Reservations For Two At Morton's, Please.
Written: Jun 04 '00 (Updated Jun 05 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Our wine was great, the Caesar passed inspection
Cons: The beef wasn't worth the trip or the high price tags either.
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| forkids's Full Review: Ruth's Chris Steakhouse |
This past Mother’s Day I gleefully spent the afternoon in the garden while my kids picked weeds and swung on the swings around me. My significant other was trimming the hedges, the gift I requested for Mother’s Day, and I was contemplating our dinner plans. I secretly hoped my dearly beloved had shopped for a gourmet feast or at least something to throw on the BBQ. I stayed outside while everyone else went inside, surely they were in the midst of furious dinner making. Now going on 7 pm and not a single word from inside, I peeked in. My heart sank as they sat there finishing up, DINNER!, “Uh, honey, I was just getting ready to make you something. Here, what do you want?” my beloved was feeling very guilty. I was really bummed, truly, but said instead, “That’s ok, let’s just call our night out at Ruth’s Chris Steak House a Mother’s Day event, you get the sitter and make the reservation though.”
He took care of all the little details and we headed downtown early, downtown as in Washington, DC. We had our reservation for 7:00 p.m. but arrived at 5:30 because our other errands were done and there wasn’t much to look at on this end of Connecticut Ave. I would suggest valet parking as the surrounding streets are residential and parking is not that accessible. We did not listen to this advice from the restaurant and regret it immensely. If it hadn’t been a nice enough night, there would have been a much grumpier arrival.
I don't like to eat this early but it was open and there were a few diners, mostly graduates and their families from the local American University. Standing at the podium waiting for the hostess, I noticed a slew of promotional materials/brochures set out on the side table. Picking up one of the brochures gave me an instant picture of “tacky marketing”, Ruth’s Chris offers their own Visa credit card, and with every $5,000 increment, you automatically receive a $50 Ruth’s Chris gift certificate. Now I was having flashbacks to Dallas and the multiple billboards I used to see for Ruth’s Chris and the goofy radio spots (something about an oven, I think). Do I smell “Denny’s” on the horizon?
We fit into the dress code quite well, which could easily be described as Khaki’s for the guys, jacket very optional. Ladies would feel comfortable in nice casual, not jeans. We were there on a Sunday so can’t speak to the business crowd attire, which according to my husband would be “uh, whatever you wore to work.”
Note: this is my first time eating at a Ruth’s Chris Steak House but my significant other has had many business engagements here, so I had some idea of what to expect. What to expect means, “It’s not bad, just not as good as Morton’s of Chicago. Ok, now I had a benchmark to work with.
Our hostess led us through the “clubby” hunter green and dark wood-styled dining areas, tables dressed in white tablecloths and napkins. I say areas because there are seating areas tucked away in the oddest places, there is an upstairs area that overlooks the main dining area and private dining rooms exist in a few places, one with a fireplace. We were seated in the front “garden” room, walls of windows overlooking Connecticut Avenue, not a sweeping vista but a good people watching perch. Right away we had a waiter accosting us for a drink order and delivering bland bread. We had only been seated for a minute without the chance to even peruse the wine list.
When we did order we went with a glass of Red Zinfandel and a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon only after asking the vintage, as they aren’t posted for wine by the glass. The wine list was plentiful but I can’t speak to the quality of all the offerings. The after dinner drink list is quite extensive with flavored coffees, cognacs, brandies, ports, and scotches aplenty. You can go with the $160 Remy Martin Louis XIII, 1.5 oz or Fonseca, Ruby for $5.75.
We skipped straight to a salad order, the appetizers weren’t tickling our fancy this evening. The appetizer choices were: Barbecued Shrimp – New Orleans style, Shrimp Remoulade/Shrimp Cocktail – choose the sauce, Mushrooms Stuffed with Crabmeat, Seared Ahi Tuna, Louisiana Seafood Gumbo, Onion Soup Au Gratin, Carpaccio Tenderloin, Escargot and Hearts of Artichoke, French Fried Onion Rings. My husband has had the barbecued shrimp on other visits - Sauteed New Orleans style in reduced white wine, butter, garlic and spices- and highly recommends them. Price range for appetizers: $3.95- $9.95
The salad offerings were extensive enough for my tastes and we went with the Caesar which came with generous shavings of fresh Parmesan, my favorite part of any Caesar salad. The dressing adequately covered all the romaine, I'm not a fan of dry greens. Our second salad choice was Ruth’s Chop Salad, one of their original salads: Chopped greens, red onions, mushrooms, green olives, bacon, eggs, hearts of palm, croutons, cherry tomatoes and crispy fried onions top the salad. This all tossed with their lemon basil dressing. I asked for bleu cheese dressing on the side, be forewarned: it’s not Roquefort so it’s not nearly as tasty. Also, the crispy fried onion rings that grace the top are not fresh and hot but cold and oily. If I had it to do over again, I would have ordered the Balsamic Vinaigrette. Price range for the seven salads offered: $4.95- $6.95
While still finishing our last bites of salad, the sizzling hot steaks came into view. I say sizzling because there they sit by their lonesome selves on a VERY hot plate with traces of butter causing the sizzle. No garnish, nothing but meat. We both ordered the NY Strip ($29.95) medium and received meat that was more “done” than expected. We didn’t fuss but dug right in. My eyes weren’t rolling toward the back of my head, my taste buds weren’t doing the jig of joy, they were ho humming their way through the rest of the meal which included a vegetable side. Here’s what Ruth says about their meat:
Ruth’s Chris specializes in the finest custom-aged Midwestern beef. We broil it exactly the way you like it at 1800 degrees to lock in the corn fed flavor. Then we serve your steak sizzling on a heated plate so that it stays hot throughout your meal. Our steaks are served sizzling in butter, specify extra butter or none.
Other entrée notes: Steaks are what Ruth’s Chris are known for so you’ll find the following cuts of beef:
Filet - $25.95 – this is the most popular cut of meat they sell.
Ribeye - $28.95
Porterhouse for two - $58
T- Bone - $31.95
Veal Chop - $28.95
Lamb Chops - $29.95
If red meat is not your thing, then they have:
Roasted Chicken - $17.95
Fresh Lobster – Market Price
Fresh Catch of the Day – Market Price
The vegetable sides were big hunks of vegetables and not the least bit appetizing, I could have prepared a more presentable dish. The broccoli comes in one big, uncut mass and the mushrooms are served whole. We kicked ourselves for not getting the garlic mashed potatoes but went with the overdone Lyonnaise potatoes instead. Lyonnaise potatoes are small slices of potatoes sauteed with onions. Like most steakhouses, the potatoes play a large part and Ruth’s Chris is no exception. They serve up: mashed, baked and loaded, Lyonnaise, Au gratin, Steak Fries, Julienne, Shoestring. Price range for potatoes: $3.95-$4.95.
Service continued to clip along, as did the meal. We gave up on the idea of telling our waiter to “slow down, come back in a long while” mainly because we were afraid he’d never come back. We did order dessert, foolishly, with some decaf to go with it. I still cannot fathom why better restaurants have “Sanka-like” coffee. There, I said it, the coffee was terrible and the desserts were severely unimpressive. My husband had the Chocolate Praline Encore – “A star performance combining the sweetness of a Southern pecan pie with bittersweet chocolate cream on a buttery crust, topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings” fair, not something I would request the recipe for. The Crème Brulee was my choice and because it was delivered to my table in a record three minutes, I can fairly assume that they didn’t torch the top. The berries were fresh and juicy but the Crème Brulee had obviously been delivered by an outside source, not made to order. Price range for desserts: $3.95-$4.95
Ruth’s Chris Fun Fact and other musings
Ruth Fertel is the founder of Ruth’s Chris ,the restaurant chain started with her first purchase of the New Orleans “Chris Steak House” in 1965. Today there are 69 Ruth’s Chris Steakhouses in 55 cities in the USA and six internationally.
Our final verdict:
I would not bring friends here, I would take them to Morton’s instead. Morton’s offers more bang for the buck and if I’m paying the tab, I want overall quality. My husband agrees and he’s been to both frequently, frequently only because they’ve been expense paid business dinners.
Details
WASHINGTON, D.C.
1801 Connecticut, N.W. (Corner of S and Connecticut)
Washington, D.C. 20009
phone: (202) 797-0033
fax: (202) 667-4257
Or dial 1-800-544-0808 followed by 08
•This location is not open for lunch, many are.
Reservations recommended but not required.
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STOP! Don’t decide about that reservation just yet until you see what the others have to say:
• Thank you to our hostess, Tanster, for organizing this Ruth’s Chris Dine-Off tonight. I am joined by fellow “diners” pogomom, halfsweet, garypai, conradd, and randi_holladay we are each dining in our respective cities, so please take a gander at their reviews to see how this restaurant stacks up in other parts of the country. An easy way to access the group is through this link:
http://www.geocities.com/jpn5/x-off/
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
forkids
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 - Top 500 |
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Location: The Burbs of Washington, DC
Reviews written: 517
Trusted by: 724 members
About Me:
Taking a long overdue coffee break...back soon.
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