Ruth's Chris

[=Mark]

The Olive Garden does not represent their products well.

They don't? According to their commercials they send all their chefs to apprentice in Italy...

[Fat Guy]

There are certain occasions when only a bloody slab of meat and a Saharran dry martini straight up will suffice.

No question. Steak is good. Steakhouses serve good steak. But they're targeted at a certain audience. You can go there and enjoy a steak, but it doesn't make you part of that audience. Just as you can go to a topless bar and enjoy that experience once in awhile -- for example at a friend's bachelor party -- without being the kind of pathetic looser with bad taste who habitually hangs out at topless bars. Because topless women are a good thing. But when sitting around staring at topless women becomes the only form of entertainment you want, you're officially a loser. Just as, if every time someone says "I'll take you anywhere you want for dinner," you choose Ruth's Chris, you're a culinary idiot.

[Varmint]

But when sitting around staring at topless women becomes the only form of entertainment you want, you're officially a loser.

Damn, FG, you needn't be so hard on yourself.

[Fat Guy]

But when sitting around staring at topless women becomes the only form of entertainment you want, you're officially a loser.

Damn, FG, you needn't be so hard on yourself.

I should have said, "staring at topless women and/or using eGullet."

[tommy]

Perhaps it's not just Ruth's Chris, but the concept of most high end steakhouses in general.  I can buy that.

i think you found that elusive point that you wanted to make when you started this thread and claimed that you weren't sure what your point was.

[Holly Moore]

Just as, if every time someone says "I'll take you anywhere you want for dinner," you choose Ruth's Chris, you're a culinary idiot.

Agreed. But the same if you always choose Daniel.

[Varmint]

Just as, if every time someone says "I'll take you anywhere you want for dinner," you choose Ruth's Chris, you're a culinary idiot.

Agreed. But the same if you always choose Daniel.

But would you then be an idiot savant?

[Varmint]

Perhaps it's not just Ruth's Chris, but the concept of most high end steakhouses in general.  I can buy that.

i think you found that elusive point that you wanted to make when you started this thread and claimed that you weren't sure what your point was.

Tee hee! I really just needed a forum to vent. And I found it. Ah, the beauty of eGullet.

[Fat Guy]

Just as, if every time someone says "I'll take you anywhere you want for dinner," you choose Ruth's Chris, you're a culinary idiot.

Agreed. But the same if you always choose Daniel.

Yes and no. If you only dine at Daniel, you're certainly an unimaginative diner. No matter how much you like Daniel, I can't imagine a serious gourmet wanting to eat every meal there. It would be like always drinking the wines of one producer. It's not the point of wine appreciation to do that.

At the same time, the diversity of what you can experience at Daniel is like a hundred times broader than what you can experience at a typical steakhouse. Indeed, in addition to the entire haute cuisine repertoire, and in addition to the thousands of dishes in his personal repertoire, Daniel could easily produce, at customer request, any item on a steakhouse menu.

But yes, ultimately, I think true gourmandism includes the desire for diversity as part and parcel of the definition.

[Holly Moore]

Just as, if every time someone says "I'll take you anywhere you want for dinner," you choose Ruth's Chris, you're a culinary idiot.

Agreed. But the same if you always choose Daniel.

Yes and no. If you only dine at Daniel, you're certainly an unimaginative diner. No matter how much you like Daniel, I can't imagine a serious gourmet wanting to eat every meal there. It would be like always drinking the wines of one producer. It's not the point of wine appreciation to do that.

At the same time, the diversity of what you can experience at Daniel is like a hundred times broader than what you can experience at a typical steakhouse. Indeed, in addition to the entire haute cuisine repertoire, and in addition to the thousands of dishes in his personal repertoire, Daniel could easily produce, at customer request, any item on a steakhouse menu.

But yes, ultimately, I think true gourmandism includes the desire for diversity as part and parcel of the definition.

Maybe this is another thread, but my point is that a gourmet can be equally as thrilled downing shovelfulls of oysters at Bowen's Island as the tasting menu at Daniel - both on the short list of Great American Restaurants

Edited July 7, 2003 by Holly Moore (log)

[KNorthrup]

We had Ruth's Chris and Morton's open here almost simultaneously about five years ago (ie, dot-com days) but I haven't tried either one. My parents ate at one in San Diego a couple years ago and their reasons were probably not very unusual. First, most people still don't use things like the internet to research their dining options when travelling. Especially when it's just a one night layover like in this case. So it's hard to find something reliable -- and not everyone is willing to risk time and money on a bad meal, although I am -- that isn't a well-known chain. Also, when my stepfather is traveling, he doesn't always want to get adventurous with his meals. We can drag him to new and different places for the first few meals, but then he needs to have 'just a steak' or sometimes a burger in order to re-ground or something. Something where he knows in advance exactly what it will taste like. I don't think that's unusual. It's not me, but it's not unusual. Also, they live in a very small town and there really is no local steakhouse. At all. And that could be the case with many business travellers as well. That it really is a unique opportunity.

The one problem they had with their RC experience was the service. It was polite and all. But they'd never been there and didn't know all the gimmicks so they each ordered a veg and a starch. The waiter didn't say anything about the portions not really being single serving. And it was a layover, so quite a bit got wasted. They were annoyed about that. Not the price so much as just throwing food away in general when they would have ordered less had they known.