Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

High Steaks Gain - Big steaks translate into big money at Ruth’s Chris—a chain restaurant that just may alter the Providence dining scene as we know it.

Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse

 

10 Memorial Boulevard, Providence
401-272-2271

Fair
Good
Very Good
 Excellent

GENERAL INFO Open Mon.–Thurs. 5–10 p.m., Fri. 4:30–11 p.m., Sat. 4–11 p.m., Sun. 5–9 p.m. All major credit cards. Wheelchair accessible. Valet parking for $9. Reservations recommended. 

ATMOSPHERE Sophisticated and masculine in decor: dark wood, leather seating, televisions at the bar and the sound of sizzling meat everywhere.

SOUND LEVEL The crowds never seem to dissipate on weekends, but the restaurant is large, very large. Tables are well-spaced, so even large parties won’t interrupt you.

RECOMMENDED DISHES Crab cakes, steak of all shapes and sizes, desserts.

WINE LIST Thirty-five by the glass ($9– $28) and more than 300 by the bottle ($36–$220), heavily weighted toward reds.

PRICE RANGE Appetizers $6.95–$19.95; entrees $20.95–$84.95, for a forty-ounce porterhouse; desserts $10–$14.                        

I know what you’re thinking. You’re wondering why I chose to review a chain restaurant that relies on standard—dare I say, conformist—techniques to deliver a product that remains consistent around the country, regardless of time, place or staffing. Some may question why I’m giving precious pages to a national company that has far more to spend on advertising than the myriad locally owned restaurants that contribute to Providence’s unique personality. The truth is, I was curious. Providence is preparing for a veritable onslaught of chain restaurants, from steakhouses to sports bars to downtown Chinese. And in case you didn’t know, the Cheesecake Factory in Providence Place is one of the state’s largest grossing restaurants, bringing in close to $10 million last year. They may have just met their match.

If you’ve never eaten at Ruth’s Chris before, prepare to spend big. The valet parking on Memorial Boulevard is nine dollars, and, no, that doesn’t include the tip. The other thing you’ll notice is that this restaurant, housed in the GTech building, gives new meaning to the word enormous. Between the marble-topped bar area (that looks and feels like a high-end hotel) and the expansive dining rooms, you could corral well over 250 carnivores with no one rubbing shoulders.

The Providence outpost is Ruth’s Chris’s 100th restaurant, and they certainly spared no expense on interior decoration. Until now, Mill’s Tavern was the city’s most design-savvy dining room, but Ruth’s Chris spent upwards of three and a half million dol-lars to impress every last customer. Brown is the predominant color, not only in deep wood paneling and lattice work but requisite leather chairs (utilizing every part of the cow), dark-bordered rugs and dramatic hole-punched lights. Accents of crimson light, the hue of red wine, highlight hundreds of bottles encased in glass at the back of the restaurant.

The interior, dramatic as it is, can’t compete with a stunning view of the river that is only slightly marred by ongoing construction. The twenty-foot-tall windows lie directly alongside Waterplace Park, and if you’re lucky enough to grab a table during Waterfire, you’ll see Providence in all its glory.

The staff is among the most courteous and conscientious I’ve encountered in any restaurant. It’s a successful combination of management techniques and sincere affability, which gives me the feeling that—for no obvious reason—everybody adores me. Make sure that you make your reservation under the name of someone who loves attention because that person will be greeted by name (“Welcome to Ruth’s Chris, Ms. Clark!”), not only by the maitre d’ who ushers you past the bar but the hostess who designates your table, the guide who seats you, the person who offers you water, your server for the evening, as well as any other staff who happen to be within earshot. This is an operation born and bred to celebrate VIPs (all 250 of them).

Oh, and speaking of water, be forewarned that tap water does run freely here even if it isn’t offered. They want you to have the very finest of everything, and apparently tap wa-ter doesn’t make the cut. A silver tray and Vanna White-style display features still or sparkling at $10 or more a bottle, but, yes, you may ask for yours straight from the pipes (I do).

The staff has quite a spiel on the dynamics of Ruth’s Chris that is informative, although it does give a Stepford feel to an otherwise gracious group (“Our salads are individually portioned with approximately three ounces of greens”). There’s also a lot of Big Brother talk (without the menacing tone): “They don’t really want me to say it’s like shrimp scampi” and “They won’t be happy if you’re not happy.”

The appetizers are indeed designed for one, and though you may suffer from sticker shock, they’re worth the investment.

Salads are ample, including a thick beefsteak tomato salad with onions and blue cheese ($9.25). Tomatoes are out of season, and while these aren’t the sweet perfection of summer, they’re gorgeously red and ripe. Ahi tuna ($12.95), thinly sliced and slightly seared, could be easily eaten raw on a slab of rice, but the quality still shines in a spicy ginger and mustard sauce. The real temptation is a pair of blue crab cakes that are barely bigger than pink scallop shells and worth every penny of their exorbitant price tag ($19.95). Egg- and bread-laden crabby patties pale in comparison to this filling-free cake that is composed simply of rich crab meat tossed in lemon butter perched atop a sizzling breadcrumb base.

There are more speeches to come regarding Ruth’s Chris’s steak selections. You’ll learn that their ovens are designed to cook at 1800 degrees Fahrenheit to sear meat that is served with little more than a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a drizzle of but- ter. Plates are brought to your table at a wincing 500 degrees so that you can listen to the butter pop. Your ears and tongue are not of the same ilk though, so refrain from eating for a few minutes or you’ll burn the inside of your mouth.

Good steak is not cheap, and Ruth’s Chris is no exception. Several proprietary farms in the Midwest supply the restaurant with their prime meats, and the cuts are enviable indeed. The eight-ounce filet is the bargain at $33.95, but you could certainly split a forty-ounce porterhouse for $84.95 if you’re in the mood to share.
The menu features a chart detailing how your steak will be cooked, though there’s always room for dissension. I order the twelve-ounce filet ($37.95) medium-rare (“red, warm center”), but it arrives deep red directly beneath the sear. Funny, I call that rare. Perhaps the issue is with the word “center.” I consider it the nub of the steak, the walnut size heart. They consider it anything beneath the surface. Order accordingly.

The eight-ounce would have been a better choice given that the larger serving is the tenderloin (about eight or nine ounces) as well as the “chain,” a side portion connected by a sizeable piece of fat. That aside, the meat is a delirious exercise in indulgence. Ribeye ($42.95) and New York strip ($42.95) are also good bets, though the latter wins out on a combination of both flavor and texture, the ribeye slightly fleshy for my taste.
In true corporate style, the steaks are all a la carte, but I recommend, despite the checkbook-breaking bill, ordering some sides. Veggies are available, although most are covered in more animal products (cheese, cream and hollandaise). The creamed spinach ($8.50) is surprisingly underwhelming, but I’d lick the dish of the sweet potato casserole ($8.50) if it weren’t so blisteringly hot. The butter-rich puree is topped with a pecan and brown sugar streusel and could be served instead of a Thanksgiving pie. Potatoes lyonnaise ($8.50) are thinly sliced with onions, and, while tasty, the fact that the potatoes are deep fried rather than sauteed make me think I’ll be going from dinner to the hospital for an angiogram.

Desserts are company-designed but executed in-house by pastry chef Gabe Erhartic. Prices are odd (even the staff didn’t know why things were ticketed at $10.70) and portions huge. There is a certain degree of uniformity that you won’t find in other freshly made desserts, which is both an advantage and a drawback. Banana cream and apple crumb tarts are more than four inches wide and just as high without a blemish, burnt spot or garnish out of place. People choose chain restaurants because they know exactly what they’ll get, though I do long for the fruits and herbs dictated by season rather than budget.

If you’re concerned with national restaurants overtaking the Providence dining scene, you’ll have to wait several years to make an assessment. But one thing is certain: Providence will soon be home to a number of nationally owned steakhouses, and they’ll all be chasing after Ruth’s Chris.