Perfect place for your red-meat fix!
Written: Aug 16 '01 (Updated Aug 16 '01)
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Pros: Gorgeous, juicy steaks! Fabulous desserts! Very friendly and polite service.
Cons: The sides aren't as great.
The Bottom Line: Great steaks, great service, great time.
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| kenshin27's Full Review: Ruth's Chris Steakhouse |
First off, just a gripe; why the heck are there like 6 different Ruth's Chris Steakhouse categories on Epinions? They seem to be separated by location but they don't have all the locations. Either include all the locations or don't separate 'em at all! Sheesh. Anyway, on with the review:
I've been to Ruth's Chris twice, both at different places. The first time I took my mother to the Parsippany, NJ location for Mother's Day. The second time was just yesterday when I took my girlfriend to the Weehawken, NJ location for our anniversary. Besides the obvious spacial differences of the restaurant's interior, both locations were quite similar as far as service, mood, and food are concerned.
The Settings
Ruth's Chris seem to cater more to the business types as I see a lot of suits taking up space there every night. They also have rather large parties as well that are out celebrating special events. This could be bad at times since the environment can get quite loud with all these people. But if you manage to go sometime when it's not as busy, the general atmosphere is quite comfortable and cozy since they tend to keep the light down low. Everything's nice and clean and relatively classy. I always feel like I should dress up a bit when I go there but when I actually do get to the place, I'll see people in just everyday clothes as well.
Whetting Your Appetite
The appetizers that I've tried so far are their lobster bisque, French onion soup, mushroom caps, and crab cakes. The mushroom caps are great and the crab cakes are absolutely scrumptious! But at $17.95 for just 2 cakes, the mushroom caps are a bit of a better bargain ($10 less). But the crab cakes should be tried at least once. The French onion soup was pretty good while I wasn't overly impressed with the lobster bisque. I guess it wasn't that bad but I was expecting a bit more lobster I guess. =)
The Main Course
For entrees, I've only tried the steaks while I've been to Ruth's Chris. I mean that _is_ their signature dish after all. Both the New York Strip and Ribeye are scrumptious. Perfectly salted and buttered, needing no additional flavoring. The best time to dig in is right when they are brought out cause they're still sizzling and pretty much melt in your mouth. Sooooo good! =) But, I think they undercooked the steaks a little bit though since my medium and my girlfriend's medium well steaks were both rather bloody. Not that I mind very much but my girlfriend is more queasy about that kind of thing. But, the waiters are always more than willing to send a steak back to be cooked again till the desired lack of blood is achieved. And the portions are really large too! I always wind up forgetting how much food they give you and order too many sides. My standard side is sauteed mushrooms (ok so I like my mushrooms ;-p) which is generally decent. Yesterday I also ordered mashed potatoes (with a hint of garlic) that was just ok. There certainly was a lot of it though.
They do have other things besides steak though like the typical pork chops, lamb chops, fish of some sort and there's usually a surf & turf special going on. But, if you're a vegetarian.... well, what the heck are you doing in a "Steakhouse" in the first place? ;-)
More Goodies
Another thing that Ruth's Chris does very well is desserts. They have a great and varied selection (ranging from creme brulee to flour-less chocolate sin cake) although my own preference is rather narrow: if it has "chocolate," "mousse," or "cheese" anywhere in the name, I am _there_! So I had their chocolate mousse cheesecake with the Oreo crust. A tad too sweet which wouldn't be bad if the thing wasn't so darn large! Probably about 4 or 5 inches round with a big heap of whipped cream on top. Great to share with a date. =)
The people
Both times I've been to Ruth's Chris, the waitress & waiter that we had were both great. Very engaging and considerate and eager to please. They certainly do give great service. And for some reason, both places have exactly 3 ladies up front to check your reservation and show you to your seats. Is that a Ruth's Chris thing? Anyway, the wait staff definitely earn their keep.
The aftermath
While I love steak as much as the next red-blooded American, Ruth's Chris is definitely not a place to hit weekly. Dinner for two for me usually ranges from around $100 to $150. Definitely not cheap for a good night out. The price for their entrees actually aren't that much more expensive than I've had elsewhere (especially if you're used to good and/or trendy eating in NYC). It's the appetizer, sides, drinks, and desserts that can start racking up faster than you expect. Sure, it'd be nice if they were a little cheaper but I've always had a good time when I've been to a Ruth's Chris so I won't complain that much. ;-)
So, if you like your beef and have a special occasion to celebrate, definitely give Ruth's Chris a shot. It's practically a sure thing. =)
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: No
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Basically you can't go wrong with their steaks. The crab cakes are also worth having at least once.
Best Suited For: Business
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Epinions.com ID:
kenshin27
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Member: Ben C
Location: NJ
Reviews written: 34
Trusted by: 17 members
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