Ruth Chris Philadelphia, Steak done right.

I love steak.  Weather it be at a back yard bbq or at a fancy steak house, steak is by far my favorite self contained meal.  What I mean is that usually an 8 ounce fillet could be all you eat and you'd be satisfied, however when paired with the right wine and right appetizer, it can turn a good meal into a phenomenal one.  

Such was the case at Ruth Chris' in center city Philadelphia.  Situated 23 ft away from the Academy of Music (check google maps), the restaurant had a great atmosphere with 2 separate dining areas one which had a large window to the left of the hostess and a more secluded but larger one directly behind the entrance.

For appetizers we had the Crabtini, and Calimari.  The lump crabs in the crabtini were about an inch long and half inch wide.  I don't think I've ever had lump crab me that large.  The vinaigrette was nice and refreshing with a some Dijon mustard and some green and red peppers and some coleslaw.  I found the lemon was not necessary for this dish since the vinaigrette already had some tartness to it, but all in all was the perfect start to my meal.  

When my wife's appetizer came out I was amazed by the portion.  as you can see from the photo there was probably a pound of calamari on that plate.  To me this was too much.  I understand that the price is relatively high but I have to say compared to the crab dish, this dish could have benefited from the philosophy that less is more.  Being a fried dish, it could have used some more fresh elements on the dish to cut the greasiness.  The sweet and sour Thai chili sauce was a little over powering but the dish itself was a little too much.  A good appetizer to share but nothing special.

But enough about the appetizers.  What about the main attraction, what about the steaks!!??  Well in one word my fillet was perfect.  The steaks are served on a sizzling plate that was baked to 500 degrees.  I think the idea is that if you think your steak is not well cooked enough you can basically give it another quick sear on your plate.  Unfortunately the plate doesn't stay hot for that long but I'd say at least for half of my meal.  The taste of the steak was juicy, tender, and with just a little bit of salt and pepper which is all you need for a steak of this caliber.  Even as the plate cooled and the steak cooled, I did not get a sense that I was chewing raw meat which I've had that feeling when I've ordered medium rare at other high end steak houses.  To me my steak was perfect.    

My wife had similar compliments about her NY strip which she also ordered medium rare.  Now being a tougher cut of meat you can taste the difference in texture immediately.  Here again the portion was huge.  about 2x thicker than your typical NY strip you'd buy at the grocery store.  I personally preferred the juiciness and tenderness of the fillet but the strip was also probably the best strip I ever had.  

Now one thing to be mindful when you go to a place like this is that, the a la carte sides are meant to be shared.  Since we had each gotten an appetizer, we only got the sauteed spinach as the side.  The spinach was not too overdone, and most likely it was cooked in steak drippings which made the whole thing as unhealthy as possible.  But who cares it was damned good.  

My wife and I have had "fancy steak" about once a year in the last few years, and of all the ones in Philly, Del Frisco, Smith and Wolensky, Barkley Prime, I have to say this is the best steak I've ever had among all those great restaurants.  I think the only thing the restaurant can improve on would be to resize some of their appetizers so that they are not too over whelming.  The steak must always be the star attraction here.  So based on my experience, I give Ruth Chris' Philadelphia a finger licking 9/10.  If you are looking for a great steak house you haven't been to Ruth Chris' run, don't walk.  You will definitely not regret it.