What You Should Absolutely Never Order From Ruth's Chris Steak House

We'll start with the obvious here — eating seafood from a chain restaurant is never a great idea, especially from one that specializes in land-bound eats. The Ruth's Chris calamari is no exception.

The official menu describes this item as "lightly fried, with sweet & spicy chili sauce," which brings us to our second red flag. This all-American chain doesn't necessarily scream "fusion food," so their choice of chili sauce is an odd one. Not only will it pair strangely with your meal, but it will almost certainly leave something to be desired. Plenty of better sweet and spicy sauces can be found at actual Asian restaurants, and probably better-cooked calamari to boot.

The reviews on this dish are all over the place. One Yelper described their calamari as "way overcooked" and "so hard," while others said it was "soggy." A third reviewer blamed its sogginess on the dreaded chili sauce, saying that the choice of topping "effectively ruins the texture." How appetizing ...

Rule number one of going to a steakhouse: don't order chicken! First off, steakhouses are named as such for a reason. Steak is their specialty — it's what they focus their attention on, what they cook best, and what the rest of the experience centers around. The sides and sauces that a steakhouse provides are probably better suited to beef, plus the cooks won't be as specialized at cooking poultry, which can be hard to do well. Additionally, since Ruth's Chris chooses to serve the breast, you are getting the least flavorful, driest piece of the bird. They're practically setting you up for failure.

Second off, you're paying inflated prices to sit down and eat a good steak, so why pay the big bucks just for an average-to-mediocre piece of chicken. Yelp user Charles C. explained how they paid "$35 for a chicken breast," which is nothing to sneeze at, especially since "the entree didn't come with any sides." For that price, you might as well go to a different fine dining restaurant where the chicken will actually be good.

While the sides may have been missing, the dish is loaded with cheese. This may sound like a good thing, but for one diner, it was simply too much. "Stuffed chicken had 4 kinds of cheese mixed together and that combination made me nauseous," reported J W after their trip to the restaurant.

Brussels sprouts are kind of like the chicken of the vegetable world — they're great when done well, but the texture is easy to mess up. The perfect, crispy, roasted or fried Brussels sprout is truly something to behold, especially when paired with a tangy or sweet sauce. However, Brussels sprouts are too often undercooked and poorly trimmed, leaving diners with a crunchy and bitter dish that borders on inedible. Brussels also get a bad rap for their chewiness, which can be easily imparted through poorly suited cooking methods like steaming or boiling.

Unfortunately, the Ruth's Chris Brussels sprouts face a variety of textural allegations. One reviewer noted the Brussels at a Los Angeles location were "tough and not seasoned well." On the opposite side of the spectrum, they have also been described as "too greasy and very chewy." A final customer doesn't specify why exactly they were bad, but does rate them "a solid C." Despite their inconsistencies, reviewers can agree on one thing: not to order them.

For another disappointing side, look no further than the potatoes au gratin. This dish is essentially boiled potatoes with cheese on top masquerading behind a fancy name. Ruth's Chris potatoes are so textureless you can bite right through them, and not in a good way. They also seem to have forgotten the seasoning again, relying on their three cheese sauce to convey all the flavor. To make matters worse, they aren't really even potatoes au gratin, which are supposed to be thinly sliced and broiled with cheese (a method that would've provided better textural experience).

The reviews for this item cite textural as well as flavor issues. For starters, one customer reported the potatoes were "watery and also plain," which is never what you want. Another described their au gratin as, "Very bland, no texture. It tasted like someone had microwaved shredded cheddar and cream on top of cooked potato cubes." While this dish may be fine as a prepackaged microwave side, there is no use paying over $10 for soft potatoes and runny cheese sauce.

At the end of the day, steak houses exist for one main reason: to serve steaks! Because of this, one would expect that the steaks come out perfectly cooked every time (at least, they better be for how much we pay for them!). Unfortunately, in the case of Ruth's Chris, one would be wrong.

While many customers report positive experiences with their steaks, the preparation quality at this chain seems very inconsistent. For starters, they have been known to overdo their steaks, with one customer reporting, "they were all over-cooked at medium instead of medium-rare." And they don't stop at slightly overdone. Another reviewer described a steak that was "super dry and burnt!" saying their "​teeth started to hurt [and] couldn't even eat it." The attached picture shows a clear char on the meat, with pieces that look tough and even crunchy. Even those who had a fine experience have taken issue with the texture of the meat, saying it was, "not as tender as I expected" and "not the best." Unfortunately, if you're looking for a top-of-the-line steakhouse, Ruth's Chris probably is not your best bet.