Beware of "Market Price" - Ruth's Chris - vent

[Mom2R&D]

No kidding! When I treat one of the sisters to McDonalds, I start to panic when they say "super size it"

We ate at Ruth's Chris in Baton Rouge earlier this month and it was fabulous! We've never dined there before and we were definitely impressed. Of course, neither one of us had $93 lobster but we had great food and fantastic service. With enough food to stuff us, drinks and dessert we still managed to escape for under $150. I feel lucky!

 

[agnes!]

OP here .
In defense of our friend who ordered the lobster, yes we *did* say we were treating. My DH & I assumed - and yes, I know what assume makes...an "***" out of "u" & "me" - that "market price" would mean not that much more than the most expensive item delineated on the menu, the $75+ Porterhouse. Our friend does not know how much her entree cost & I am sure that she would be greatly embarassed if she did know - I do not intend to ever tell her. She & her DH have had some bad luck lately & they deserved a treat. I have no regrets about taking them out.
My whole point was to let others know that they should make sure they *ask* when confronted by the words "market price" on a restaurant's menu. Don't assume that the particular menu item in question will be priced somewhere in line along with the prices of the other items.

Plus the entire service rendered was somewhat lacking.

I will make sure in the future if I am ever 'treated' to a dinner out, that I will never order anything that says 'market price'. I wouldn't want my host to have a credit card heart attack . Lesson learned.

agnes!

 

[dumboiu]

OP here .
In defense of our friend who ordered the lobster, yes we *did* say we were treating. My DH & I assumed - and yes, I know what assume makes...an "***" out of "u" & "me" - that "market price" would mean not that much more than the most expensive item delineated on the menu, the $75+ Porterhouse. Our friend does not know how much her entree cost & I am sure that she would be greatly embarassed if she did know - I do not intend to ever tell her. She & her DH have had some bad luck lately & they deserved a treat. I have no regrets about taking them out.
My whole point was to let others know that they should make sure they *ask* when confronted by the words "market price" on a restaurant's menu. Don't assume that the particular menu item in question will be priced somewhere in line along with the prices of the other items.

Plus the entire service rendered was somewhat lacking.

I will make sure in the future if I am ever 'treated' to a dinner out, that I will never order anything that says 'market price'. I wouldn't want my host to have a credit card heart attack . Lesson learned.

agnes!

You sound like a very classy person.........and a very good friend to have. I hope your friend's luck improves over the coming year. I am glad all of you had a wonderful evening together. Sorry about the *surprise* when the bill came.

 

[Beth76]

I'm sure also Agnes's friend didn't realize the lobster would cost $100. I don't ever order lobster, but I would never expect to pay even close to $100. I don't know, maybe it's different on the coast.

 

[Disneyrsh]

The one and only time I ever set foot in Ruth's Chris was when DH took me there for a special date. I was wearing makeup & stylish walking shorts with dressy sandals. The (youngish) host looked me up and down and said there were no tables available, but there was room at the bar. I told her there clearly were tables available, I could see them! She replied,"You can sit at the bar or leave. I'm not seating someone wearing shorts with all the other customers." I do not sit in, on, or near a bar. I took my shorts and we left. I wouldn't return if they gave me a $100 lobster.

For the life of me I can't figure out why people get such a big kick out of fancy schmancy restaurants. What a waste of money! And the whole fake bougeousie attitude of not letting someone in because they had shorts on-puh-leeze, it's ludicrous! Give me a great dive or a mom and pop place any day... And for those of you who are into paying through the nose for food, I highly recommend the book "Kitchen Confidential" by, oh, heck, whatzhisname, Anthony Bourdin, I think. It'll really open your eyes.

One other thing to add, you HAVE to know that ordering lobster (or lobstah, as I grew up saying) is ALWAYS one of the most expensive things on the menu, and I never, ever, order the most expensive thing on the menu when somebody else is paying-I always shoot for middle of the road dishes-does anyone else?

I would be a little peeved if the people I invited out went all 'surf and turf' on me-definitely a sense that I was being taken advantage of...

 

[Mercy]

Wow! DH and I were given a gift card to RC's about a year ago for $100. We enjoyed our meal, shared some of the sides, and I think our bill with tip was about $130, which I'm sure is pretty cheap for an RC bill (and really cheap for us since we only had to shell out $30).

However, I really wasn't that impressed with the meal. It was good, but for us to spend that much on one meal is a lot. When I'm eating my meal, I don't want to have to worry about what I will eat the rest of the week! My DH, on the other hand, really liked it and would go back in a heartbeat. Maybe we'll get another gift card one day!!

 

[Disneyrsh]

The last time I ate there (years ago), there were 8 of us, and (with alcohol), the bill came to over $1800 before tip (and yes, someone ordered the lobster )-- fortunately, it was a business dinner, so we didn't have to pay!

After that, a per person limit was put on business dinners

Holy Flying Frijoles!

 

[damo]

In your defence, you could not have asked what the market price was after your guest ordered. That would simply have been rude. My guess is that since you were treating at Ruth's Chris, you could probably afford whatever the lobster cost but were kind of shell shocked (no pun intended) when the bill came in.

 

[eclectics]

I love our local steakhouse and frequent it as often as we can afford to, but it is nothing close to Ruth's Chris. The NY Strip there is a mere shadow of one I could get at Yachtsmans at Disney and that's nothing like the ones I've enjoyed at RC's. You do get what you pay for and it is much better beef at RC's than at my local steakhouse. Service is better, too (but our local place is usually pretty good).

I don't know, I've had so called "prime beef" and while it was excellent, it wasn't good enough to justify the price jump, imho. I'm very satisfied with a regular steak. I guess I'm just a cheap date!

 

[OceanAnnie]

For the life of me I can't figure out why people get such a big kick out of fancy schmancy restaurants. What a waste of money! And the whole fake bougeousie attitude of not letting someone in because they had shorts on-puh-leeze, it's ludicrous! Give me a great dive or a mom and pop place any day... And for those of you who are into paying through the nose for food, I highly recommend the book "Kitchen Confidential" by, oh, heck, whatzhisname, Anthony Bourdin, I think. It'll really open your eyes.

One other thing to add, you HAVE to know that ordering lobster (or lobstah, as I grew up saying) is ALWAYS one of the most expensive things on the menu, and I never, ever, order the most expensive thing on the menu when somebody else is paying-I always shoot for middle of the road dishes-does anyone else?

I would be a little peeved if the people I invited out went all 'surf and turf' on me-definitely a sense that I was being taken advantage of...

I read, "Kitchen Confidential". It was something! Made me look at eating out in a different light.

My parents really love to eat out. I got them a GC for RC for Christmas. I have always (until this thread) heard good things about them. I hope they enjoy it.

I too would not have ordered the lobster. I would've thought it would be too expensive. It's a steak place! They specialize in steaks! (Maybe that's just me.)

I would've had sticker shock too! I've never heard of a price even close to that for lobster!

 

[Zurealsoon]

The bill came to $450 before tip. That was with no lobster. It was very good though. We are going back again next weekend.

There is no way I can justify spending $100 per person to eat. None.

I also think it very rude for a guest to order the most expensive thing on the menu....3 lbs! That is huge!

 

[skiwee1]

You're paying for the name. Your local mom and pop steakhouse can give you a comparable cut of meat for a fraction of what RC charges. And probably with better service too! And as a guest, my parent instilled instinct is to order the cheapest thing on the menu! While I have gotten over that, I still would never order a "unknown" price entree when someone else is paying. I don't care how good friends we are. It's tacky.

I've never been to any mom and pop steakhouse and even came close to the kind of steak RC serves. They are a cut above the rest!

 

[skiwee1]

There is no way I can justify spending $100 per person to eat. None.

I also think it very rude for a guest to order the most expensive thing on the menu....3 lbs! That is huge!

My guests didn't order the lobster. I also think it's tacky unless you told them they could. We told our guests to order what ever they want. They didn't want the lobster so they didn't get it. We were celebrating a birthday so they were more then welcome to get what they wanted. My son had a 3 lb lobster at a local seafood restaurant last year and we paid $80 for that. And that was at a local watermen type place.

 

[Muffin]

We had dinner tonight at Ruth's Chris. I find that the quality varies greatly from store to store even within the same city. The flagship store in New Orleans is not open yet so we had to go to a location in a nearby suburb.

Ruth Fertel invented a special aging system for the steaks. I think Ruth's Chris is one of the last restaurants around that dry ages their steaks and it makes all the difference in the world.

I remember wondering tonight how much the lobster would cost. I had my heart set on a filet, but I loves me some lobster. I'm glad I didn't order it!

We spent $150 for the 2 of us. The 12 oz. filet was $31.95. The 8 oz. filet was $28.95 (the cheapest steak on the menu). Ruth's Chris' prices are not for the budget concious. But it was absolutely delicious and worth every penny.

And to the poster who was asked to sit in the bar, I saw lots of jeans and polo shirts tonight. It was a little cool here tonight, so no shorts, but it was much more casual than I thought it would be.

 

[disney4us2002]

Never been to a RC but felt the same about overpricing when dh took me to Shula's in DC. It was pretty cool but really sooo not worth the huge pricetag.

To the OP, you truly sound like a good friend and classy to boot. Your friend would probably be mortified if she knew the price. When I saw the Shula's bill all I could think was that was more than I spend in weekly groceries for the five of us.

I'm easy to please. I prefer Outback - a Whollaby darned, a bloomin' onion and the Outback special, lol!!

BTW, every year for Christmas we send a lobstergram to dh's favorite uncle and wife and with soup, 2 2lb lobsters, dessert, and shipping and it's still under $150.

 

[2buzzboys]

I give your DH credit for not making an issue of this and keeping the friendship. Maybe someday they will take you out to dinner and you can return the favor.

 

[AdventurerKat]

I would never order something that was "market price" on someone else's dime. It seems to me most of the times I have taken people out to dinner, they usually ask what I am having and then order something similar in price, although I make a point of telling them to get whatever they want or if I know they like steak I suggest that, or whatever, but no one has ever ordered anything "market price".

I am a cheap date so when people take me out, my orders are usually on the low end of the price spectrum (I don't like steak or seafood). Unless they start serving "market price" fettucine alfredo, it ought to stay that way.

 

[DawnCt1]

I ate there once and wasn't impressed, could've been a bad day. I would like to go back, but I suddenly became allergic to seafood this summer

The attraction at Ruth's Chris is the BEEF. I would definately order steak, not seafood anyway. I have a basic rule; when in a steak house order steak. If you want seafood, go to a restaurant that specializes in seafood.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

There is no way I can justify spending $100 per person to eat. None.

I dunno--Victoria and Albert's is a mighty nice place to eat.

 

[LaLa]

The boss took all of us and our husbands to Ruth's Chris for dinner for our office Christmas get together. I have to say it was pretty good. The ambience was great and the food was really good. But with drinks (some ordered much more than others ), entrees, sides, desserts, the whole shebang, for 14 people, I would have HATED to have paid that bill. I probably would have fell out. And, just so ya know, nobody ordered the lobster. LOL

My friend and her DH went a while back with 2 other couples and their bill was a cool grand. Can you imagine paying a THOUSAND bucks for some dinner? Not I. For that price, it better suck all the fat out of my body and make me 20 pounds lighter.

Seriously, they have to be raking it in hand over fist.