Ruth's Chris Steak House — Restaurant in Nashville-Davidson

It was our 44th anniversary and we had an 8:15pm reservation. When we arrived at 8:14pm for valet parking there was a lengthy wait that literally left us sitting in the street waiting to turn into the valet service area. 6 minutes later when we turned in, I sent my wife on into the restaurant while I continued to wait another 10 minutes to get a valet ticket. Once I got the valet ticket I hurried down the steps to discover it was standing room only and we began another wait, which lasted another 15+ minutes. (There were six (6) ladies who were hovering around the check in area - only 1 of them was actually working while the rest were socializing with each other. When we finally were called for our table, we were escorted to an extremely poorly lit and dim area (right behind the check in area in the large dining room. We had to use the aux light on our cell phones to begin to read the single page menu. Our server was Lisa who asked about our "occasion" and proceeded to do a really good job in taking care of us. The salads were room temperature, not the least bit cold or crisp and had a large dollop of dressing right in the center of what appeared to be a spring mix of greens with a grape tomato split in half. Although our steak and lobster tail special selections were tasty, the famous "sizzle" from the steaks were totally absent although our plates were hot and our steaks were overdone. While waiting in between courses we continued to be totally surprised at how dimmly lit our table area was yet they used bright LEDs or florescent lamps to clashingly illuminate a brightly glowing wine selection. Our server brought us a complimentary dessert in recognition of our anniversary and this capped what was nearly a $200 meal for two. So here are observations and critismisms: This was supposed to be Ruth's Chris' Steaks, a very real steak house that used to offer first class food and service. We did not find this to be the case from the moment we pulled up. The valet service was not good. The lengthy wait to be seated after making a reservation well in advance was not honored or efficienly handled. Managembeent appeared to be MIA somewhere. A steak house restaurant that used to be a place for serious steak lovers now appears to be more of a trendy eat place. Time honored markers such as a "real" menu and not a "one sheet" to a sad room temperature "steakhouse" salad to supposed famous au gratin potatoes that were sitting in a thin cream with cheese add on were a real disappointment. No sizzling steaks were heard nor were patrons "warned" like they used to in holding their napkins in front while the piping hot steak was sit in front of them and not to mention not cooked medium as ordered. And the ambiance of a real steak house was truly missing in ways from the LED wine selections to yet having such dark areas we couldn't read the menus without some extra light. At least there was a nicely set table with the traditional white table cloths. I know that Ruth's Chris was sold some time ago and maybe this is the direction that the new corporate management wants to take the restaurants now. And maybe the interiors did need a bit of a refresh. But there was nothing wrong with the core restaurant, the ambiance and nuances and dishes that made the restaurant famous. And even though dining at Ruth's was always a bit on the pricy side, we always used to leave feeling satisfied and appreciated. This time we didn't feel that way at all in spite of our server doing all that she could to make things good that were within her range. This restaurant is no more different that any of the other "trendy" and maybe even flashy chain restaurants. It's certainly not a restaurant for a one of a kind serious...

As a service industry professional of 15+ years, I cant tell you how much it pains me to leave 2 stars for what should have been a 5 star experience. I'll start from the top. Upon arrival we were greeted with an extremely kind and professional front of the house manager. He brought the 4 of us to our table and was very accommodating of my infant son that was also with us, making sure there was ample room for his stroller. We sat for about 13-15 minutes before our server actually greeted the table. This was obviously the first strike. We were seated without a cocktail menu and had so much time in between being sat and being greeted by our server that we actually all knew what we wanted for each course before we could even look at a drink menu. I had to physically get up and walk back up to the hostess stand to ask for a cocktail menu (which they seemed annoyed with having to give me). When I got back to the table, our server Rockne had finally arrived. They were out of two of the things we wanted, which was fine, we understand there are distribution issues. I ordered the lobster which came in at $90 MP, which would have been perfectly fine had it been cooked correctly. It arrived to the table cold, the tail was chewy, and the claw had a chalky/dry texture (which I know sounds crazy but that's really the best way I can describe it). Had our server checked back on us in a timely fashion, they could have maybe rectified the situation, but after having already been sitting for an hour and a half and with the rest of my family basically done with their meal, there was little to be done. Both the server and the manager (a different manager than the one we had been initially greeted with) listened to our complaints about the lobster. The server seemed genuinely sorry, the manager however looked at me as if I had two heads. I had all but the two bites of lobster I actually consumed on my plate still, it wasn't as if I finished my plate and then complained about its preparation after consuming it. Honestly, it was awkward. Having been a Food and Beverage Manager of luxury hotels for 5 years, I was pretty put off by his reaction. We were not rude, we were very happy with every other dish that was brought to us and made that clear. Yet, no recovery was made on managements part, even after spending nearly $400 before tip. And to end our dining experience, our server forgot to run our bill so we sat with our credit card in the presenter for about 15 minutes. My father even tried to wave down our server after waiting patiently for far to long, to no avail. As I was leaving the restaurant, alone pushing my son in his stroller, I could not open the door without assistance, and even though there were literally 5 hosts at the hostess stand, none of them offered to help me. When I asked kindly if one of them could help me with the door, the response was an eyeroll and a disgruntled hostess opened the door for me. When I thanked her she said nothing and just turned her back and walked away. In conclusion, 2 stars is me being generous. If some kind of contact is made on managements part to recover this sub par dining experience, we may give them another chance, until then, we will gladly spend our...

This was my first time going to Ruth Chris. It was a birthday celebration we both ordered cowboy steak ribeye. One had blue cheese crust topping the other was a signature topping they had which was crab cake and asparagus. Sides were lobster mac, their potatoes with cheese, and cream of spinach. We had late reservations, that was all I could find online. I called and spoke with a gentleman by the name of Tyler to see if there were any earlier openings. He put me on a brief hold and said we can get you taken care of no worries. I was able to have my reservation moved up an hour! Very much appreciated. In to the review, the restaurant itself is set up very nicely. Color scheme/ theme fits well and definitely sets a good mood. All staff that day were very helpful and kind. They have a very big bar in front of the waiting area. They have private sections for seating as well. Our waitresses was Tatiana(not sure on the spelling) FOOD: Sides, I'd have to say the sides were good. The cream of spinach was very well done. It has excellent flavor, however the only thing I did not like about it is it the consistency was watery. It could have just been that night or how they make it I'm not sure however it still tasted good. The potatoes au gratin was probably my favorite side. Fresh, cheesy, and piping hot. The lobster mac was decent. The lobster itself was warm too the touch. I moved it to the side to just dig into the mac and that itself was very well done. I enjoyed the type of cheese the used and it had a white sauce or maybe white cheese either way it's a plus in my book! STEAKS: I had my steak done medium rare with blue cheese topping all I can say is GREAT JOB! The steaks came on a plate that temperature wise was 500 degrees. I've never seen that done anywhere else. The color was perfect, the texture was perfect, the blue cheese crust was torched on top too hold it all together and my oh my was it fantastic. My guests steak was done medium rare with the crab and asparagus. We did unfortunately have to send it back as it was more well than medium rare. The manager ended up taking it back no questions asked except what she wanted and how she wanted it cooked. She gave the steak another try took maybe 15 minutes to come out to the table. It came on the hot plate and he stood there to make sure it was done correctly. She cut into it and perfect! He then told us dessert is on him for the inconvenience. Customer service gets an A+ ! She enjoyed the crab cake however she mentioned the asparagus was a bit over done. For dessert we had there crème brûlée. That is one of my favorite desserts anywhere I go and they did not disappoint one bit! They had a decent sized drink menu and taste wise they have a nice selection, can't go too wrong with any of them. Walked out with a check under $300. For the meal I say it's fairly priced. Some of the food could've been a bit better but no real complaints only opportunities to make things better. I'd definitely go back, the experience all around is wonderful! *Pictures of the sides did not come out well enough to post as we were also focused on enjoying the occasion....