Ruth's Chris Steakhouse <-- name of / (mild)

The BBQ Pit
1

I like a good steak at, say, Sparks or Smith & Wollensky, and I’m always up for new experiences, so a new steakhouse in the neighborhood would not exactly meet with my disapproval, but…

What is this? Ruth’s house of ‘Chris’ steaks, which are specially prepared by Chef Chris in back? Ruth’s steakhouse of the ‘Chris’ variety as opposed to the ‘Tom’ variety which has longer tables? Your steaks have been christened, maybe?

Is there a “Ruth” and also a “Chris” involved in this? If so, why isn’t it “Ruth & Chris’s Steakhouse”?

I’m sorry, I can’t have my friends join me for dinner here. I’d feel stupid saying “Let’s meet at ‘Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse’”, especially if we include Jeremy who likes to delve into grammar. He’s gonna ask me to diagram this phrase, sure as hell. Does Ruth’s modify Chris and therefore sit on a little platform sticking out from Chris, a little one-word adjective modifying another? Do we construe Chris Steakhouse as a noun phrase?

They’d probably cook my steak wrong anyway.

2

Well in an effort to scour this phrase from my brain, I decided to find out.

It’s quite straightforward.

3

Ruth Fertel bought the Chris Steak House in New Orleans back in the 60s, then changed the name to Ruth’s Chris. It used to be a Nawlins secret until it became a chain.

4

They cook a damn fine steak there too. You likely won’t be disappointed.

5

I was. Went to the one in Chicago about a year ago and was sorely disappointed with the cut of meat. Service was OK, the steak was cooked just fine, but I was distinctly displeased with the cut of meat. Probably just an off day for them.

6

You don’t understand! THE STEAKS AT RUTH’S CHRIS STEAKHOUSE ARE MADE OUT OF PEOPLE! Specifically, they’re made of Chris.

7

Agreed. Don’t let the name prevent you from enjoying a damn fine meal.

8

Well then, Chris makes one damn fine filet… the one I had was the size of a softball and I cut the thing with my fork. Never did use the steakknife…

9

Kind of reminds me of ‘Peggy’s Sugarfoots’.

10

So what is a “Chris Steak”?

11

I think the name is silly and (my main objection), hard to pronounce. but I would eat there if they called it Ruth’s Poo Poo House. I’ve eaten at restaurants in Washington, Virginia, Atlanta and Denver and I won’t eat a steak anywhere else because it would be such a disappointment.

My next biggest complaint is that they took Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake of the menu in the DC area. They still have it in Atlanta; I would love to have the recipe so I can enjoy it once again.

12

Seconded. Don’t let a goofy name hold you back from a helluva steak.

And an odd sidenote from reading their menu (which also explains the name) … they sear the steaks. So instead of being grilled, they are flash cooked for a matter of seconds in an oven at over 1000 degrees.

13

She kept the original name of the steakhouse so as not to alienate or confuse the customer base of Chris Steakhouse.

Later when she felt she had achieved a level of success she added her name to it.

14

A side note: there is a restaurant here in Nothern VA called Copeland’s. It’s a New orleans style place. They have the very same cooking equipment for their steaks as Ruth’s Chris - I ate a steak there once and it was quite tasty. However, there is just something about the ambience of Ruth’s Chris, especially the Florida Ave restaurant in DC. The one by Reagan National in Crystal City is <gasp> PINK and I do not go there, even though it does have a nifty view of planes landing and taking off.

15

I guess I’ve just gotten used to saying it, “Ruth’s Chris.” So it doesn’t sound as strange to me. I’ve eaten at the one in Tampa, and it was awesome (though very very pricey!)! I’m with GraphicsGal about the ambiance thing - it’s a very nice restaurant.

16

Steak: is there any more appropriate topic for the BBQ PIT?

17

I’m planning a visit to Ruth’s Chris pretty soon. I’ve been to all the other steakhouses in New York, but I haven’t made it to Ruth’s Chris yet. I will. Soon. Hopefully I will find that it belongs in the pantheon of the greats, along with Peter Luger’s, the Palm, Keene’s, Sparks, etc.

And here’s a more obscure recommendation for you New Yorkers: check out Nebraska Beef, down on Stone Street in the financial district. Excellent steaks (not as good as Peter Luger’s, but good), and, if you want something more casual, the best hamburgers at the bar. I drop by there about one evening a week for a burger. Amazing. Just amazing.

One more thing:

I’ve found that the multi-city restaurants can vary hugely from city to city. I like Gallagher’s in New York very much indeed. So I found myself in Las Vegas a while back, and there’s a Gallagher’s there (in the New York, New York casino, if I remember right). It sucked. So maybe the Chicago Ruth’s Chris isn’t as good as some of the others.

18

I always though their steaks were so-so. Decent, defnitely, but not the best. It could just be the local joint for all I know; however, for wonderful steaks in the KC area, I always turn to the Plaza III.

19

You may feel stupid saying “Ruth’s Chris”, but trust me, you’ll feel even worse if you call it “Ruth Chris’s” and people correct you.

20

I ate at the one in Tampa and had their sourdough bread and was absolutely blown away to discover it was genuine San Francisco sourdough. Ruth’s Chris is the only place you can get it in town!