Leaving in style
Gail and Toby
The young master has been home for the last 10 weeks, but it’s time for him to return to Israel, go back to work and spend more time with the very cute French girl he’s crazy about. Israel has good lamb but less good beef, so we arranged a farewell dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steak house.
What is the point of snootily telling the customer “we only seat the entire party”? Gail and I were there first, and the hostess was up on her high horse with her little rules. You can imagine how that went–somebody has to remind the staff who the customer is. We were soon seated, and then, sure enough, the rest of the family showed up. Dinner commenced.
Ruth’s Chris is a high-end kind of place, with big portions and big prices. The service isn’t particularly fast, because you don’t want to feel rushed. You go there to dine, not to eat, and should plan on taking your time.
My starter was the apple, walnut and blue cheese salad.
That’s a big salad, well made and nicely presented. The dressing was bright and vinegary, the apples were crisp, there was more than I could eat.
Although Ruth’s is mainly a temple to large slabs of beef, I had the scallops, the better to please the cardiologist.
Grilled scallops with fresh corn and spinach
Not bad; somewhat overcooked. I think my dish was cooked first and sat under heat lamps for too long before it was served. The beef dishes looked quite a bit better:
12 oz. Rib Eye steak
Meat. Big, unrepentant chunks of meat. That’s what Ruth’s Chris is all about, and they do it well. USDA Prime beef, cooked on a 500º grill. These people know beef.
8 ounce Filet Mignon
The above is just food porn. It doesn’t need words.
Most of us ordered the prix fixe meals, with salad, side, entree and dessert all for a reasonable (for Ruth’s, at least) price. Sadly, the white chocolate bread pudding was not part of the special, but I had to have it anyway.
White chocolate bread pudding with Grand Marnier sauce
So much for heart healthy dining. It was spectacular, as good as any I found in New Orleans. It’s definitely too much for one person to eat. I know that now.
The deliberate pacing of the meal was too much for us–the young man had a plane to catch. Dashing through our desserts, I called for a check which resembled the national debt of Bolivia.
It was worth it. Ruth’s Chris is the place to go for a rich, heavy meal in elegant surroundings. Don’t let the hostess bully you–sit when you are ready, not when she is. Be sure to share the bread pudding.
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