Location: Downtown Indianapolis, Indiana
When: Thursday night dinner
What we got: Stuffed Chicken Breast, Potatoes Au Gratin side, Barbecued Shrimp
Website: http://www.ruthschris.com
Food 4/5
Starting with some freshly baked bread, you will leave the restaurant full. They balance it out a little bit by making your wallet quite a bit lighter.
Unfortunately, there were no appetizers that really caught my eye to start with and there was quite a delay between ordering and receiving our food.
The entrees come in large portions but do not include a side. We were cautioned away from ordering many sides as they are also of large portions, so we split a potatoes au gratin. It was a pretty large side and was perfectly split between the two of us. Since we were staying in a hotel, it was even better to avoid having leftovers.
The stuffed chicken breast was very good. It is listed in the menu as “Oven roasted free-range double chicken breast stuffed with garlic herb cheese and served with lemon butter.” The meat is very tender and was flavorful throughout every bite. The garlic herb cheese that the chicken was stuffed with was delicious and melted through the chicken. The lemon butter on the outside worked very well to marinate the meat and the end result was spectacular. As the plate was incredibly hot, the server cautioned me to hold my napkin up to prevent the boiling butter sauce from popping and getting grease on my shirt as the plate cooled.
The barbecued shrimp was also very tasty. It was listed in the menu as “Sautéed New Orleans style in reduced white wine, butter, garlic and spices served on a bed of garlic mashed potatoes.” Never having had the pairing of shrimp and mashed potatoes it was a delightful surprise. My only complaint was that it seemed suited more for a fork but was served in a bowl – making it difficult to get the mashed potatoes on the fork.
The only soft drinks available are Coke or Diet Coke. Those are quite limited options unless you are wanting to imbibe yourself.
Environment 2/5
The environment of the downtown Indy Ruth’s Christ Steak House was disappointing. It was very dark throughout as we walked in. Perhaps it was just the food coma setting in but even with little electric blue candles on each table, the darkness seemed to be closing in the longer we stayed.
Though we were able to be seated without reservations, it seemed we and two other tables were essentially seated “by the kitchen”. There was a distracting amount of staff walking in and out of the kitchen. The private dining was also adjacent to our table which meant another door opening and people constantly buzzing in and out.
Service 4/5
The service at Ruth’s Chris Steak House was good. While there is a weird dichotomy between a main server and an assistant, we were attended to throughout the meal. I appreciated the tip from the server about the butter. Drink refills were prompt, a bread refill was offered, and our plates were cleared without feeling like we were being rushed out the door. While we would have been happy to eat, pay our bill, and leave, the assistant server cleared our table of crumbs by scraping them between the two of us into his tray. Finally, after that we received our check from the main server, paid, and was able to be on our way.
Overall 3/5
To sum up Ruth’s Chris Steak House, it would be to say it was worth trying and nice to visit a fancier restaurant but the overall cost did not justify the experience. With entrees ranging from $25 and up and sides starting at $8, you will spend a pretty penny when you dine here. The food was good but I prefer deviating from “just a steak” to try something truly culinary when I’m dining somewhere for the first (and probably only) time. It was satisfying but by the end, we were ready to move on.
