Ruth's Chris

People like beef in fancy surroundings. Maybe that is why Ruth’s Chris is always so crowded. After early years languishing in the dark and performing poorly in Midtown, the Cooper family rescued the establishment from death, only to turn the restaurant into a money pit and a good, reliable place to eat.

The thought of reviewing Ruth’s is a little daunting since everyone seems to revere the place. But recently I ventured in with five others for a non-celebratory meal. Ruth’s is known for celebrating celebrations. Every time I have eaten there have been numerous tables covered in balloons and people covering their face to keep the sparks out of their eyes from the flaming cakes they bring out. I enjoy a celebration as much as anyone, but I do not relish the attention. I understand that just about everyone else does. I was asked twice when making the reservation if I was sure there was nothing to celebrate.

A horde of people stood at the entrance waiting for a table. It was a tight situation, but our wait was short lived. Ruth’s has expanded their space in the last few years, constructing a space that is comfortable and well, “clubby.” This is appealing to those on expense accounts, along with those who are a little rough around the edges and want to impress. Overall behavior and dress are expected to be upscale.

We had an educated wine drinker at our table, so I let him do the choosing. Our waiter tried eagerly to immediately suggest some wines, one of which was on special. My wine expert thought that while the list was well selected, it was slightly overpriced based on retail prices and that there were very few choices that were not toward the high end. He made the point that there are a lot of good wines available that allow for profit and have a reasonable price. Knowing the table would drink a nice amount of wine he looked for something that was not going to kill us. We chose the Rodney Strong Russian River Pinot Noir ($38). We drank several bottles during the evening and the price and quality met our expectations.

Service is key at Ruth’s. This is their hallmark in addition to consistently excellent food. There are plenty of servers for each table and anything you want or do not want can be done for you. No request is too small or large. I find this is enjoyable, although some find it annoying. There service is equal if not better than fine restaurants in New Orleans and Atlanta. I count on their service, and this evening they didn’t disappoint.

We all ate like pigs. It was well worth it. I will review by course rather than person since we ate so much. First, I ordered turtle soup, which was offered as a special soup that evening. At first I thought it might be a take-out from Felix’s, but upon receipt it seemed thicker and richer than the place on the Causeway. I could be fooling myself, but I liked it.

No one prepares salads as well as Ruth’s. They are abundant and excellent. Several of us ordered the chopped salad. This is a combination of iceberg lettuce, spinach and radicchio tossed with sliced red onions and mushrooms, chopped green olives, bacon, eggs, hearts of palm, croutons, blue cheese and lemon basil dressing and topped with fried onions. It could be a meal alone.

Another requested the crispy iceberg lettuce wedge covered with rich, chunky blue cheese dressing. The heart of palm salad offered a generous amount of mixed lettuce topped with artichoke hearts and hearts of palm with their house vinaigrette.

I was already beginning to feel a bit full from my two courses, but others were snacking on bread. The bread could use some help. It is a little too mealy and void of flavor. Maybe with so much rich, good food on the menu, the bread is forgotten.

We had five filets and one order of lamb chops. The meat all came to the table sizzling in butter and very hot. The steaks were all perfectly broiled to each of our demands and, as expected, tasted incredible. The three healthy sized lamb chops, cut extra thick were good as well.

Ruth’s is expensive, and I expect the food will be good and consistent. It may not always be incredible, but you can count on excellently prepared main items. For side dishes we ordered several spinach au gratins, which were draped in a thick curtain of cheese, which upon pulling back revealed a thick, creamy casserole. I love garlic-mashed potatoes, and theirs are good, although there isn’t enough garlic for me. But they are still worth ordering. Broiled tomatoes covered in Parmesan rounded out the meal and presented a sweet foil to the otherwise heavy meal.

I cannot believe we all ordered dessert. The abundance of food presented will make you loosen your belt. But the pecan pie is among the best I have had, with a center that is caramel-like in consistency. But what you need to get is the chocolate roll, which is what the rest of the table did. A rich chocolate cake is rolled with ice cream, covered in chocolate sauce and nuts. It is not on the menu so you have to ask for it.

Overall, you have to be in the mood to spend some money to eat at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, but you can count on a predictable, tasty, filling and reliable meal. So go celebrate.

Kinnon Phillips is Lagniappe cuisine editor. Contact him at kphillips@lagniappemobile.com.

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