Full disclosure: I decided to try Ruth's Chris during the "Devour Downtown" week where you can try high-end restaurants for $30 per person. I have had fancy business dinners at other downtown high-end steakhouses, but had never tried Ruth's Chris and really wanted to experience their sizzling steaks. When we first walked in, I was impressed. When we walked out, I was underwhelmed.
The atmosphere was pleasant upon walking in, as was the hostess. It went downhill after that. We waited at least 5-10 mins for our waiter to arrive to take our drink orders (the restaurant was only 1/3 full at 7:30PM on a Sunday). The drink menu was then left taking up elbow room until our entree plates were cleared. Everything was very rushed: the salad, the steaks, and then the dessert. The salad was OK, the steaks (10oz ribeye) were great, just what I was hoping for, and the dessert was also quite tasty.
The waiter was inattentive, and when he was speaking to us or asking us a question he was on the move, not stopping at our table. When the steaks arrived, we found after the first bite that they mixed up the plates, so we had the fun of trying to pick up and move 500 degree plates. When my girlfriend asked to take most of her remaining dessert home, they gave us a Styrofoam carton without the fancy take-home bag that they give everyone else. The waiter swooped in to pick up the check as soon as I had signed the receipt.
I wondered if our experience had something to do with the fact that we were there taking advantage of the special, but I tend to think not totally, because it started before we ordered with the very slow drink service.
For the money, what we got in terms of food was good, but for a place that advertises itself as high-end, I would label the service as terrible. I would have been even more upset if I paid full-price. Overall, it was a very sub-par experience. Wouldn't risk coming here if I was entertaining a client.
Pros: Great steak
Cons: Everything else
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