Ruth's Chris Steak House — Restaurant in Honolulu

The world food tour continued … at Ruth Chris, featuring the wines of Chateau Montelena. I’ve always wanted to try one of Ruth's Chris wine dinners but they’ve always had some type of shellfish on the menu and my fellow foodie is allergic to shellfish. Lucky for us, the Chateau Montelena wine dinner didn’t have any shellfish! Hurrah! So, we dined at Ruth Chris on a Wednesday evening with twenty-plus other foodies.

First course (Amuse Bouche): An Ahi Tuna Poke Crisp with a 2017 Riesling from Potter Valley in Mendocino, north of Ukiah. The little morsel was so flavorful … honey Thai sauce with toasted sesame and cilantro oil. I wanted another one! The CM Riesling was crisp and had a flinty undertone, perfect with the ahi crisp.

Second course: Crispy Chicken Confit with CM’s award winning Chardonnay, 2018 vintage. I was telling my tablemate that she has to watch Bottle Shock and the master sommelier (I’m so bad, I forgot his name) was relating the story about Chateau Montelena and how it and Stag’s Leap showed the world how good California wines had become. The Chardonnay was clean and its fruit shone through.

Third course: Stuffed Pork Tenderloin Roulade with a CM Zinfandel from Calistoga. I was getting full so I switched plates with my tablemate as her plate had a smaller portion (and she could take some home for later). Wow, this Zin is seriously good. I’d never seen a CM Zin in the wine stores; I will have to try harder.

Fourth course: Filet Au Poivre with a 2018 CM Cabernet Sauvignon. The classic pepper steak with a cognac sauce. On the side were roasted potatoes and a French green bean casserole. The filet was so tender and the sauce so luscious that it disappeared off my plate and I wondered where it went. The Cab was full of fruit, purplish and was not very tannic for a young red.

Fifth course: Sicilian Almond Cake. I looked at this dessert but passed in favor of a cup of coffee. Alas, the coffee was not up to the rest of the meal; my sole disappointment in what till then had been a fabulous evening.

Final thoughts: The food was great but what I remember most are the wines. Chateau Montelena makes some seriously good wines besides their Chardonnay and I will definitely look for their Riesling and Zinfandel; those wines were memorable. I’ve always looked to Germany for Rieslings but this CM wine opened my eyes. I apologize for the poor quality of some of the pics; it was very dark in the restaurant. The good pics come courtesy of my fellow foodie. All in all, a great value from Ruth's Chris … five courses, four great wines for $130pp. We shall return for more of these...

8/10 for food only, i would return to another location

I forgot to take pictures, my bad.

Ribeye, 8/10, delicious crust Filet 8.3/10, melts in your mouth! Lobster mac 8.5/10, it Looks dry, but it wasn’t lol Sweet potato casserole 6.5/10, honestly taste like it came from Walmart Mashed potatoes 7/10, pretty average Crab cakes 6.8/10 not bad but not worth the price Chocolate Sin Cake 9/10, delicious with the vanilla ice cream.

My wife and I enjoyed a delicious dinner for Valentine’s day today. While our table was ready at our reservation time, and the entrance staff were extremly polite and welcoming, this is where the welcoming atmosphere ended. Our server took our initial order for appetizers, which came out in a timely manner, but we did not receive bread or my drink that I ordered until after the guests next to us that arrived about 7minutes after us. Those guests were also immediately given bread after being seated, and had decent small talk with their server. Alan did not highlight the menu items like he did with other guests, nor did he engage in small talk like he did with others. We did not feel welcomed with him as our server, i’ve had better service from McDonalds. Other guests were given dessert menu explanations, we were given a pairing recommendation. It took a while for him to check on us from time to time aswell, and to top it off, after we received the bill, we were not offered a rose like everyone else in the restaurant had been, nor the complimentary wine. While the food was really good, i would not return if I had Alan as a server. The server that was boxing our food was great, he even checked on us a few times even though he was not assigned to our table.The server next to him “Keola” seemed very nice, and actually gave my wife a rose after I asked if they had any more. There was another server near our table as-well who was very nice, I just didn’t get his name.

I was told that this location does not have as good a service as the one downtown Waikiki, so i will check them out in the future.

update 20FEB24 Spoke with the manager Ryan who went out of his way to call me and hear my side personally. He expressed his deepest apologies and sent a generous gift card for our next visit. I was also informed that disciplinary action would be taken for the server.Me personally,at the end of the day, I just want everyone to have an equal dining experience, im no one special. I do appreciate Ryan and will update how the...

I'm sure there are many reasons for this being such a successful business. These are just a few, in my opinion.

The service is top tier and to me service is more important than the food. The food can be mediocre (which is NOT the case at Ruth's, so bare with me pls) at a restaurant but if you know what you are getting, service, politeness and a personality will draw me back. Of course, if the food sucks and or it's far too expensive, then yeah, no amount of etiquette will do. At Ruth's everyone is friendly, contributing to your total experience. And they accomplish this consistently with every visit. Servers are educated and get to know you for the sake of guiding you through the best possible meal (not for empty chatter; I am not paying to shoot it with my waiter and let my food get cold; these servers know when to chat, when to leave and when to check on you). Additionally, this is one of those establishments where no one employee is too good and above getting you another fork; everyone is on the same team. But let me be clear. These associates provide a service. They are not servants. If I needed anything, I asked politely, and everyone was willing to help.

The food is always delicious. I've enjoyed many different creations, sometimes I just wanted the lobster mac n cheese, and stuffed mushrooms for dinner...and of course the best creme brulee for dessert. I have never been disappointed. My favorites are the ribeye and the filet --depending on my mood, the potatoes au gratin, and the creamed spinach. They do it well, every time. Besides, I ain't making creamed spinach at home! And I tried stuffing my own mushrooms. Not happening.

The atmosphere is a smidgen too dim, sometimes. I understand setting the mood, but I needed my phone light to read the menu once or twice depending on where I was seated. Perhaps, it depends on the section or the manager for the evening. It's really not a big deal for me. But I do wonder... I would like to see what I'm eating lol. I mean, it might be beneficial to NEVER know, on the rare chance, that there's a hair in your food haha. It happens. It's reality. It's human. But yeah,... It being dark is only occasional, and otherwise, tables are far apart, enough to have your own separate conversations and not be knocked around.

I truly like this restaurant. The food is SO good, the service is amazing, and a visit is worth every single penny of my hard...