Ruth's Chris Steak House may have cemented itself as a fan-favorite eatery with a loyal
following across the globe, but would you believe there are things that you just shouldn't
order? Some of their not-so-great options will surprise you.
Ahh... the lettuce wedge. While we give Ruth's Chris points for not even calling this a salad,
it's still not a great dish. We're not here to hate on you for ordering what is effectively
a plate of bacon and bleu cheese, but the thing is, there are far better vehicles out
there for those toppings than a sad block of watery lettuce.
The lettuce in the Ruth's Chris wedge has not been described pleasantly by patrons,
and is apparently often served on the older side of fresh. One reviewer described it as:
"a mass of white core – worse than stock Kroger quality – I would have thought a
high-end and expensive place like this could marshall up some good produce."
As we — as a nation — continue on our path to actually eating good food, let's leave
iceberg lettuce behind. Pretty please!
Rule number one of going to a steakhouse: don't order chicken! Steak is their specialty,
after all, and think of it this way: The sides and sauces that a steakhouse provides are
probably better suited to beef. Plus the cooks won't be as specialized at cooking poultry,
which can be hard to do well.
Additionally, since Ruth's Chris chooses to serve the breast, you are getting the least
flavorful, driest piece of the bird. They're practically setting you up for failure.
Second off, you're paying inflated prices to sit down and eat a good steak, so why pay
the big bucks just for an average-to-mediocre piece of chicken? Don't take our word for
it — reviewers love to share how they paid $35 for a chicken breast — and one that
didn't come with any sides, at that.
Broccoli is a classic steak side, so it's not surprising to find it on a Ruth's Chris
menu. What is surprising is how bad it is. It seems the restaurant forgot that broccoli
is only good when it's well cooked, and that steamed broccoli is not what the people want.
Additionally, while you can get away with not seasoning veggies in your own home, there's
really no excuse for broccoli sans salt at an expensive restaurant.
Customers have had a lot to say about the broccoli in reviews, calling it things like
bland and tasteless. Especially given that the broccoli costs the same as some far superior
sides, we would suggest you steer clear of this soft, bland mess.
Brussels sprouts are kind of like the chicken of the vegetable world — they're great when
done well, but they're also incredibly easy to mess up. The perfect, crispy, roasted or
fried Brussels sprout is truly something to behold, but they can easily turn chewy, bitter,
and even greasy,
Unfortunately, the Ruth's Chris Brussels sprouts face a variety of textural allegations. Reviewers
condemn them as being tough, unseasoned, greasy, and just downright difficult to eat. One sums
things up by rating the side quote, "a solid C." Despite their inconsistencies, reviewers
can agree on one thing: not to order them.
We'll start with the obvious here — eating seafood from a chain restaurant is never a
great idea, especially from one that specializes in land-bound eats. The Ruth's Chris calamari
is no exception.
"I think I'm gonna have a nice piece of fish."
"No. Stop right there. This is Beefsteak Charlie's. Steak is in the name. That means, no fish!"
In addition, their choice of chili sauce is an odd one. Not only will it pair strangely
with your meal, but it will almost certainly leave something to be desired. Plenty of better
sweet and spicy sauces can be found at actual Asian restaurants, and probably better-cooked
calamari to boot.
The reviews on this dish are all over the place. While some describe their calamari
as overcooked and hard, others say it's an unappetizing, soggy texture that's the problem.
Neither is a good thing.
Surf n' turf is a quintessential steakhouse treat, and Ruth's Chris does it up in style.
Many of their appetizers, mains, and sides feature lobster, a deliciously decadent piece
of seafood with luxurious connotations. Of the several lobster dishes on the menu, the
lobster bisque stands out as the clear loser.
Reviewers are not jazzed about this soup, saying it tastes bad and doesn't even have
much lobster. According to Asha B. of Yelp,
"The lobster bisque tastes like it was not made from scratch. [...] ​​There are no
chunks of lobster in this lobster bisque either... to be honest I'm better off going to Panera
bread or Publix if this is what you get."
For another disappointing side, look no further than the potatoes au gratin. This dish is
essentially boiled potatoes with cheese on top, hiding behind a fancy name. Ruth's Chris
potatoes are completely textureless, and even worse, they also seem to have forgotten the
seasoning again.
Customers repeatedly describe them as bland, watery, absolutely textureless, and tasting
like little more than microwaved potatoes with some cheese melted on top. Pass.
Even desserts aren't safe at Ruth's Chris. Is nothing sacred? In all fairness, bread
pudding can go from great to awful pretty quickly, but we still expected more from a
place with a limited number of dessert offerings.
While the bread pudding is not the worst thing on the menu, it is certainly not the best.
As for why it's so mediocre, look to Jake X.'s review. In his words,
"Ruth's Chris bread pudding was just too sweet and [had] too many little snacks [e]mbedded
into it. It's like I was trying to eat a mixture of trail mix drenched w/ a liquid vanilla
[cream] sauce."
So, if you like a sticky-sweet bread pudding with too high of a stuff-to-bread ratio, the
Ruth's Chris bread pudding is for you.
At the end of the day, steak houses exist for one main reason: to serve steaks! Because
of this, one would expect that the steaks come out perfectly cooked every time. Unfortunately,
in the case of Ruth's Chris, one would be wrong.
While many customers report positive experiences with their steaks, the preparation quality
at this chain seems very inconsistent. For starters, they have been known to overdo their
steaks, with one customer reporting,
"they were all over-cooked at medium instead of medium-rare."
And they don't stop at slightly overdone. Another reviewer described a steak that was
"super dry and burnt! [My] teeth started to hurt [and I] couldn't even eat it."
Even those who had a fine experience have taken issue with the texture of the meat,
saying it was, "not as tender as I expected" and "not the best." Unfortunately, if you're
looking for a top-of-the-line steak, Ruth's Chris probably is not your best bet.
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