When I saw that Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Newington was participating in Connecticut Restaurant Week and that it was offering a soup or salad, an entrée, a side dish and a dessert, my reaction was—jackpot!
No matter how many elegant and wildly creative meals I experience, I still develop a periodic craving for a serious steak. When I travel for an extended time overseas, that craving soon springs to the forefront. My efforts to find a good steak in my wife’s homeland have been comparable to a New Haven pizza lover’s pursuit of a good, thin-crust, clam pie in Tangiers or Riyadh.
I hadn’t visited this particular Ruth’s Chris since 2007. The entry was so attractive
that I posed my wife for a picture there.
We thought the menu kiosk was a cool idea,
but we puzzled over this structure that we couldn’t recognize. Some kind of antique contraption, we guessed? H.G. Wells’ time machine?
We were enthusiastically greeted at the maître d’ station,
then introduced to the lovely Audrey, who would facilitate my efforts,
even volunteering to take these great kitchen photographs for me.
I especially like that last photo.
Audrey gave us the grand tour of the restaurant, beginning of course with this portrait of the restaurant’s founder, Ruth Fertel.
At this early hour, no one was sitting at the bar,
but some were dining at tables in the bar area.
As I was shown the main dining areas, it immediately became obvious that the dining room had been completely remodeled since my last visit, the formerly drab décor now looking extremely appealing.
Julian, a manager at Ruth’s Chris, took over after our tour, seeing to it that we had everything we needed,
including this bottle of 2008 Red Diamond Merlot from Washington state
selected from the extensive, leather-bound wine list
and poured into high-quality goblets.
A warm loaf of bread
came with nice whipped butter.
Even our glasses of water were nicely presented.
We ordered everything on the Connecticut Restaurant Week menu,
beginning with a choice of soup or salad. And so we tried a steaming hot bowl of white bean and chorizo soup,
a crisp Caesar salad,
and a steak house salad
with some freshly ground pepper
and every one of Ruth’s Chris’ eight tasty housemade dressings.
Our entrées included perfectly cooked fresh salmon,
a delicious stuffed chicken breast,
a hearty bone-in pork chop with a fresh blackberry sauce,
and a terrific eight-ounce flat iron steak with a blue cheese crust.
Our sides included garlic mashed potatoes,
steamed broccoli,
sautéed mushrooms
and corn pudding.
And our desserts? We made short work of scrumptious housemade bread pudding
and carrot cake,
while sipping espresso,
cappuccino,
and tea.
Complimentary Cajun rattlesnakes (Kahlúa, white crème de menthe and Bailey’s Irish Cream) concluded an unforgettable meal.
You can see our enjoyment of our dining experience (and each other) writ large upon our faces.
What a great place to celebrate an anniversary, like this couple,
a birthday, a promotion, the closing of a deal, or just—life! That empty table could be yours!
Ruth’s Chris Steak House, 2513 Berlin Turnpike, Newington, 860-666-2202
www.ruthschris.com