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2021-12-15
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Wife's birthday dinner and her favourite food is steak and since I'd been eyeing up this place for a few years but not really had the urge to break this self-imposed exile (world-wide situation which doesn't need re-telling), I thought: "Why not?" Since it was a very special year for me and my wife, this was a good opportunity to try it. I booked over the telephone and each time the person on the other line was polite and courteous. When I enquired the possibility of taking my own cake, I was as
I booked over the telephone and each time the person on the other line was polite and courteous. When I enquired the possibility of taking my own cake, I was assured there was no charge, so please use this information as you will.
As this was during the week, we decided to book our reservation earlier at 18:30. The restaurant was easily located inside a mall and- in case you're wondering, if you are to take the lifts, be sure to take the lift on the LEFT because the lift on the right doesn't go to the 1st floor.
The restaurant inside was very spacious and the mood was very light; our Maître' d was a very pleasant and laid-back gentleman as well as his other colleagues who were also just as attentive.
Sizzlin' Blue Crab Cakes were shared on individual plates with the aforementioned sizzling plates to keep it nice and pleasantly hot while wife's eyes opened wide as she took her first bite. It's no coincidence that this dish is a very popular item on here and I wholeheartedly give my thumbs up to this dish also.
The next course we chose was the Ruth's Chop Salad and to be fair, while this wasn't on the same wavelength in terms of gastric wonderment such as the crab cakes, it was different- though I might try another salad option the next time we visit. I enjoyed the chopped olives immensely, the chopped egg, bacon, blue cheese etc... were good partners but what left me a little disappointed were the crispy onions that topped our salad; unfortunately, it was bland with an oily taste and while the texture complemented the salad, I thought it was a missed opportunity- perhaps freshly fried onions instead? I know it would be more labour intensive, but I don't want to put you off from ordering it- it is, after all, my opinion and you're welcome to disagree.
For the main course/ entrees, we had the Cowboy Ribeye (Medium- the wife isn't so keen on Medium Rare which was how I would have liked) to share.
Bleu Cheese Crust on the side
Creamed Spinach
Au Gratin
Starting from the bottom item, the Au Gratin was delicious; a nice thick cheese layer with a nice cream sauce that wasn't oily and tasted really good. I'd recommend this.
Creamed Spinach was a disappointment for us. I'd read about people who'd frequented other Ruth's Chris Steakhouse establishments from America talking up about this side dish and as wife is a big fan of this item, we weren't sure about this because while the sauce was creamy and looked as pretty as a picture, there was very little going on taste-wise in that department. I'd had to ask one of the waitresses for the salt mill and added a liberal amount onto this to get some flavour going. Wife said it was bland and didn't really eat much of it.
Bleu Cheese Crust was an Entree complement so I asked the waitress who took our order how that would be served; atop the steak or...? Her suggestion and feedback that the usual way of the chef preparing this "crust" in a separate dish was well-informed because this packed a real punch! We both like blue cheese but just a little of this was an intense flavour which would sadly overwhelmed our steak if I'd had ordered it atop of the steak. It's good in small quantities, so for any die-hard blue cheese fans out there; highly recommended but it is very rich and might fill you up quite quickly.
Finally, the Cowboy Ribeye. I'm sure you all know that the steaks they serve in the establishment are all USDA Prime certified and that they're wet-aged and to be honest, I'd hadn't the foggiest to distinguish between a wet-age or dry-age steak apart from the spelling. That said, we loved the steak. OK, it was medium and a bit too well-done for my liking (again, it was wife's birthday and I really don't want to get it in the neck if I'd ordered otherwise) but the steak was still succulent with a pleasant springiness in its mouthfeel. The taste, most importantly, was fantastic. It wasn't as beefy as I'd expect if it was medium rare, but it was still really, REALLY good. The pictures that other people have taken were exactly the same as the experience we had so I won't clog up your precious phone screen with pictures that you can easily get elsewhere here.
All in all, this is a fine restaurant which me and wife will be coming back to again. I might not get a salad and I might not get the crab cakes either- hear me out, please; you can order your steak Oscar style which comes with a crab cake, béarnaise sauce and asparagus as a side complement so wife can have her medium ribeye and I can order my own Cowboy Ribeye medium rare with either a choice of the Bleu Cheese Crust or something else.
Go with company and you'll leave very satisfied.
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The bread wasn't good. I come from England and to be fair, the butter wasn't salted enough for me and the bread didn't have that bread smell and taste that you get from bakeries back in Europe (I can't include North America because I'd not worked and holidayed long enough to appreciate how they make their bread over there). You have been advised.
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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