Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.
Is it Ruth’s Chris Restaurant or Chris’s Ruth Restaurant? Believe it or not, Nancy always seems to get tongue tied when she tries to say it. But, both of those restaurants are out of our price range. As the saying goes, “If you have to ask how much it is, you can’t afford it.”
Ruth’s Chris Steak House
100 W. Higgins Road – Suite U-1
South Barrington 60010
(847) 551-3730
www.ruthschris.com
Directions: Take Rte. 47 South to I-90 East to Rte. 59 Exit North to Higgins Road East to restaurant.
Estimated Travel Time: 21 minutes
We were bummed when our best friends for over 30 years were moving from Del Webb to Simi Valley, California, the land of fruits and nuts. It was unfortunate for us that they are moving so far away, but congratulations to them for fulfilling their lifelong dream. After hearing us shamelessly whining about not being able to afford Ruth’s Chris Steak House for our 100th restaurant review, they asked us to be their guests for the celebratory farewell dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in South Barrington.
This restaurant is hoity toity personified. Its elegant features include wood trimmed alcove style booths and beautiful ceiling light fixtures in the dining room. They also have a fancy schmancy bar where we met our friends Steve & Deb.
We were escorted to our table and introduced to Brian, who will be our waiter for the evening. We received a basket of bread from David, who will be our bread and water dude. Do you see a pattern emerging?
For an appetizer we shared the Calamari ($10) which was lightly fried and tossed with a sweet and spicy Asian chili sauce and delivered by a guy we think was named Tom, our appetizer associate. We unanimously agreed this was the best calamari we have ever had. This was a deal for the money since there was enough for the four of us to share.
Jim and I each ordered a Caesar Salad ($10.50) which was good, but we have to admit, just average. This was delivered by Luke, our salad boy.
Everything on the menu is “ala carte,” so we ordered Au Gratin Potatoes ($11) to go with our entrees and there was enough to share. These were Idaho potatoes sliced and topped with a three-cheese sauce. To our disappointment, this was nothing to write home about. Jim wanted the Cremini Mushrooms ($11.50) and they were roasted and seasoned with fresh thyme and garlic. No fungi for me, but Jim fell in love with them.
Nancy saw the Sizzling Blue Crab Cakes ($32) on the menu and decided that was what she wanted. These were three jumbo lump crab cakes served with sizzling lemon butter. They were absolutely delicious, even though Nancy was one of the few people in Ruth’s Chris history to order crab cakes at such an iconic steak house.
Everyone else at the table ordered the Bone-In Filet ($63). This was a 16-ounce bone-in filet which is normally served medium rare, but Jim wanted his medium.
Before the steaks arrived, an unnamed “knife handler” appeared and presented to the people who ordered steak a wooden box containing steak knives. They had their choice of the white pearl handled Swiss steak knife or the German wooden handled serrated knife. =Since they did not have a plastic handled Japanese Ginsu knife, Jim then chose the German knife as his weapon of choice.
Jim’s steak was a three-inch thick monster that absolutely melted in his mouth. It was seared on the outside and tender on the inside. I even tasted it, and it was awesome.
Dining Duo Bit of Useless Information: Brian informed us that they sear the steaks in an 1800-degree oven. They serve all the hot entrees on a 500-degree plate to keep the entree’s warm throughout the meal. And it did keep all of our meals warm until the last bite. Caution when licking the plate clean!!!
The girls didn’t want dessert, but the guys did, so they shared the Chocolate Duo ($10). This was chocolate cake, coupled with chocolate mousse, splashed with a little sweet cream, and topped with fresh berries. They ate the whole thing and looked adorable sharing it.
For a really special occasion, this is an unbelievable experience. Like the saying goes, “you get what you pay for,” including all the unnamed servers who brought us our drinks, entrees, side dish, and dessert. We apologize that we didn’t get all their names; there just were too many for Nancy to keep track of.
FYI: This restaurant is handicap accessible.
The cost for our friend’s celebratory dinner is unknown. As they say, “what you don’t know, won’t hurt you.”
Jim’s take: This was an incredible experience that I’ll never forget. The food and service was amazing.
Nancy’s take: This is a sophisticated elegant restaurant. However, when the Dining Duo arrived, it was anything but. Class shows…
Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com.
1 Comment
Nice article–fun when you can make light of your self.