Ruth's Chris Steak House

Ruth's Chris Steak House is not the kind of place you visit all the time.  Because the people I work with are so awesome, we were rewarded with a trip to Ruth's Chris Steak House tonight, courtesy of our employer.  Mark and I, two people who frequently eat out, had never been there, so I was pretty excited.  To prepare for our night out, I was researching the cost associated with Ruth's Chris.  I could not find a menu that included prices. If you visit Ruthschris.com, the menu does not list prices.  When I called the restaurant to have one faxed over, they let me know that Ruthschris.net had a menu with prices.  I find it odd that they keep that information on a less easily found website.  It's not that the second site is hidden, but it is certainly not as obvious.

When I arrived tonight, I visited the bar and lounge, as that was where my party was waiting.  They were offering half price appetizers that I did not take advantage of.  They also had some drink specials.  I had a Berried in Myrtle Beach for six dollars, that is usually twelve dollars.  It was pretty good but incredibly sweet.  Also, it had berries in it.  As the majority of our party had arrived, we moved to our table in the dining room.  

The dining room was pleasant but unremarkable.  The lights were low, and our party of seven was given a round table with fancy linen napkins and table covers.  We had two gentlemen taking care of us and waters were provided for the entire table.  After finishing my fancy drink, I ordered a Sprite with lemon, as they are awesome, like me.  They brought it out in a little glass Sprite bottle, which I'm sure cost five dollars and didn't come with free refills.  For those of you wondering, I did not bring the bottle home with me.

The menu had a variety of foods, with a focus on steaks.  The average steak cost forty dollars, but they also offered chicken and seafood dishes.  There was an insert with-in the menu offering three course meals at more affordable prices.  I opted for the rib-eye steak with mashed potatoes for my entree.  There were three salads to choose from, but the one I wanted was not listed.  They let me substitute it, with a charge for the difference.  I was also able to choose a dessert.  I found the duo of chocolate mousse and berries and cream to be the most appealing.

While we were waiting for our salads and soups, we were provided with bread.  It was in small loaves, which were scored.  The bread wasn't particularly special, but it wasn't bad either.  There was also butter supplied.  Before too long, our salads and soups arrived.  The majority of us had salad, with one person opting for the lobster bisque.  My salad was a wedge salad with blue cheese.  The portion was generous, but the blue wedge salad they offer at Outback Steakhouse is much better.  The Ruth's Chris salad was missing some sort of balsamic glaze, which cuts the blue cheese and makes the salad much tastier.  It's not that I don't like blue cheese; I just appreciate the effect the glaze has on the dish as a whole.

The meal wasn't rushed and came at a good pace, with our entrees arriving shortly after they other dishes were removed.  The steaks were saved on five hundred degree plates, which we were repeatedly told not to touch.  I appreciate the warning, but the one gentleman was quite rude about it.  I suppose it is better to be safe than sorry. 

I ordered my rib-eye medium, but it was closer to medium rare.  It tasted just fine, so I wasn't too upset about that.  When a steak is part of a fifty dollar meal, it needs to taste better then "just fine" since it is so expensive.  My steak just wasn't as good as Ruth's Chris advertised it to be with their prices.  It was the equivalent of buying something at the Apple store, but the Apple store will actually sell me pretty good products.  

For my side, I chose mashed potatoes.  When you order them from the regular menu, they are around eight dollars and come with enough for two.  I shared mine with someone, which was fine by me, as they were not very good.  They tasted like they were instant or maybe made from potatoes that sat in water way too long. I am a potato snob, so my opinion may be skewed.  I didn't try any of the sides others ordered.

When dessert came, mine was pretty good.  I shared a bit of it with another, but there wasn't much in it to share.  The mousse was quite good, as were the berries and cream.  No one complained about their dessert, but some of the offerings were quite bland.  They offered vanilla ice cream and sorbet.  Both are fine desserts, but they're uninspired.

I wouldn't send anyone to Ruth's Chris Steak House.  The food wasn't bad, but it wasn't good enough to warrant the cost.  My meal probably cost at least sixty dollars.  That does not include tax or the tip, so it may have been more.  I didn't see the final bill.  I really appreciated the gesture, as it was a very nice thing for my bosses to do for us.  They are a great group of people, and I'm glad I got to try Ruth's Chris Steak House.  I just don't plan on taking Mark there, as I don't feel it is worth it.