A Rant On Ruth’s Chris Steak House’s “Summer Special” [UPDATED WITH A RESPONSE TO A NASTY COMMENTER]
Ruth’s Chris Steak House Summer Special?
2 SALADS
2 ENTRÉES (Limited entrées - Petite Filet, Mixed Grille [4 oz. filet, oven roasted free-range chicken breast stuffed with garlic herb cheese and their homemade jumbo lump crab cake], Chef’s Fresh Fish Selection, Barbecued Shrimp, or Stuffed Chicken Breast)
2 SIDES TO SHARE?
1 DESSERT TO SHARE?
That’s supposed to be a bargain????
I’ve been to Ruth’s Chris Steak House and it’s the most overrated restaurant chain in America. The steaks are not all that special and in my humble opinion, the steaks there are just a little above average. I have had much better steaks at smaller, locally owned steakhouses from large cities like New Orleans to small towns like Havana, Florida. Nicholson’s Farmhouse Restaurant, back when it was open, had steaks far superior than Ruth’s Chris. Same with Tallahassee’s Marie Livingston’s. Ruth’s Chris’s gimmick is the 500 degree plates they plop the steaks on so they sizzle as they bring them out to you and supposedly keeps it warm as you eat it. Is that worth paying more than double what comparable steaks costs in other restaurants? Those 500 degree platters don’t do any better than a heated porcelain platter or a steel steak platter on a wooden base which most restaurants use. It’s called a gimmick, kiddies. The service I have experienced at Ruth’s Chris was no better than other steak restaurants. Better dressed servers mainly, but I don’t see justifying more than twice what it costs at better steakhouses to have better dressed employees. My Dad, who has also eaten at Ruth’s Chris tells me basically the same thing and one place he considers far superior is Doe’s Eat Place in Greenville, Mississippi.
Ruth’s Chris? I just don’t get it.
And now, a response to commentor Mark who touched a nerve:
Thank you for your concern of my spelling Mark, although your tact could use improvement. Incidentally, although you are correct and I should have written “entrées” I guess you don’t speak French because you would know that “entrées” in English is “entries.” But thank you for playing. Secondly, are you in the employ of Ruth’s Chris? If not, you should be since you are quite the Ruth’s Chris apologist. However there are serious fallacies in your reasoning and claims…
1) Quantity does not guarantee quality. Expanding a New Orleans restaurant into a chain of 120 stores only means good business sense is being used not necessary the quality of food. If we are to take your logic to its conclusion on this point then McDonald’s food must be FAR SUPERIOR to Ruth’s Chris since they have thousands of locations worldwide.
2) Accolades and awards do not quarantee quality. Again, if we take your conclusion to it’s conclusion, McDonald’s food must be FAR SUPERIOR to Ruth’s Chris since they have been awarded thousands of awards and accolades in the time they have been in business. Furthermore, the restaurants I named have also been awarded numberous local, regional, state and national awards and accolades from the culinary community including Doe’s Eat Place.
3) You are obviously speaking (more aptly, writing) from ignorance and also lacking in reading comprehension. First of all, none of Doe’s steaks are “fried” but expertly grilled over an open, wood fire by gentlemen who have been doing so for years, some for decades. I suggest you educate yourself concerning Doe’s Eat Place, its history and the numerous accolades and awards it has been given in its long history. In many “Best Steakhouses” lists by regional and national publications, Doe’s has ranked higher than Ruth’s Chris. So your off-hand dismissal and open insult is obviously based in ignorance rather than proven fact. Furthermore, if you go back and read my little missive, you will note that I specifically wrote that my DAD, who has travelled extensively while working for an international company and has eaten at steak houses all over North America, considers Doe’s to have superior steaks than Ruth’s Chris. I give Dad’s opinion more weight and validity considering he travelled North America for decades and has eaten at some of the best-known steak houses in places ranging from Kansas City, Chicago and NY to small towns like Greenville, MS & Branson, MO (long before it became an “entertainment mecca” and major tourist trap). I’ll freely admit I don’t know you from Adam’s housecat and as such you may be highly qualified as a restaurant critic or maybe a culinary expert. And then again you may just be a major blowhard. After reading your response to my rant, I’m more willing to believe the latter. Regardless, I give respect and weight to my Dad’s opinions on restaurants, based upon his experiences at some of the best restaurants around the country during his days of business trips. In contrast, you assume you know my palate better than I do, but it becomes apparent that you do not and are continuing to be writing from ignorance.
4) Also, in regards to the lack of comprehension you exhibited, at no time did I say Ruth’s Chris Steak House, as it currently exists (more on that further on), is a bad place to dine. I did say it was one of the most overrated steakhouses and currently uses a gimmick (the overheated metal platter) as a major selling point although any experienced chef and cook will tell you that doing so doesn’t keep the steak any warmer than a properly heated ceramic or metal platter which most reputable steak places already do.
5) Historically speaking, we (meaning my Momma, Daddy, brother and myself) lived for many years close enough to New Orleans that we took many weekend mini-vacations as well as longer summer and holiday vacations in the Crescent City. I was fortunate enough to have eaten at the main New Orleans location of Ruth’s Chris and had the pleasure to have met Ruth Fertel while we dined there back in the 1970’s. Frankly, the restaurant in the 1970’s was better than the chain currently is in my humble opinion. I’ve read similar opinions from many New Orleanians as well as culinary experts (including some who have had the pleasure of dining in the original Chris Steaks restaurant). Thanks to many visits to New Orleans, I have had the pleasure of dining in some of finest restaurants both past and present in that wonderful city. If you are ever there, I recommend you engage your palate at Commander’s Palace, Broussard’s, Arnaud’s, Antoine’s and many other excellent restaurants located in that region. BTW, Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse, from what I have read, is quite a wonderful dining experience and I look forward to dining there at my earliest opportunity. Also the Embers Steakhouse in New Orleans is another place for steaks of wide national and international acclaim that I look forward to trying.
6) Finally, if you had bothered to do a litle research, both online and via hardcopy, you will find that in just about every list put together in the last, let’s say, ten years has placed many, many steakhouses above Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses in the best steakhouses in America category. And you will find this in such sources as Saveur magazine, Zagat Surveys, Gourmet magazine, Southern Living magazine, Sante magazine, Prime Time Top 10 Steakhouses, and elsewhere. So your opinion is duly noted, but your zeal is a bit overdone.
Having had the pleasure of dining at Ruth’s Chris in New Orleans before it exploded as a major chain and now, I can honestly say that it’s not as good as it once was. This sentiment is shared with many others, including relatives, who have dined there before it was even franchised. My late Grandfather, for example, told me many years ago that he ate regularly at the original Chris Steaks and although excellent, he felt that when Ruth Fertel bought the place, she improved the restaurant greatly. After they expanded greatly in the 80’s was when many of the restaurants started to decline (in his opinion) with the exception of the main restaurant in New Orleans and the one located in Baton Rouge. Keep in mind when I refer to a “decline” here, it’s not from a level of excellence to a level of mediocrity but a level of excellence to a couple of levels of excellence below. A bit difficult to explain clearly enough.
Mark, you have indeed touched upon a nerve here with me. I freely admit that I am not an expert in culinary techniques but you not only insult me with your snide and ignorant remarks but also hundreds of culinary experts who do know better. Furthermore, your insinuation that frying is somehow lowbrow and disqualified from oustanding cuisine is obviously not shared by the top chefs of the world nor the top restaurants either. However, I have a fairly educated palate. And if the opportunity arose, I would love to educate it further (unfortunately my income limits me considerably as an adult as opposed to when I was a youth and my parents and relatives could afford to take me to many fine dining establishments in the southern United States). I am not shy about trying new things in regards to cuisine whether from the finest restaurants or the mom-and-pop corner diner. To limit oneself would be tragic and lacking in adventure. I appreciate you visiting my blog and leaving your opinion, but it appears that you would be better served with a more diplomatic and tactful approach in sharing your opinion rather than the trollish, boorish manner in which you actually wrote.
In short, you missed the main point of my rant in that $89 for a dinner for two in which one shares two sides and one dessert is not a “special” in my humble opinion. My secondary points were the fact that Ruth’s Chris is indeed overrated and their “seared to perfection at 1800 degrees” (I’d rather have cooked/grilled/broiled to perfection since searing really doesn’t do much better to retain the juiciness of the steak and, as I have been told by various chefs and cooking experts, can actually dry out the outer portions of the steak) and served on a sizzling 500-degree plate selling point is, again in my opinion, a gimmick. Personally, I much rather have steaks cooked over an open fire (something RC’s does not do - at least the one in Sarasota didn’t do) rather than a flat iron or flat cooking surface. Furthermore, again in my humble opinion, butter belongs on bread and baked potatoes, not steak.
Thank you for pointing out my spelling error and if you so desire, feel free to visit my humble blog again in the future.
ADDENDUM:
You know, it’s aggravating when you write a rant and after you walk away you think of some things you should have included but didn’t. In this case two thoughts occurred to me after writing my response to Mark’s ignorant and churlish comments. Mark wrote, “Your palate is so used to fried food of “Doe’s Eat Place” you couldn’t tell outstanding cuisine if it was FREE! Stay at Doe’s.” Interesting since Doe’s GRILLS their steaks on an open fire. However something came to mind after I initially responded to Mark’s brief diatribe which shows how immense his ignorance is. He false accuses Doe’s of “frying” its steaks which is absurd and patently untrue. Granted he speaks from sheer ignorance. He implied that Ruth’s Chris steak house does not. This little detail in Mark’s snide comments escaped me temporarily but my razor-sharp mind (LOL) albeit a little slower with age clamped down on a point. First off, what constitutes “frying.” According to Dictionary.com it is “to cook in a pan or on a griddle over direct heat, usually in fat or oil” and Webster’s online defines it as “to cook in a pan or on a griddle over heat especially with the use of fat.” Hmmm…why is that so interesting? Well, the method Ruth’s Chris uses to cook their steaks is on a flat commercial griddle using BUTTER! Hence, they are FRYING their steaks!!! Wow, Mark, you somehow missed that in your insult. Now one might argue that they are actually sauteing their steaks, however it is unarguable that sauteing is a form of FRYING!
Oh, I enjoy this sort of irony. Mark makes a snide, boorish comment about frying but it turns out his beloved RC Steak House does exactly that. And they serve the steak with butter on top. Thanks for playing, Mark. Even though you’ve lost, you may take the home version of the game with you. And next time you leave a comment, do your homework.
Now the second thought that occurred to me afterwards was of another great place for steaks from long ago. Back when I was a college student, there was a restaurant called “Bully III” located in Starkville, Mississippi owned and operated by a Mississippi State University alumn. They had outstanding steaks and burgers there and one of the reasons they were so good was that the alumn purchased his beef directly from MSU farms as well as most of his vegetables. The beef from those MSU farms were (and still are) some of the highest quality meat one can get. The results were extremely delicious, tender and fresh, reminding me of the stories I’ve read of the legendary steakhouses of old located next to the stockyards of old Chicago & Kansas City.
Trackposted to Rosemary’s Thoughts, Allie is Wired, third world county, Right Truth, DragonLady’s World, The Pink Flamingo, Stuck On Stupid, Leaning Straight Up, Democrat=Socialist, A Newt One, and Conservative Cat. Also thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
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I like your advive. When I heard $89, I figured I’d buy and cook my own if the urge ever hit! LOL. Heck, I know how I like it, and it’s a family secret that I even know where the kitchen is. ;) That’s because…well…if you don’t let them know you’re good at something…they won’t expect it. lol.
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June 18th, 2008 at 11:33 am
First of all, learn how to use spell check….entree’s? What you call a “gimmick” has built a company of over 120 locations worldwide with numerous accolades and awards from the culinary community. Your palate is so used to fried food of “Doe’s Eat Place” you couldn’t tell outstanding cuisine if it was FREE! Stay at Doe’s.
June 18th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Thank you for your concern of my spelling Mark, although your tact could use improvement. Incidentally, although you are correct and I should have written “entrées” I guess you don’t speak French because you would know that “entrées” in English is “entries.” But thank you for playing. Secondly, are you in the employ of Ruth’s Chris? If not, you should be since you are quite the Ruth’s Chris apologist. However there are serious fallacies in your reasoning and claims…
1) Quantity does not guarantee quality. Expanding a New Orleans restaurant into a chain of 120 stores only means good business sense is being used not necessary the quality of food. If we are to take your logic to its conclusion on this point then McDonald’s food must be FAR SUPERIOR to Ruth’s Chris since they have thousands of locations worldwide.
2) Accolades and awards do not quarantee quality. Again, if we take your conclusion to it’s conclusion, McDonald’s food must be FAR SUPERIOR to Ruth’s Chris since they have been awarded thousands of awards and accolades in the time they have been in business. Furthermore, the restaurants I named have also been awarded numberous local, regional, state and national awards and accolades from the culinary community including Doe’s Eat Place.
3) You are obviously speaking (more aptly, writing) from ignorance and also lacking in reading comprehension. First of all, none of Doe’s steaks are “fried” but expertly grilled over an open, wood fire by gentlemen who have been doing so for years, some for decades. I suggest you educate yourself concerning Doe’s Eat Place, its history and the numerous accolades and awards it has been given in its long history. In many “Best Steakhouses” lists by regional and national publications, Doe’s has ranked higher than Ruth’s Chris. So your off-hand dismissal and open insult is obviously based in ignorance rather than proven fact. Furthermore, if you go back and read my little missive, you will note that I specifically wrote that my DAD, who has travelled extensively while working for an international company and has eaten at steak houses all over North America, considers Doe’s to have superior steaks than Ruth’s Chris. I give Dad’s opinion more weight and validity considering he travelled North America for decades and has eaten at some of the best-known steak houses in places ranging from Kansas City, Chicago and NY to small towns like Greenville, MS & Branson, MO (long before it became an “entertainment mecca” and major tourist trap). I’ll freely admit I don’t know you from Adam’s housecat and as such you may be highly qualified as a restaurant critic or maybe a culinary expert. And then again you may just be a major blowhard. After reading your response to my rant, I’m more willing to believe the latter. Regardless, I give respect and weight to my Dad’s opinions on restaurants, based upon his experiences at some of the best restaurants around the country during his days of business trips. In contrast, you assume you know my palate better than I do, but it becomes apparent that you do not and are continuing to be writing from ignorance.
4) Also, in regards to the lack of comprehension you exhibited, at no time did I say Ruth’s Chris Steak House, as it currently exists (more on that further on), is a bad place to dine. I did say it was one of the most overrated steakhouses and currently uses a gimmick (the overheated metal platter) as a major selling point although any experienced chef and cook will tell you that doing so doesn’t keep the steak any warmer than a properly heated ceramic or metal platter which most reputable steak places already do.
5) Historically speaking, we (meaning my Momma, Daddy, brother and myself) lived for many years close enough to New Orleans that we took many weekend mini-vacations as well as longer summer and holiday vacations in the Crescent City. I was fortunate enough to have eaten at the main New Orleans location of Ruth’s Chris and had the pleasure to have met Ruth Fertel while we dined there back in the 1970’s. Frankly, the restaurant in the 1970’s was better than the chain currently is in my humble opinion. I’ve read similar opinions from many New Orleanians as well as culinary experts (including some who have had the pleasure of dining in the original Chris Steaks restaurant). Thanks to many visits to New Orleans, I have had the pleasure of dining in some of finest restaurants both past and present in that wonderful city. If you are ever there, I recommend you engage your palate at Commander’s Palace, Broussard’s, Arnaud’s, Antoine’s and many other excellent restaurants located in that region. BTW, Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse, from what I have read, is quite a wonderful dining experience and I look forward to dining there at my earliest opportunity. Also the Embers Steakhouse in New Orleans is another place for steaks of wide national and international acclaim that I look forward to trying.
6) Finally, if you had bothered to do a litle research, both online and via hardcopy, you will find that in just about every list put together in the last, let’s say, ten years has placed many, many steakhouses above Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses in the best steakhouses in America category. And you will find this in such sources as Saveur magazine, Zagat Surveys, Gourmet magazine, Southern Living magazine, Sante magazine, Prime Time Top 10 Steakhouses, and elsewhere. So your opinion is duly noted, but your zeal is a bit overdone.
Having had the pleasure of dining at Ruth’s Chris in New Orleans before it exploded as a major chain and now, I can honestly say that it’s not as good as it once was. This sentiment is shared with many others, including relatives, who have dined there before it was even franchised. My late Grandfather, for example, told me many years ago that he ate regularly at the original Chris Steaks and although excellent, he felt that when Ruth Fertel bought the place, she improved the restaurant greatly. After they expanded greatly in the 80’s was when many of the restaurants started to decline (in his opinion) with the exception of the main restaurant in New Orleans and the one located in Baton Rouge. Keep in mind when I refer to a “decline” here, it’s not from a level of excellence to a level of mediocrity but a level of excellence to a couple of levels of excellence below. A bit difficult to explain clearly enough.
Mark, you have indeed touched upon a nerve here with me. I freely admit that I am not an expert in culinary techniques but you not only insult me with your snide and ignorant remarks but also hundreds of culinary experts who do know better. Furthermore, your insinuation that frying is somehow lowbrow and disqualified from oustanding cuisine is obviously not shared by the top chefs of the world nor the top restaurants either. However, I have a fairly educated palate. And if the opportunity arose, I would love to educate it further (unfortunately my income limits me considerably as an adult as opposed to when I was a youth and my parents and relatives could afford to take me to many fine dining establishments in the southern United States). I am not shy about trying new things in regards to cuisine whether from the finest restaurants or the mom-and-pop corner diner. To limit oneself would be tragic and lacking in adventure. I appreciate you visiting my blog and leaving your opinion, but it appears that you would be better served with a more diplomatic and tactful approach in sharing your opinion rather than the trollish, boorish manner in which you actually wrote.
In short, you missed the main point of my rant in that $89 for a dinner for two in which one shares two sides and one dessert is not a “special” in my humble opinion. My secondary points were the fact that Ruth’s Chris is indeed overrated and their “seared to perfection at 1800 degrees” (I’d rather have cooked/grilled/broiled to perfection since searing really doesn’t do much better to retain the juiciness of the steak and, as I have been told by various chefs and cooking experts, can actually dry out the outer portions of the steak) and served on a sizzling 500-degree plate selling point is, again in my opinion, a gimmick. Personally, I much rather have steaks cooked over an open fire (something RC’s does not do - at least the one in Sarasota didn’t do) rather than a flat iron or flat cooking surface. Furthermore, again in my humble opinion, butter belongs on bread and bake potatoes, not steak.
Thank you for pointing out my spelling error and if you so desire, feel free to visit my humble blog again in the future.
June 18th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
LMAO, I made 2 visits to Ruth’s Chris one night, 1st and last…
We had one in Shreveport years ago, might still be there, over rated, over priced and less than average in MY opinion…
But you know how it is with people like Mark, they are ALL for free speech as long as they are the one with the microphone…
When you get critics like Mark you know you’ve made the turn to BIG TIME blogging… :P
June 18th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Mark reminds me of the good ol’ days of NYAPA when clueless liberal idjits would come at me hard just for being myself, or greatly overreacting to one of my comments. This tradition has now carried onto chatrooms where I “smite the wicked” most every night.
Yo, Marky Mark. Carl’s thought out evaluation’s good enough for me, unlike your four sentence “angry” reply.