Ruth's Chris Steakhouse Is A Cut Above The Rest

Armed with a degree in chemistry and two teenaged children to feed, Ruth Fertel grew Ruth's Chris from a lone storefront on Broad Street in New Orleans to one of the best known fine dining chains in the country. 

Fertel bought the existing Chris Steak House in 1965 and after a fire was forced to relocate and change the restaurant's name.  She simply added her own name and the famous steakhouse was born. 

The Pasadena location is the 93rd restaurant worldwide in the popular chain, and it stays true to Ruth's Chris signature style of offering choice cuts of USDA prime custom-aged beef broiled and bathed in butter in their trademark 1,800-degree oven and served sizzling hot on a 500-degree plate.  The interior of this classic steakhouse is modern and timeless with marble floors, dark woods, white tablecloths and comfortable high booths.  The wine cellar boasts a large and varied selection and an in-house sommelier is on staff to help diners select a glass or bottle.  They also have a broad range of signature cocktails, including their 2012 "Pasadena Cocktail of the Year:" the Broad Street Hurricane.

Specialties to order include the "Oscar Style Steak" (topped with asparagus, crab cakes and béarnaise sauce) in addition to their filets, rib eyes, New York strip, T-bone and porterhouse steaks.  Family style sides include seven different kinds of potatoes, huge onion rings, and creamed spinach.  In addition to the steaks, the big standout is their famous sweet potato casserole.  Topped with a crunchy streusel, this side doubles as a great dessert when topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ruth's Chris is currently offering a five-course hand-crafted cocktail dinner where signature drinks are perfectly paired with five of their finest dishes.  The dinner includes an ahi tuna stack paired with a French Quarter 75, a summer melon salad with a red grapefruit and basil martini, seared scallops Rockefeller with a blackberry sidecar, filet mignon and crab cake with an apricot sour and a coconut-pineapple bread pudding with a cup of Mount Gay Iced Coffee.