Ruth's Chris

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

Order: New York Strip (Medium-Rare)

 

 

Juiciness: Okay

Beefyness (Natural Flavor): Okay

Size: Good

Preparedness: Good

Seasoning: Moderate-to-heavy salt saturated very heavily with butter

Advertised Weight: 16 oz.

Estimated Weight: 15 oz. 

I had the pleasure of joining my fellow tax accountant Chris Malicdem for a steak dinner (about 7 hours earlier than dinner time) this past Friday.  Like me, Chris is a rabid Bulls fan who enjoys pondering hypothetical questions such as "would you carry Derrick Rose's baby if it were possible".  At least until it was revealed on WGN this Saturday that 76ers rookie point guard Michael Carter-Williams was Derrick's daddy.  I'll just have to have Jimmy Butler's kids if this keeps up.  Anyways, like me, Chris also enjoys a good steak.    

There's a lot of pressure to write a negative review on this steakhouse.  It's a non-Chicago based chain.  I walk down the street every day and run into meat lovers on the way to work telling me they would like to discredit Ruth's Chris because they'd rather taste meat than butter.  (Every day).  Is it fair to assume the quality of the steak is any worse because the flavor gets masked behind the butter?  No, but I understand their desire to not have butter be the dominant flavor.  

Another concern people have with Ruth's Chris is that the sizzling plate cooks the steak as the meal goes along.  This, in theory, makes it impossible to have the steak cooked the way you want for the duration of the meal.  Being paranoid that this could happen to me, I did lift my steak a few times throughout the meal to blow on the bottom of my steak.  I'm sure I looked weird doing this.  Who knows whether or not that actually helped but at the end of the meal the steak was still medium-rare and any effect the 500 degree plate on the steak's "doneness" was minimal.  

The steak itself?  It tasted great.  Is a buttery, perfectly cooked piece of meat going to taste bad?  That's a rhetorical question.  I did, however, find it very difficult to judge the quality of the steak itself under all the butter and seasoning.  A quality steak should be able to stand on its own, and while I have no evidence to believe the steak can't, I really can't tell.  

What I liked:  Thick steak.  Cooked perfect.  Butter tastes better than I want to admit.  I'll definitely think back on the experience and remember the endorphin rush that came over me and how excited I was when I heard the sizzle of the plate as the waitress put the steak in front of me.  

What I disliked:  Eating a steak knowing it's going to make my stomach feel somewhat ill afterwards, again because of the butter.  I could only give grades of "Okay" for juiciness and beefyness because the overwhelming texture and flavor was butter.  

What I would do different next time:  Next time I go to Ruth's Chris I would like to order a steak without butter to see how the meat stacks up.  Ruth's Chris does serve prime steak, appears to have an attentive staff, and the cooks nailed the preparation so there's nothing to make me think it won't do fine.  I will followup sometime down the line when i get the opportunity.  

Part of me wants to give this steak a higher rating for tasting so good going down and a part of me wishes to give it a lower rating for making us both feel moderately ill from the butter we ingested.  

A view of the crowded room (we were a bit early for our dinner steaks)

New York Strip - don't touch the plate

Ribeye - sizzle sizzle

A piece of buttery art

Fleming's Steakhouse

Fleming's Steakhouse

Order: Seared New York Strip (Medium-Rare)

Juiciness: Okay

Beefyness (Natural Flavor): Good

Size: Good

Preparedness: Okay

Seasoning: Moderate salt lightly brushed with peppercorn

Advertised Weight: N/A

Estimated Weight: 15 oz. 

I stopped by Fleming's as I passed by it on my walk home from work last week when I realized that I was both hungry and anxious to start reviewing steaks.  I had 90 minutes to kill before an obligation that evening (I am obligated to watch Bulls games) so it was obvious that I should fill that time by eating/writing.  

I took my first step inside Fleming's and thought the atmosphere was in-between classic and modern.  Very nice though lacking any particular character.  There was downstairs open bar table seating while the main dining room was upstairs. 

As previously mentioned, I'm a New York Strip guy so unless there's clearly a house specialty of another cut, that's my go-to option.  When I placed my order I was presented the option to have the steaks lightly seared before preparing to "seal the juices in".  This option was only a recent addition to Fleming's though it came highly recommended.  I was hesitant but decided to go for it after asking the waiter which method he preferred.  

The steak arrived on a fairly hot plate and looked divine.  This hunk of meat looked like a serious contender on the plate.  However, it became apparent after a few bites that the preparation would be the downfall of this steak.  Where did all my sealed in juices go?

The searing option was not for me and though I would recommend it to someone who enjoys steak with a made to order interior and a heavily charred outside (think Gibson's), I dispute the notion that this steak was any juicier than it would have been had it been simply put on the grill.  "Pittsburgh rare" is a method of preparation where the steak is charred on the outside and left essentially raw on the inside.  I would have described this particular steak's preparation as "Pittsburgh medium-rare" with its charred top layer.  

What I liked:  This had the thickness of my ideal steak.  The size was good and the interior was just right.  The light peppercorn seasoning was a nice touch. 

What I disliked:  Not dry but dryer than an average steak of such thickness.  The char flavor on the outside overwhelmed some bites.  Not particularly tender.

What I would do different next time: I'd skip the seared option.  It formed a somewhat thick crust which detracted from the tenderness of the interior.  Next time I would try the dry-aged variety of the strip.  The two star rating was simply a review of my steak but I believe the enhanced flavor of dry-aging combined with a lighter charring on top would give this steak 3+ star potential in this blog, which is a rating steakhouses everywhere yearn for.  

CostCo in Chicago has occasionally carried $100 in Fleming's gifts cards for the price of $80, which could convince me to give Fleming's a try in the future.  American Express has also at times offered a $50 statement credit in the past for spending $100, a deal I would certainly take advantage of for this quality of a meal.  If I didn't come back for steak, I would consider taking advantage of their happy hour special (before 7PM) in which a steakhouse bacon cheeseburger and various wines/cocktails can be had for just $6.

New York Strip - Thicky Thick, just how Nelly likes it

Rough and crusty exterior, warm and gentle on the inside