The CLog
It's Charlotte Restaurant Week -- when restaurants offer 3-course (fixed menu) meals for $30. I've made it my mission to hit up at least 5 participating restaurants in 7 days. I hypothesize I will gain 20 pounds by the end of the week, but hey, it's all in the name of research. Here's goes...
Date: Friday, Jan. 30
Restaurant: Ruth's Chris Steak House - Uptown
What I ate:
- Appetizer: Steak House Salad with vinaigrette
- Main: Bistro Filet with sides of Creamed Spinach and Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Dessert: Chocolate Sin Cake
Summary: I was less than impressed with the steak house of sizzling steak fame. Ruth's Chris definitely had the feel of a chain restaurant. The bread brought out was half a loaf of French Bread that looked like the frozen stuff you buy and bake at home. The butter dish came with a smudge of brown something from someone's finger.
I asked for my salad to be served light on the dressing -- instead I got just the opposite. The iceberg lettuce was drenched in thick, tart dressing.
The "Bistro Filet" offered for Restaurant Week was the same as the filet mignon on the regular menu, but it was just called "Bistro" because it was a measly 6 oz. (At The Capital Grille, we got 8 oz.) The filet came out on a screaming hot plate sizzling in probably a stick-worth of butter. I ended up moving the filet from the butter bath onto my bread plate to avoid a clogged artery. Either the steak knife wasn't sharp enough and/or my medium-rare filet was tough because trying to cut the meat was like sawing wood.
The sides of Creamed Spinach and Garlic Mashed Potatoes came with a good dousing of butter as well. Each course was served quickly as the restaurant was trying to turn tables.
For dessert, the Chocolate Sin Cake was served by the sliver, not by the slice. The cake itself was OK, but it was served with a zig-zag of raspberry sauce, which was stuck to the plate (it probably sat too long due to pre-assembly), and it was garnished with a strawberry rather than a matching raspberry. Mismatching garnishes is one of my pet peeves. The waiter did a couple of drive-bys asking us if everything was good as he ran by our table in a blur, not bothering to actually stop.
Verdict: Disappointing. Instead of trying to provide a quality experience for Restaurant Week diners and to have them return again and again, Ruth's Chris seemed to care more about quantity -- as in, how many people they could squeeze into one night and rake in the easy money. Save your $30 for The Capital Grille instead.
More Queen's Feast reviews:
Restaurant No. 1: Oceanaire Seafood Room
