Ruth's Chris Steak House

Ruth's Chris is definitely a treat yo' self kind of place. Prices are pretty hush-hush (nowhere to be found on their website), and most of their menu is a la carte. In other words, if you order a steak ($40 and upwards ($90 range)), that's all you get. Sides, salads, etc., cost extra ($10). There is bread service.

I made a reservation for a late dinner a couple of nights in advance. The day of our dinner, the restaurant called to confirm. Since our reservation was for 9:30pm (and they close at 10pm), they advised to try to get there on time, but as long as we got our orders in before 10pm, we'd be good. When we arrived, we checked in with no problem and were seated immediately. Since it was nearing the end of the night, the restaurant was pretty empty. Ruth's Chris has an elegant ambiance and a dress code (business casual), but jeans are allowed.

I tried the harvest salad and ordered the lamb chops, which were excellent! They came out sizzling, and were nicely cooked, flavorful, and seared to perfection for some texture - everything I want in a lamb chop. The cut of the lamb chops are thick, so I ended up with some leftover chops which was a yummy snack for later.

Service was low-key, but adequate. I can't say that I'll be running back to Ruth's Chris anytime soon, but it was an overall nice experience. And just a note, if you come for one of their promotions, which they send out from time to time, be sure to read their fine print. They're very specific about what you can and can't do. We didn't have any issues, but just an observation.

I have been coming to this location for our annual holiday leadership dinner the last 4 years. We are usually a group of about 20 and have one of the private rooms in the back.

Each year, I tell myself I will be wiser and not order the steak but then at the same time, this is a steak house where the establishment name actually has the label "steak house" in it's name. How come they keep messing it up?

The cocktails were good as were the appetizers and sides which we shared among the group. Love the calamari and lobster mac and cheese. I ordered the petit filet and shrimp and made the mistake of asking for medium. A colleague ordered the same medium rare and both of us got somewhere between medium well to well done. I should have probably ordered rare to get it the right temperature. One person had an undercooked steak and sent it back so next time I will do the same. Better to have undercooked than overcooked. I often use leftover steak and slice thin to make a sandwich the next day but even my leftovers were much too dry to enjoy. The presentation was beautiful arriving hot and sizzling but the kitchen did not account for the fact that this led to it being way overcooked as it probably continued to cook another 10 minutes from the time it was plated to the time it arrived at the table.

However, I was a guest and a very well intentioned treat from our host. The celebration itself was fun and memorable. Next year, I just have to remember to order something else.

I celebrated my 50th birthday at Ruth's Chris. The welcoming birthday table splashed with birthday confetti and accompanied by a birthday card signed by staff members was terrific.

Similarly, Tasha was a terrific server with a great knowledge of the menu and she also provided excellent suggestions. With Tasha's assistance we ordered the Tomahawk ribeye. The was an excellent choice. They provide this Flintstone-worthy rack of meat, on the bone, with two 500-degree, sizzling, better-covered plates for us to enjoy our share of steak after they trimmed it from the bone for us. This is a superb cut of meat and was perfect to split between the two of us - essentially it's the same price as two ribeyes, and since we like the same temperature it worked out perfectly.

The Gambler's Old Fashioned was a perfect accompaniment to our steak and the price is DC-reasonable. Bread was provided - don't eat it, it's a trap by the carbohydrates pushers and will ruin a steak meal. But, a small bite was tasty!

The four stars is a result of the lackluster sides. The Au Gratin potatoes were mundane at best. To me it was a bit like overpriced Betty Crocker. The potatoes weren't potato-y tasting and the lack of substance was masked by butter and cheese. Normally, that'll suffice, but the lack of potato flavor made the side fall short for me.

The Brussel Sprouts with bacon were pretty good, but not great. A little too al dente and sweet for my liking. Admittedly, we did eat a lot of them, so not terrible - just not "mmm good."

Came to this location for a Christmas Party that the homie's job was hosting. They had the back room and the table was set up long ways, family style I would say. The appetizer was Crab Stuffed Mushrooms followed by a Steak House Salad or Caesar Salad.

For the entree's we had four options: Stuffed Chicken Breast, 8oz Filet with Shrimp on top, Salmon, or a Vegetarian Dish. The sides were Mashed Potatoes and Broccoli, family style.

Everyone enjoyed the food and the service was great. The reason for my low rating is that the seating was a bit tight, the bathrooms were not clean, and this location just seems old. Upgrade needed ASAP.

Went in for happy hour. The bar area was pretty small, but we only waited about 20 minutes until we got a seat. I ordered the crab balls, spicy shrimp and cucumber cup. I loved it all. The balls was delicious and the shrimp was the bomb. I will definitely come back to try some more goodness. The atmosphere was intimate with a mature crowd.

I've been to this location twice for dinner now and was hesitant to write a review until my second visit. So like any Ruth's Chris, you can expect to upscale meal averaging $80/person. At this particular location, you can also expect unusually slow service. It took nearly 15 minutes for our order to be placed (seated at 7:30pm) , another 30+ for the appetizers to arrive, another 40+ for the entrees, and another 30+ minutes for desserts to arrive. Add an additional hour for actual food consumption and it adds up to be nearly 3 hours. The second visit was topped by the incorrect bill received at the end of the meal which included 2 additional entrees and was missing 2 glasses of wine. If only the bill mistakes were the only misstep, all could be forgiven. Unfortunately, it only compounded the problem when it took 15+ min to return the corrected bill (left at 10:30pm).

And the food, you ask? Well it was actually pretty darn tasty. I got the Pan-seared Chilean Sea Bass which was served atop a sweet potato and pineapple hash which was all drizzled with a citrus coconut butter. It was well-prepared and packed with flavor like a trip to the islands. My friends seemed pretty satisfied with their entrees, too (despite the long wait time). During the meal, additional bread was requested and never arrived. One friend insisted on dessert, so we went with the White Chocolate Bread Pudding with an Orange Cognac crème Anglaise (per the recommendation of our server). It was incredible and not your traditional southern-style bread pudding. The food runner also brought the dessert without any silverware, which also required ~5 min of wait-time.

Overall - The food was the expected high quality, but the service can't be overlooked. It was a series of long waits. During my first visit, I naturally thought it was an off-night. Twice in row? Can't be a coincidence. Is the service my only gripe? Yes. But I think we can all agree that the service is the difference between "They serve great food" and "They provide a great experience". So pack an overnight bag if you plan on dining here, unless you enjoy spending nearly 3+ hours on the same quality of food (or better) that you can probably get at any number of DC's great (and local) food establishments.

One of my favorite places to come eat. The food is good, and they are consistent as far as quality goes. I always order a lot here but one thing I can say is, I love this place!

I love love their shoe string fries, barbecued shrimp as an appetizer, and hands down the steaks are amazing here. Slice it like butter!!

We had dinner reservations for 6 people a couple of weeks ago. By the time we were seated, there was one other table with guests in entire place...still we were placed right outside the kitchen doorway. This table should be used as a last option.

All of us ordered a main dish & side dish. Our server never offered an additional plate. This made it difficult to share the main dishes or side dishes.

I ordered medium rare, the waitress corrected me & stated "medium"....I again had to tell her medium rare. The steak came out medium/fully cooked, no red in the middle. This isn't how I would be able to enjoy my steak.

Overall, we had a great time. Made the best, but the hostess & server can use some fine tuning.

I would not suggest going to the Ruth Chris near Chinatown. The one in Crystal City is much better. The waiter was really nice but I wasn't very pleased with the stiffed chicken I ordered. It barely had any stuffing, and when I told the waiter she brought out a dude of stuffing. I appreciate her attempt to fix the issue but I wasn't pleased with my food.

Tried the stuffed chicken while visiting Destin, Florida. It was phenomenally tasty. Service was just great as always. This restaurant never disappoints. You tell them something once and you never need to repeat it.