Ruth's Criss Steakhouse

[Captante]

whoops

 

[ultimatebob]

I don't know if it is really fair to compare Texas Roadhouse to Ruth Chris. Those two are shooting for completely different clientele.

If I'm going to Ruth Chris, I'm going to dress up a bit. Texas Roadhouse? I just want to make sure that my t-shirt doesn't have too many food stains on it

 

[sdifox]

I don't know if it is really fair to compare Texas Roadhouse to Ruth Chris. Those two are shooting for completely different clientele.

If I'm going to Ruth Chris, I'm going to dress up a bit. Texas Roadhouse? I just want to make sure that my t-shirt doesn't have too many food stains on it

Err, I have been to Morton's in jeans...

 

[ponyo]

I don't know if it is really fair to compare Texas Roadhouse to Ruth Chris. Those two are shooting for completely different clientele.

If I'm going to Ruth Chris, I'm going to dress up a bit. Texas Roadhouse? I just want to make sure that my t-shirt doesn't have too many food stains on it

That’s why I like ponyo’s steakhouse. I can be in my pajamas.

 

[sdifox]

That’s why I like ponyo’s steakhouse. I can be in my pajamas.

Isn't lace highly flammable?

 

[rasczak]

It's his technique I use with the cast iron pan/broiler cooking method. (which also produces a delicious sear... AND a butt-ton of smoke!)

At one point in my life I came to the realization that I was unlikely to ever be rich enough to have a chef on-staff full time, so if I wanted to eat fantastic cooking "on the regular" I had to learn to do it for myself!





I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Ruth Criss is the McDonalds of "expensive" steak houses.... not saying its bad by any means but it's nothing special. (barely better than Outback and inferior to Texas Roadhouse for the price... Chucks for example shamed them)

It may be, but that jsut means there's more out there to experience.

 

[MrSquished]

It's his technique I use with the cast iron pan/broiler cooking method. (which also produces a delicious sear... AND a butt-ton of smoke!)

At one point in my life I came to the realization that I was unlikely to ever be rich enough to have a chef on-staff full time, so if I wanted to eat fantastic cooking "on the regular" I had to learn to do it for myself!





I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Ruth Criss is the McDonalds of "expensive" steak houses.... not saying its bad by any means but it's nothing special. (barely better than Outback and inferior to Texas Roadhouse for the price... Chucks for example shamed them)

Yep. That's the same way I cook steaks now. Though I rarely do anymore. So good right? Come out perfect every time with the rib eyes from Costco. But I never tried his chimney starter method. Always wanted to

 

[JEDI]

Delicious doesn't do what I ate justice.
Expensive steak houses have a place, not an everyday place, but a place. I would definitely go again.

meh.

when i was a consultant in DC last decade, we regularly goto Morton's steakhouse.
it was good but not $40 good for boneless ribeye.

my current regular steakhouse that someone else pays the tab for is the PrimeRib steakhouse (https://theprimeribs.com/).
$60 for 18oz boneless ribeye

yes, tastes better than a $10/lb costco boneless ribeye that i make myself.
but not multiple times better! (maybe, almost twice as good)

 

[Captante]

meh.

when i was a consultant in DC last decade, we regularly goto Morton's steakhouse.
it was good but not $40 good for boneless ribeye.

my current regular steakhouse that someone else pays the tab for is the PrimeRib steakhouse (https://theprimeribs.com/).
$60 for 18oz boneless ribeye

yes, tastes better than a $10/lb costco boneless ribeye that i make myself.
but not multiple times better! (maybe, almost twice as good)

$40 is cheap for a ribeye in a "fancy" steakhouse... even $60 (which is a total rip-off really) is a relatively "good deal".

Thing is the vast majority of "supermarket" beef/steak is "Select" grade to OCCASIONALLY lower-end "Choice" grade while legit steak houses usually (or at least should!) ONLY carry hand-selected "Prime" cuts.

 

[JEDI]

$40 is cheap for a ribeye in a "fancy" steakhouse... even $60 (which is a total rip-off really) is a relatively "good deal".

Thing is the vast majority of "supermarket" beef/steak is "Select" grade to OCCASIONALLY lower-end "Choice" grade while legit steak houses usually (or at least should!) ONLY carry hand-selected "Prime" cuts.

$40 ribeye was 10+ years ago.

i've had $10/lb Choice ribeye and $13(?)/lb Prime ribeye at costco.
couldnt taste the difference. (cooked 1/2 of both and did a side by side test plain)

 

[Captante]

$40 ribeye was 10+ years ago.

i've had $10/lb Choice ribeye and $13(?)/lb Prime ribeye at costco.
couldnt taste the difference. (cooked 1/2 of both and did a side by side test plain)

Also most of the seriously expensive places are actually priced the way they are more to keep out the riff-raff than anything else not because the food itself is all that incredible.

I've eaten some absurdly expensive and yet DISGUSTING meals as well as MANY cheap but delicious ones! (and once got sick from a $200 a plate banquet)




<------<<<< (proud upstanding riff-raff here btw!)

 

[blackangst1]

It's nearly impossible to get a proper steakhouse sear in a home kitchen, you just don't have equipment that gets hot enough (unless you're fairly wealthy and specifically bought a nice infrared grill or similar)

I like good steaks too, I've bought and grilled at home USDA prime steaks, A5 wagyu imported from japan, american Wagyu, etc. But it's still something else to have it at a proper steakhouse that has the equipment to do it right.

You can still make an amazing steak at home, don't get me wrong. But a steakhouse has it's place.

Agree 100%. Charcoal is one thing, but a proper charbroiler is another altogether.

 

[rasczak]

meh.

when i was a consultant in DC last decade, we regularly goto Morton's steakhouse.
it was good but not $40 good for boneless ribeye.

my current regular steakhouse that someone else pays the tab for is the PrimeRib steakhouse (https://theprimeribs.com/).
$60 for 18oz boneless ribeye

yes, tastes better than a $10/lb costco boneless ribeye that i make myself.
but not multiple times better! (maybe, almost twice as good)

The current position I'm in will have me going to DC a couple times a year as well as overseas. I'm definitely going to be partaking in the eating of nicer places.

As far as how I prep my steaks, I'll salt them for 24 hours, throw em in the oven at 200 until the meat comes to temp, then finish over a high heat skillet. Usually get my cuts at Costco and taste good. But I could definitely taste a difference between what I normally make at home vs what I was served yesterday. That experience is definitely something the wife and I will do couple times a year. As well, I will definitely be looking for better cuts elsewhere. I don't think I want to go back to the Costco cuts unless I'm organizing a dinner for family.

 

[Captante]

Agree 100%. Charcoal is one thing, but a proper charbroiler is another altogether.

All you need is a quality seasoned cast iron or ceramic cooking surface and a MAPP-gas (food-grade ideally) torch to get all the heat you need for a great "steak-house" sear. Even plain old boring propane can reach OVER 2200f. As mentioned steak is NOT difficult to cook.

SO unless you're telling me that (approx) 2200-2900f is somehow insufficient?



(would be better off with ceramic ... cast iron might MELT!)


Per a 10 second Google:

What temperature does Ruth's Chris cook/sear their steaks?

1,800 degrees

throw em in the oven at 200 until the meat comes to temp

Sounds like my grandmother's method for cooking pot-roast....

EVERY recipe I've ever seen calls for ROOM-TEMP only.... 200 being just below boiling will result in a steamed steak after not long at all.

That "few minutes" should be the ENTIRE cooking time (or close to it) and done at the highest temps reasonably possible.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Yes but without radiant heat (infrared grilling) you can very easily end up with hotspots and an uneven sear. It CAN be done well with someone who knows what they're doing, but infrared grills really make a significant difference in consistency without needing to spend a large amount of time learning to do it over charcoal.

Just like traditional japanese rice cooking methods CAN produce better results than a rice cooker when prepared by a chef that spent years specifically learning how to cook rice this way. Or you just get yourself a nice zojirushi and you get consistent high quality rice every single time with minimal effort.

I wont begrudge a man who likes charcoal, the flavor it provides alone is enough reason to use it, but it's got a higher skill ceiling and it's easier to fuck up your meat if you don't know what you're doing.

And at the end of the day, especially when we're talking about potentially $40-75+ steaks (wholesale wagyu), i'm not against paying ~2x that for it to be done at a steakhouse where i'm not having to do any of the work and if it's not done correctly, I can just send it back.

Meh, I can get a perfectly great sear on steak with a cast iron over gas. Gets plenty hot.

If I want really hot I'll just use my wok. Weird cooking a steak in that but I could do it if I wanted like a billion degree pan.

 

[MrSquished]

Been to Del Frisco's in the city a couple times. It's a higher end NYC steakhouse. Once was a birthday treat from an ex-gf and it was just an all out feast. It was delicious, but between apps, sides and a dessert and drinks it was close to a $400 meal. That's ATOT baller money, and I'm just a peasant of ATOT, so it's really only for very rare occasions. Honestly it was absolutely delicious, but I've cooked some amazing ribeyes at home using the cast iron pan and oven method that I can't say were too far off. Make some of Alton's garlic creamy mashed, some grilled asparagus, and I'm in heaven.

 

[Dulanic]

Been to Del Frisco's in the city a couple times. It's a higher end NYC steakhouse. Once was a birthday treat from an ex-gf and it was just an all out feast. It was delicious, but between apps, sides and a dessert and drinks it was close to a $400 meal. That's ATOT baller money, and I'm just a peasant of ATOT, so it's really only for very rare occasions. Honestly it was absolutely delicious, but I've cooked some amazing ribeyes at home using the cast iron pan and oven method that I can't say were too far off. Make some of Alton's garlic creamy mashed, some grilled asparagus, and I'm in heaven.

Agree, I went to Del Frisco's when it was paid for by a vendor. It was very good, but id it worth the price over some Costco tenderloins in a cast iron and 500 deg oven? Not a chance. But when I wasn't paying, I enjoyed it.

 

[snoopy7548]

The only expensive steakhouse I've been to was a Charley's in Florida. I enjoyed it - I think I got a filet mignon. The steak literally melted in my mouth, which I always thought was BS, so that was pretty cool.

 

[local]

Went to Del Frisco's on a customer lunch a few years ago. The customer was a regular there and it was lunch time so the staff were pretty loose and hilarious then they gave us a tour of the facility. But I honestly didn't care for the food. Generally speaking I don't like "expensive" food and while the $100 steak I had was decent I found myself wishing it was the $16 steak I had eaten from Texas Roadhouse the night before. Thankfully that means I can save some money on the food which is good because I need as much as I can get for the bar.

 

[Captante]

Went to Del Frisco's on a customer lunch a few years ago. The customer was a regular there and it was lunch time so the staff were pretty loose and hilarious then they gave us a tour of the facility. But I honestly didn't care for the food. Generally speaking I don't like "expensive" food and while the $100 steak I had was decent I found myself wishing it was the $16 steak I had eaten from Texas Roadhouse the night before. Thankfully that means I can save some money on the food which is good because I need as much as I can get for the bar.

Texas Roadhouse is actually not bad at all considering the price and it being a national chain. Taking cost into account I'd say it's actually better than the majority of "fancy" steakhouses I've been to.

A lot of the time the special "trick" the expensive places use is really just saturating the entire meal in butter. (or something else super-fatty/salty)

 

[Pohemi]

I think I might want to try out other high end steak houses now.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Ruth Criss is the McDonalds of "expensive" steak houses.... not saying its bad by any means but it's nothing special. (barely better than Outback and inferior to Texas Roadhouse for the price... Chucks for example shamed them)

Yeah this was my first thought as well after reading the OP... Ruth's Chris isn't bad, per se...but it's an overpriced national chain that likes to play above their grade.

I was not overly impressed with their food, especially not for the prices. That is NOT what I would consider a "high end" steakhouse.

side note: Costco has decent cuts of beef for a mass retailer, but...if you want a quality cut, find a local butcher or beef farm imho

 

[Captante]

That’s why I like ponyo’s steakhouse. I can be in my pajamas.

VERY similar dress-code to Captante's Steak Emporium as well!


*(pants NOT required!)

 

[brianmanahan]

ruth's chris = nicest place i've ever eaten, by far

 

[Captante]

ruth's chris = nicest place i've ever eaten, by far

How sad for you...

(to be fair however I did enjoy the several meals I've eaten there, they just don't really stand out)

 

[JEDI]

The only expensive steakhouse I've been to was a Charley's in Florida. I enjoyed it - I think I got a filet mignon. The steak literally melted in my mouth, which I always thought was BS, so that was pretty cool.

interesting.. i always order the boneless ribeye.

will try the filet mignon (medium) the next time im at a fancy steakplace just to experience that melt in your mouth.