# So we're getting a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 20, 2007, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-were-getting-a-ruths-chris-steakhouse/423373 "2007-10-20T04:50:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-were-getting-a-ruths-chris-steakhouse/423373/1 "2007-10-20T04:50:59Z")
[Link to story](http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/calgarybusiness/story.html?id=21fdeafe-62ac-48a5-ba2e-cdcbe8653476) Interesting. I think I’ll check it out, I keep hearing about it on here. What are prices like? It opens in a couple weeks… maybe a couple months I’ll try it. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-were-getting-a-ruths-chris-steakhouse/423373/2 "2007-10-20T04:57:04Z")
Overpriced. My wife an I went with a friend, $385 plus tip. Granted we all got the surf and turf with sides and deserts but sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-were-getting-a-ruths-chris-steakhouse/423373/3 "2007-10-20T04:59:12Z")
Wow that’s… a little out of my price range. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-were-getting-a-ruths-chris-steakhouse/423373/4 "2007-10-20T05:22:52Z")
I’ve been to the Edmonton location. It was very nice, but a little pricey–can’t remember exactly what it was for two of us, but definitely more than we would have paid for the same things at, say, Hy’s. But everything was quite nice and there was a good selection of wines. We’ll go back. I do have to wonder about the logic in importing American beef into Alberta. That’s a little like “coals to Newcastle” really. But they must be doing something right, since the Edmonton location was packed when I was there. ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-were-getting-a-ruths-chris-steakhouse/423373/5 "2007-10-20T05:41:47Z")
I have been to Ruth’s Chris and Morton’s and other “high end” steakhouses and what you get, aside from the higher prices, is a “prime grade” beef that is simply not available to the vast majority of shoppers at their local supermarket or even speciality meat market. I think that you go to places like this with the expectation that you are going to pay more and that you will get a quality of meat otherwise unobtainable. I would also agree that the selection of wine at such establishments is going to be top notch selections that will also enhance the meal above what you can do at home. I can go to my local Costco (about the only choice availabe in the Tri-Cities) and purchase choice grade tenderloin beef at $9.50 a pound (which BTW Cook’s Illustrated rated as the best price for beef tenderloin) and trim it with a loss of approximately 30% so that the final price is around $13.57/#. What I end up with is a “choice grade” cut of meat that is still nowhere near what a prime cut of tenderloin would be that I could get at Ruth’s Chris or Morton’s. Hey, you always could shoot for Kobe or other higher grade beef and pay upwards of $75 per pound. ---
**Author:** ![anamnesis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@anamnesis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anamnesis)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-were-getting-a-ruths-chris-steakhouse/423373/6 "2007-10-20T06:15:21Z")
[QUOTE=askeptic] Overpriced. My wife an I went with a friend, $385 plus tip. Granted we all got the surf and turf with sides and deserts but sheesh. [/QUOTE] This is absurd. It’s not cheap, but it’s not overpriced either, and it’s certainly not _that_ expensive if you dine within reason, but then, I don’t go to a steakhouse for seafood so I’ve no idea what the market rate is for seafood there these days. I can go to Ruth’s for a filet, a side, and a bottle of wine for $60 a head, maybe $70 if I decide to splurge with a dessert, so I don’t know **what** you ordered but it was either two meals apiece, or the most expensive stuff you could find on the menu, whatever that is. They don’t even put fixed prices on the seafood, so the catch of the day must’ve been around $100 each for you to even begin to rack up that kind of tab. Personally, I think any entree beyond $50 is overpriced no matter how fantastic it is, and I have to wonder what were you expecting for $385 (_before gratuity_) for it to not be “overpriced” … ? The presentation and technique for a Ruth’s steak is unique amongst steakhouses. You can go anywhere to have a steak, but Ruth’s has a special and memorable way of doing things, with a decor that’s classy, yet not upscale. I prefer everything about it over most any other steakhouse, and I’ve never once spent more than $70 on myself (tip included). Most people I’ve been with spend far less than that. ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-were-getting-a-ruths-chris-steakhouse/423373/7 "2007-10-20T07:18:27Z")
There is no question that it is pricey, everything is a la carte. However on my one visit I did have the very best steak I have ever tasted in my life. You don’t want to miss it. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-were-getting-a-ruths-chris-steakhouse/423373/8 "2007-10-20T09:37:03Z")
Local steakhouses here have equally excellent steaks at 60% of Ruth’s Chris’ prices. Perhaps that’s why they went out of buisness a couple of years ago. Perhaps it’s a regional thing? I might wait for a review in the paper before I went. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-were-getting-a-ruths-chris-steakhouse/423373/9 "2007-10-20T14:04:13Z")
Mostly I’m curious. Been awhile since I’ve been to a steakhouse, and the last two times I ordered steaks out here I got them way overdone from what I ordered (I got medium well or well when I ordered medium rare, but that’s more an indication of how hard up we are for workers in any industry I think). And yeah, Spoons I was wondering about that myself. Ship beef to Alberta. :dubious: We’ll see how well it does. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-were-getting-a-ruths-chris-steakhouse/423373/10 "2007-10-20T14:06:29Z")
[QUOTE=anamnesis] This is absurd. [/QUOTE] YMVs. What is absurd is living in the city where Morton’s started and going to RC. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-were-getting-a-ruths-chris-steakhouse/423373/11 "2007-10-20T15:08:30Z")
I was not impressed with the one here. The filet was good, but not the best of my life. The baked potato side had that “green” off-taste that potatoes get sometimes. And the service was your typical high school kid, definitely nothing special. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-were-getting-a-ruths-chris-steakhouse/423373/12 "2007-10-20T15:19:27Z")
They’re opening one here in Santa Barbara too. What’s weird is the location. Instead of being downtown or in Montecito, it’s way uptown in a lame little shopping mall between a Vons and a Macy’s. No tourists ever come to that area. There used to be a Red Robin in that location. I’ve never been to a Ruth’s Chris but I have been to the Morton’s in Portland and the one in San Francisco. They are supposed to be similar in concept. My Dad, who would know of such things, claims that Morton’s is better. It’s a huge amount of food and the quality is excellent. The smallest fillet weighs over half a pound. I believe that they have a two pound steak. The sides are also gigantic. It’s also very pricey. If Morton’s really is pretty much the same, I won’t be going there unless it’s on company business (like Morton’s was the three times I went there.) ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-were-getting-a-ruths-chris-steakhouse/423373/13 "2007-10-20T15:28:19Z")
The one time i ate at Ruth’s Chris, the steak was really good but I felt the prices were much higher than I could afford to spend on my own. From what I understand the mainstay of their business is business men on expense accounts, so not a “family dining” experience at all. I didn’t find the decor or the service to be at all special but the steak was tasty. In Memphis we have another excellent steak place called Folk’s Folly. Mr. Folk when he couldn’t find anywhere serving a truly excellent steak (before Ruth’s Chris came to town) decided to open his own. Mr. Folk was big in construction and liked to eat. It has been in business for 30 years so he did something right. All that was to say they have a butcher shop attached to the restaurant selling as far as I know the same prime beef as the restaurant. [http://www.folksfolly.com/primecutshoppe.htm](http://www.folksfolly.com/primecutshoppe.htm) [QUOTE=Flutterby] [Link to story](http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/calgarybusiness/story.html?id=21fdeafe-62ac-48a5-ba2e-cdcbe8653476) Interesting. I think I’ll check it out, I keep hearing about it on here. What are prices like? It opens in a couple weeks.. maybe a couple months I’ll try it. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-were-getting-a-ruths-chris-steakhouse/423373/14 "2007-10-20T15:31:08Z")
We just got ours here. It’s okay - I mean, it was good, but there’s a whole lot of local places that are as good or better. The steak was okay. The sides, on the other hand, were out of this world. Go for the sides. I suggest the au gratin potatoes and broiled tomatoes. Also, I expected much snappier service, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-were-getting-a-ruths-chris-steakhouse/423373/15 "2007-10-20T15:46:38Z")
I don’t like ordering “sides”. I want a plate of food in front of me that I can dive into. The a la carte style is expensive - each side is 8-10 bucks and you get way too much for one person - do I want a plate full of giant broccoli? The staff at these places explain this by suggesting that the sides are “big enough to share”. I don’t like sharing! I want my own fork and my own plate. I heard that RC “infuses” it’s beef with butter and this explains the unique richness of the food. You can order the Alberta beef, non-buttered if you want… but you might as well do that somewhere else where the prices are 30-50% less. ---
**Author:** ![TupeloHoney](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e57/32.png) [@TupeloHoney](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TupeloHoney)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-were-getting-a-ruths-chris-steakhouse/423373/16 "2007-10-20T16:11:23Z")
I always have a great meal at Ruth’s Chris. It’s definitely not a place we frequent often but their steaks have always been done perfectly. It’s a bit pricey but it’s worth it once in a while. I would prefer the sides to be included but we always get two and share. I would check it out at least once. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-were-getting-a-ruths-chris-steakhouse/423373/17 "2007-10-20T17:14:12Z")
You can get the same quality meal, for cheaper, at locally owned Caesar’s. I love Caesar’s and try to go at least once when I am back in Calgary. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-were-getting-a-ruths-chris-steakhouse/423373/18 "2007-10-20T18:23:46Z")
[QUOTE=adam yax] You can get the same quality meal, for cheaper, at locally owned Caesar’s. I love Caesar’s and try to go at least once when I am back in Calgary. [/QUOTE] Where’s Caesar’s? I’ve never heard of it. Then again I haven’t heard of a lot of restaurants here. I don’t get out much. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![the\_Lady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@the\_Lady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_Lady)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-were-getting-a-ruths-chris-steakhouse/423373/19 "2007-10-20T21:23:49Z")
It used to be on 4th Ave, round about 5th Street downtown. Though I have a vague recollection of hearing they were moving. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-were-getting-a-ruths-chris-steakhouse/423373/20 "2007-10-20T21:50:56Z")
Am I the only one who thinks the name of the business, “Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse” is almost a tongue-twister and hurts my throat to say? I found learning German easier than saying the name of that business. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-were-getting-a-ruths-chris-steakhouse/423373.md?page=2)