Ruhlman's Steakhouse — Restaurant in Ashland

Located in Ashland, Nebraska, Ruhlman’s Steakhouse presents itself as a high-end steakhouse experience, promising expertly prepared cuts of beef in an upscale setting. With a reputation for quality steaks and a refined atmosphere, I was eager to see if the experience lived up to expectations.

Ambiance & Atmosphere – ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5)

The atmosphere at Ruhlman’s Steakhouse is elegant yet inviting, with a well-designed interior that blends classic steakhouse charm with a modern touch. The lighting is warm, and the overall ambiance feels intimate and refined, making it an excellent setting for a special occasion or date night. While the restaurant delivers on the look and feel of a fine dining establishment, the real test is always the food and service.

Food Quality – ⭐⭐☆☆☆ (2/5)

Given that steak is the star attraction at Ruhlman’s, I ordered the Delmonico Ribeye, a cut known for rich marbling and deep flavor. Unfortunately, the execution left much to be desired. • Delmonico Ribeye (Ordered Medium Rare, Served Medium to Medium Well) – A great steak should be juicy, flavorful, and cooked to perfection. While I requested medium rare, what arrived was medium at best, possibly closer to medium well. The texture was dry, lacking the signature juiciness of a properly cooked ribeye. • No Available Barbecue Sauce – While a well-cooked steak shouldn’t require sauce, the fact that the steak was overcooked and somewhat dry made me wish for a sauce option to enhance the experience. Unfortunately, barbecue sauce was not available, leaving little recourse to add moisture or flavor. • Million Dollar Mushrooms (Served Cold) – The Million Dollar Mushrooms should have been a luxurious complement to the steak, but they arrived cold. This suggests poor timing in the kitchen, as a well-run steakhouse should ensure that all sides are served hot and fresh. • Onion Rings & Steak Temperature Issues – Both the onion rings and the steak arrived lukewarm, indicating that the food had been sitting for a while before being brought to the table. A high-end steakhouse should prioritize perfect timing and proper serving temperatures, especially when charging premium prices.

In short, the meal didn’t live up to the high expectations set by the restaurant’s reputation and price point.

Service – ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (3/5)

The service was acceptable but not exceptional. While the waitstaff was professional and polite, they lacked the attentiveness expected in a fine dining setting. • There were no follow-ups to check on steak doneness or meal satisfaction. • The pacing of the meal suggested some inefficiencies in the kitchen, as food arrived cool rather than freshly plated. • While service was not rude or dismissive, it lacked the polish and attention to detail that would elevate the experience.

Value for Money – ⭐⭐☆☆☆ (2/5)

At a premium steakhouse, guests expect premium food quality—especially when ordering signature cuts like the Delmonico Ribeye. Given the overcooked steak, cold sides, and overall lack of consistency, the price did not feel justified. If a restaurant is going to charge high-end prices, every detail must be executed flawlessly, and unfortunately, this meal did not meet that standard.

Final Verdict – ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (3/5)

While Ruhlman’s Steakhouse offers an upscale atmosphere and an impressive menu, the actual execution of the meal was underwhelming. An overcooked steak, cold sides, and lack of attention to meal quality made this experience disappointing given the high price point.

Would I return? Possibly, but only if the kitchen improves consistency and ensures food is served fresh and at the correct temperature. For the price, diners should expect a perfectly cooked, flavorful steak and exceptional service—two things that were missing in this visit.

For now, Ruhlman’s has the potential to be a top-tier steakhouse, but it needs to refine its execution to justify its...

Update from last week's dinner. Had it with this place. Seems to be run without a strategy, and it seems like they have a bunch of inexperienced newbies at the wheel with food that is about hotel banquet level.

3rd visit, and I am done with this place. Thought giving this another month or so would be a better experience, but it wasn't.

Essentially, this is Parkers or Round the Bend 2.0 at a highr price with very loud ambiance, a louder and more obnoxious owner (more on that in a min), apparently has not had a good cleaning since they opened, and regurgitating Sysco food out of bag is not fine dining.

A. Not clean - no excuse for the price they are charging. Should be spotless. B. Loud as hell - pretty such it would be quiter eating the stadium on game day. C. The Owner - Though the ambiance is loud, the owner is louder. Was going to introduce myself as not a happy customer, but after listening to the guy lecturing other customers on how amazing and awesome the restaurant was while we stood waiting for one of the many empty tables, I decided that having this guy breath down my neck during a $150 meal while clearly lacking the ability to take input was not the experience I wanted to pay for. D. The food and drinks are just mmmm. If you like hotel banquet style food you will love this place. - I am a foodie, the drinks are imbalanced, and the food is not great. Maybe my standards are too high, but at the price, they are playing at the level of high tier rrestaurants.

I have been in the industry and know Sysco food and also recognize when I see sealed packages being carried around in the kitchen. You can make it taste good, but lying to people about being from scratch is BS. It is beyond comprehension why the chef needs a multi-millon dollar kitchen to reheat microwave or deep fry Sysco food from a bag.

For the price tag they are asking, this should be a clean, quieter environment with really good food and it isn't. Last time I drop good money in this place.

___previous review from post opening--- So much potential.. such a miss. I was in the grand opening event and just went back as I was extremely hopeful for a great Ashland fine dining restaurant... but this is not it. As a 4th removed friend of someone who works there, I really wanted to like this.

A big deal has been made about fresh local and from scratch, but the reality is it Sysco packed food plus the connelly Angus. Shocked they somehow manage to screw up stunning meat, but they can.

It is super disappointing that they are not being honest about the food and had a chef who could at least deep fry and microwave Sysco food to make it taste good, but seems very misleading to say fresh/from scratch... giant swing and a miss. Will give this a shot again months...

First let mw start off with we have visited several times sinces they opened, we have tried really, really hard to like it unfortunately the third experience was bad enough it is our final. The first time was great, the second time on a diffrent day of the week, same exact orders Reuben and the crispy checken mac and cheese. The reuben was soggy, the mac and cheese was soup, so the crispy chicken was soggy. The martini’s have way too much citrus. We didn’t think we would go back so our third time ended up being our final time. The third time we decided to go for a week night Dinner. I ordered the steak frites which came with Béarnaise sauce, truffle fries and TWO sides. I ordered the garlic bakes potato and glazed carrots. My partner the rueben again. Drinks came and the citrus in my martini was so over powering. Shortly later our waitress came back very polite to inform me “THE CHEF SAID YOU CANNOT HAVE THE BAKED POTATO WITH YOUR MEAL” it was because truffle fries came with the meal. I was never offered a different second side to replace the one the chef refused to let me have. Now let me tell you, I have eaten at 5 star restaurants across the US including canada and alaska that were much higher priced and I have never been refused what I ordered and I AM PAYING FOR. So this was absolutely offensive as the truffle fries aren’t any good to me as they are too rich and were not going to be ate. I could tell the waitress was uncomfortable having to do this so I felt bad for her. Our food came out, Reuben was ok however my steak frites absolutely not. I cut some steak and noticed the Béarnaise sauce had a skin when I put some on my steak but didn’t think much of it. I took my bite and it was probably some of the worst tasting steak I have ever had, the Béarnaise sauce was completely cold which was why it had skin and it is made with egg yolks. There was no way I could eat my meal. The waitress saw and asked how they could fix it. I wasn’t sure they could, her supervisor came over and offered a different sauce which made it somewhat edible. I could absolutely tell they did not want to take my food back to the chef, however he was out in the dining room talking to select tables… so I was refused what I wanted to order, never received part of what the meal was suppose to come with and what the Chef decided I should have was horrible as were the drinks. I will not spend money to be told I can’t have things with the meal I am paying for, the quality needs to be far superior to have that kind of an attitude. The servers are the...