon, eggs, hearts of palm, croutons, Bleu Cheese and lemon basil dressing. Served with cherry tomatoes and topped with crispy fried onions.

Spinach
Fresh tender spinach tossed with sliced red onion, mushrooms, and a warm bacon dressing. Topped with crisp bacon and chopped egg.

Lettuce Wedge
A crisp wedge of iceberg lettuce on field greens with your choice of dressing.

After a tough decision between the Caesar salad and the Spinach salad, I picked the Caesar and was very happy with my decision. I have been to many restaurants that absolutely ruin a Caesar salad but this one was prepared correctly and the taste was delectable. My husband picked the Steak House Salad topped with a vinaigrette and loved how fresh the salad tasted.

Potatoes

Mashed with a hint of roasted garlic

Baked a one pounder, loaded

Au Gratin served in cream sauce, topped with melted cheddar

Steak Fries big and rough cut

Julienne regular cut

Shoestring extra thin and crispy

Lyonnaise sauteed with onions

We chose the Baked loaded one pounder and believe me when I tell you this, it is the biggest potato I have ever seen at a restaurant. When split this potato equaled two huge baked potatoes that you would usually get while dining out. It was very good and baked to perfection, of course being loaded it was topped with butter, sour cream and chives, bacon bits, and a hint of cheddar cheese.

Vegetables

Sauteed Mushrooms, French Onion Rings, Broiled Tomatoes, Fresh Broccoli(Au Gratin), Fresh Spinach(Creamed, Au Gratin), Fresh Asparaguswith Hollandaise

We selected the Fresh Broccoli and asked them if it was more of a crisp type broccoli and the waitress said that it was but that they could cook it longer if we wanted them to. We asked them to cook it longer and it arrived on a huge plate for two smothered in butter, it was fantastic and I was beginning to wonder where I was going to put all of this food!

Entress

Petite Filet and Shrimp
Our signature petite filet topped with jumboGulf shrimp.

Veal Chop with Sweet and Hot Peppers
Veal chop marinated overnight in a savory blend of pepper vinegar, garlic and onions. Broiled and served sizzling with hot and sweet peppers.

Lamb Chops
Three chops cut extra thick.

Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Oven roasted double chicken breast stuffed with garlic herb cheese and served with lemon butter.

Fresh Lobster
Fresh whole Maine lobster, ranging from 2.5 to 5 pounds.

Samon Filet
Hand cut North Atlantic salmon available broiled or with Cajun spices.

Portobell "T-Bones"
On garlic mashed potatoes, with grilled asparagus, broccoli, tomatoes and sizzling butter.

Ahi-Tuna Stack
Seared rare tuna topped with Colossal lump crabmeat and served sizzling with red pepper pesto.

Australian Lobster Tail
With blackening spice and topped with lemon and drizzled butter.

Steak and Lobster Combination
Combine any steak with an Australian Tail or Whole Fresh Maine Lobster.

Steak Guide

Filet A 12oz. filet cut generously and broiled.

Petite Filet A smaller 8oz. filet.

Ribeye A well marbled, juicy 16oz.

New York Strip A 16oz. USDA Prime cut that is slightly firmer than a ribeye.

Porterhouse For Two A 40oz. recommended to be shared.

T-Bone A full flavored, classic cut of Prime beef.

Cowboy Ribeye A huge 22oz. bone-in version of this USDA Prime cut.

Our Dinner

I selected the Petite Filet and Shrimp and my husband chose the regular 12oz. Filet. We like our steaks medium rare with the pink middle tender and juicy. The waitress explained that at Ruth Chris Steak House they cook the meat in a broiler that sears the meat at 1800 degrees. The steaks arrived on a sizzling platter topped with melted butter, she warned us several times about not touching the plate as it is extremely hot.

This was the very first time I ever had a steak without steak sauce, the flavor was so outstanding I didn't want to ruin the flavor topping it with anything. The steaks were juicy and tender and the butter flavoring to the steaks made them melt in your mouth delicious. My shrimp were also quite tasty with just a hint of cajun seasoning penetrating the flavor.

Desserts

Carmelized Banana Cream Pie, Warm Apple Crumb Tart, Cheesecake, Bread Pudding, Fresh Seasonal Berries, Chocolate Sin Cake, Creme Brulee, and Ice Cream or Sorbet.

Believe it or not we did have dessert, we split the homemade Cheesecake which was served topped with fresh berries. It was mouth-watering good and now we were completely stuffed!

Prices

The pricing on the entrees ranged anywhere from $20.00 to $60.00 and the sides were priced from $6.00 to $10.00. Remember though that the sides although a la carte, are also a big portion which can be easily shared by two.

Our bill for the evening totaled close to $140.00 but considering the occasion and that we never spend that kind of money for dinner it was worth it to us.

Service

All of the staff were very professional and courteous and had our happiness on our anniversary paramount on their minds. We were always checked on and the minute our drinks were a quarter of the way full they were refreshed immediately.

The manager came over and asked us how long we were married and if there was anything else he could personally do to help make our evening more enjoyable.

Our silverware were constantly changed with new as we used each utensil. One of the staff even came over and actually swept the crumbs off of our table with this little apparatus I had never even seen before, that was a first.

The staff at Ruth Chris Steak House Cleveland (Woodmere Village) really made my husband and I feel special on our twentieth wedding anniversary and for that we are very grateful.

Thoughts on the Menu

This is not a menu for people with heart problems as this is sure to clog the arteries just a bit more, the menu items are delicious but they do use a hefty amount of butter in their cooking.

I don't even want to think about how many pounds I gained during that one evening! This is definitely not a restaurant to dine at often but for special occasions it is simply the best.

Locations

Ruth Chris Steak House have many locations scattered throughout the United States from Alabama to Washington state.

International Locations

Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Hong Kong, Central, Kowloon, Hong Kong, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Cancun Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Taichung, Taiwan, Tapaei, Taiwan

Ruth Chris Steak House
28699 Chagrin Blvd.
Woodmere Village, Ohio 44122

Phone: (216)595-0809
Fax: (216)292-3288
E-mail: cleveland@ruthchris.com

Restaurant Hours

Monday-Thursday 5:00p.m.-10:00p.m.
Friday-Saturday 5:00p.m.-11.00p.m.
Sunday 5:00p.m-9:00p.m.

Credit Cards Accepted

Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Diner's Club, Carte Blanche

Wheelchair Accessable

Private Dining

There are three private dining rooms for business meetings or special family occasions which can accomodate parties of twelve to sixty guests.

Parking

There is complimentary valet parking available from Monday through Saturday and plenty of self-parking space is available at all times.

Conclusion

This is not a kid place as there is not even a children's menu, but if you want one of the best dining experiences of your life and you don't plan on skimping on money Ruth Chris Steak House is the place to make it all come true.

One week later

A postcard arrived in the mail one week later thanking us for joining Ruth Chris Steak House for our anniversary dinner. I thought that was a very nice touch to top off a very enjoyable evening.

Menu items were taken from www.ruthchris.com, you didn't really think I would remember all of that did you?




Recommended: Yes

Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: No
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Make sure to make a reservation just in case and order one of their delicous broiled steaks, both my husband''s Filet and my Petite Filet and Shrimp were done just perfectly
Best Suited For: Romantic Evening