{"id":7512,"date":"2012-11-01T14:46:07","date_gmt":"2012-11-01T21:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/burgersdogspizza.com\/?p=7512"},"modified":"2012-11-01T14:46:07","modified_gmt":"2012-11-01T21:46:07","slug":"baton-rouge-la-ruths-chris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.peterstromquist.com\/?p=7512","title":{"rendered":"Baton Rouge, LA – Ruth’s Chris Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

(From our archives) \"\"<\/a>I was scheduled to have a business lunch in Baton Rouge today, but the restaurant that I was told to go to was closed for lunch. So I off-handedly suggested \u201cRuth\u2019s Chris,\u201d really because I don\u2019t know B.R. at all, but had seen an outlet of this New Orleans founded chain along the Interstate.<\/p>\n

I guess I have been going to Ruth\u2019s for about ten years, tho I am not a habitual patron like some people I know \u2013 certainly not like the loyalists here in Ruth\u2019s home town of N\u2019awlins.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019ve been to them in Chicago, Minneapolis, San Francisco, LA, Hong Kong, Detroit, and perhaps a few other cities.<\/p>\n

They are always the same. And that, in itself, is enough of a reason for me to keep returning.<\/p>\n

Among \u201cnational\u201d competitors, I would say Ruth\u2019s has more than a few: Smith and Wollensky’s, The Palm, Morton’s; and of course there are one-offs which are equal in quality. Of the three I mentioned, I like the Palm the best (even better than Ruth\u2019s), I\u2019m not really sure why \u2013 \u201cbetter service\u201d would be my initial impression. In Los Angeles, the Palm is one of the prime \u201cdeal making\u201d restaurants. I\u2019ve been to their outlets there, Dallas, Vegas, and Chicago. Always consistent, as well.<\/p>\n

But I have a fondness for Ruth\u2019s. Maybe that\u2019s present because I had the pleasure of meeting some of the founding family members here in N\u2019awlins, tho Ms. Ruth passed away a year or so ago, and the chain has not been owned by the family for some years.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s a steakhouse, in the pure sense of the word, they often have a few non-beef entrees, which is nice for accompanying guests that are eschewing (as opposed to chewing) beef.<\/p>\n

Curiously, after the \u201cmad cow\u201d scare last fall, steakhouse revenue numbers in the U.S. were dramatically up during the 4th quarter. And I don\u2019t think those numbers came from chicken.<\/p>\n

A steak snob would order something other than a petite filet, which is always my choice, as rare as they can make it, which is somewhat of a challenge at Ruth\u2019s, since they cook at 1500 degrees. Still they accomplish it, and their beef is always flavorful and very tender, tho I have been told by some chefs that Ruth\u2019s \u201csecret ingredient\u201d is copious amounts of salt.<\/p>\n

Their BBQ shrimp appetizer isn\u2019t half-bad, and a way I can \u201cstay in touch\u201d with my New Orleans cuisine preferences when I am traveling.<\/p>\n

Starch-wise, I\u2019d prefer if they would offer \u201cPotatoes Brabant\u201d which you find at many local steakhouses here \u2013 but they don\u2019t, so I \u201csuffer\u201d through their onion rings (which are just marvy) and usually a side of creamed spinach.<\/p>\n

They don\u2019t offer Chateaubriand, though they do have a \u201cPorterhouse for Two\u201d (which I have witnessed a single diner polish off on more than one occasion).<\/p>\n

Dessert wise, they offer the New Orleans traditional favorites \u2013 cr\u00e8me brulee, and bread pudding, as well as a few other \u2018traditional\u2019 treats to suit the national (now international) palate that they cater too.<\/p>\n

Ruth would be proud \u2013 the empire (my theme of the day, I guess) has grown to include outlets in a couple dozen states, Canada, Mexico, Hong Kong, Taiwan (yes, they are different places!) and Puerto Rico. I\u2019m especially delighted they have opened in Cabo San Lucas, one of my favorite places to visit, but not a dining mecca.<\/p>\n

Anyway, today, in Baton Rouge, Ruth\u2019s was absolutely fine. What else would one expect? Pass the salt, please.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Ruth's<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(From our archives) I was scheduled to have a business lunch in Baton Rouge today, but the restaurant that I was told to go to was closed for lunch. So I off-handedly suggested \u201cRuth\u2019s Chris,\u201d really because I don\u2019t know B.R. at all, but had seen an outlet of this New Orleans founded chain along… Continue reading Baton Rouge, LA – Ruth’s Chris Review<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16,34,35],"tags":[587,3333],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.peterstromquist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7512"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.peterstromquist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.peterstromquist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.peterstromquist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.peterstromquist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7512"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.peterstromquist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7512\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.peterstromquist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.peterstromquist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.peterstromquist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}