Ruth's Chris steak house opens in Manila
I never understood the name Ruth’s Chris until now. I’ve seen it in several major cities all over the Americas and Asia, and this New Orleans institution is finally in Manila!
Ruth Ann Udstad Fertel was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and graduated at Louisiana State University with honors in chemistry and physics at the age of 19.
In 1965, the 38-year old divorced Ruth mortgaged her home and took a gamble to buy the 60-seat Chris Steak House. Ruth discovered in 1967 that putting a steak on a 500°F plate with a pat of butter gave a satisfying sizzling sound and kept steak hot to the last bite. According to Wikipedia, she sold 35 steaks at $5 each on her first day (May 24, 1965) and within six months she had made over double her annual salary from her previous job.
To replicate that sizzle worldwide, she put her chemistry background to work designing a proprietary 1800°F broiler.
Chris Steak House was destroyed by a fire in 1976 and Ruth’s contract didn’t allow her to move the name of the steakhouse. To be able to relocate, she added her name on the sign and in 1977, the name of her restaurant became Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. Ruth later on admitted (to Fortune magazine) that she didn’t really like the name Ruth’s Chris and just had to live with it though that name later on became synonymous for excellent sizzling steaks!
Today, there are over 150 Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses in 21 countries. They only use custom-aged USDA Prime beef for their perfectly broiled and seasoned (simply with salt and pepper) steaks. Steak cuts include a Fillet (which comes in a petite size), the Ribeye (I had a perfect one), New York Strip, Cowboy Ribeye (with bone), Porterhouse (for two), and Tomahawk.
You can’t go wrong with whatever cut of beef you order, as their beef is of top quality. And order the fantastic sides as well, especially the wonderfully crisp and flavorful French Fried Onion Rings, silky Mashed Potatoes, and Macaroni and Cheese.
Don’t forget to order your steaks a notch lower than how you like it, as the meat does get a bit cooked on the hot plate. I ordered an excellent steak cooked rare for that perfect, medium-rare finish on the hot plate.
I’m not into vegetables, but Ruth’s Chop Salad is something I would order again and not share! It’s a perfect balance of chopped lettuce, baby spinach, and radicchio served with red onions, olives, bacon, eggs, croutons, and blue cheese with a lemon basil dressing and topped with fried onions. It was deliciously light.
Another must is their Sizzlin’ Blue Crab Cake: two lump crab cakes baked with lemon-butter sauce.
I loved their version of the classic Oysters Rockefeller — perfectly baked, plump oysters topped with spinach, caramelized onions, and Hollandaise sauce.
I will try the rest of what they offer on the menu when I go back to that place, as Ruth’s Chris Steak House will definitely be a place I will be eating at quite often.
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Ruth’s Chris Steak House is located on the second floor of ORE Central, 31st Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. Email [email protected] or call 7943-1939 for reservations. Follow @ruthschrisph on Instagram and Facebook.
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