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Ruth's Chris Steak House
3815 State St, Santa Barbara
Phone: (805) 563-5674
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Reviews by the General Public
True Steakhouse, 2/7/2010
Reviewer: Susan Ledig
from Santa Barbara, CA
My husband and I decided at the last minute to go here for dinner, having heard about it for years.
I am personal chef who is super picky when it comes to food, let alone good service. We were greeted by a bevy of lovely young ladies, whom, even without a "reservation" quickly escorted us to a nice booth. Hubby ordered a MaiTai and I there version of a margarita and I have to say they were both really delicious and large, one of the best margaritas I have ever had! We started with fried calamari and BBQ shrimp. Shrimp was ok but the fried calamari was different( in a good way) loved the batter, sauce and calamari tasted fresh. I had Caribbean lobster tail and filet. Both were done perfectly. Hubby had the huge crab cakes with lots of crab! He did however miss some kind of sauce for the crab cakes. The service was what a fine steak house should be, very attentive and formal, our waiter Justin was always there when we needed him. Oh and the Caesar salad was delicious as well. So my husband and I had a great experience at Ruth's Chris, not sure why it's named such a tongue twister, but I wish it well.
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A 1st year Anniversary Dinner, 1/5/2010
Reviewer: Mitchell Edwards
from Los Angeles, Ca
Ruth Chris in Santa Barbara was not my first choice for dining. I was looking for a small restaurant that was out of the way and romantic. After reviewing, some of the restaurants on-line I decided to choose Ruth Chris, because I knew the reputation and quality that the company has( I have previously dined at the puerto rico establishment). The dinner was outstanding, and the service was excellent! Our waiter Robert was kind, friendly, and very professional( request his service any time). The food was excellent, the steaks perfect and the Creme Brulee superb.
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Simply The Best, 11/28/2009
Reviewer: Nik
from Santa Barbara, CA
The steak was Amazing!!! Sooo tendder that it melted in my mouth. The Mashed Potato was excellent. I think they used Truffle Oil. The Ceaser Salad was also one of the best Ive had. And the wine was a good selection too.
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I am so glad you are here to stay..., 8/21/2009
Reviewer: Ed
from Santa Barbara, CA
I had heard you were leaving Santa Barbara so I had to come in and see what all the hype was about. The restaurant is beautiful, especially the private "wine room" we were given for my son's birthday party. The hot plates and sizzling butter are the only way I will ever want a steak again (cooked a perfect medium-rare, as it happens). I had expected an uptight atmosphere, but instead my servers Nicole and Max were friendly and professional. I was most impressed with your wine list; I had expected high prices and big Napa names but was very comfortable with your local, affordable options. To top it off, I was assured you are staying - Thank God!
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I don't really understand the hype...., 8/16/2009
Reviewer: Minnie
from Santa Barbara, CA
I must really be missing something because I've given this place two tries and I've left each time scratching my head as to why it's supposedly so great. Food was okay, nothing really fabulous that couldn't be had at Luckys in Montecito, for example. The service was definitely friendly but they have young and inexperienced wait staff from local colleges, not exactly the top notch service some reviews give them points for. I think if I'd never been outside of SB and ate here, perhaps I'd think it was a five star place, but honestly, there are so many other better places to spend $3-500 for dinner.
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Great food matched with great service, 8/14/2009
Reviewer: Sandra Thompson
from Santa Barbara, CA
A good friend of mine took me here for dinner for the first time about a couple of weeks ago or so, service was top-notch and outstanding (we had Ike and his assistant Brittney), food was incredibly tasty. It was cooked very nicely and came out in a timely manner. I will be recommending this restaurant to all of my friends and family.
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We're so lucky to have this great restaurant!
Reviewer: Ashley
from Santa Barbara, CA
First, I should note that I don't eat red meat, so why would I go to a fairly expensive steakhouse once a week? Because the food, drinks & service are consistently fantastic. My friends & I meet here for drinks & appetizers. Isaac & Josh do a fabulous job. The stuffed mushrooms & BBQ Shrimp are my favorites, and they make a superb Black Cherry Martini. This is where I take all my out-of-town guests, and I have had many business meetings here. And I love that I don't have to go downtown...La Cumbre parking, no problem. Thank you, Ruth's Chris!
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Not Experienced Better Steak Elsewhere.
Reviewer: David Wright
from London uk
We tried Ruth's Chris despite some negative comments on here. Service was fantastic throughout. The food - delicious. Some of the best steaks we've had. Cannot wait to return on our next trip. Good for a special night out too - and when it comes to quality, well you get what you pay for! Compared to the restaurant at the Biltmore, Ruth's Chris wins hands down. Better service, MUCH better food, lower prices!
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Wonderful time
Reviewer: Kris
from Santa Barbara, CA
My wife and I haven't been here for a while, but have always been impressed by the place. Came here for dinner, with reservation, seated on time (to the minute) and had great service from beginning to end. Food was fine, wait staff was attentive and professional.
Had an after dinner drink with Chris at the bar, just fine. Spend some cash, have some fun!
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Ruth Chris Dining
Reviewer: michael thorne
from Santa Barbara, CA
The food was absolutely excellent. The service was great and the easy listening tunes just fit the atmosphere. Although my date and I found it to be on the expensive side I will be back in for two reasons the delicious food and the breath taking beautiful waitresses. Particularly Jada- unbelievably beautiful.
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Ribeye. Lobster. Filet. 3 Amigos.
Reviewer: PJC
from Santa Barbara, CA
first time dining here. no reservations (recommended though), but 2 of us were seated once we arrived. restaurant was half full and service was A+. we ordered calamari for appetizer- tasted like a sweet n sour or pugent shrimp type sauce very good (i recommend it put on the side for dipping to keep calamari crispy). two entrees: 1)ribeye (medium) and 2)filet (med well) with garlic stuffed lobster tail. the ribeye was unbelievable. do not order anything past medium it will definately become dried out due to the hot plates they serve them on. I usually measure up steaks to my own creation and this one is very good. the ribeye definately melts in your mouth and is worth it. maybe if the steak was only $20 it would be a better deal. I get my own steaks nice and thick and same size for $10 and use the same seasonings they do. the second entree was half good and half bad. the lobster was very tasty and we both wished we ordered more lobster rather than the filet that came with it. the filet (med well) was rather tough when it came out, unfortunately. lobster didn't have a butter to dip nor did the filet come drizzled in butter (supposedly the signature of their sizzling plates).
service was above par. but sometimes it felt like they were overstaying their welcome, but i'm glad to know that the servers are consciencious about the patrons needs and that most dinner necessities and expectations (water filling, 'dinner checkup', further orders, desserts, etc.) were met without even asking.
beautiful decor and ambience. personally i'd like to have a bit more light to see what i'm eating, but it was a romantic and classy scene so it was understandable.
prices? calamari 14. ribeye 39. filet mignon and lobster 39. total bill 100.
personal review- you are definitely paying to have great food, service, and ambience for a meal that could be worth much less. I may return once i get my tax return :-) or until someone else wants to carry the debt of the bill. :-P
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Far too expensive
Reviewer: Arthur merovick
from Santa Barbara, CA
Although the food was certainly good, and the service, polite to overbearing, the price is just outrageous. It is more expensive than Lucky's, which people avoid because of the tab. My wife had two apetizers, a cocktail and coffee. I had no first course, an apetizer for my main course and a side order of vegetable, a cocktail and coffee - $125.00 (with tip)
I will not go there again.
Waiters should not use the "it's nice to see familiar faces back again" line unless it is true - it wasn't in this case and it put us off.
I will not go there again
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Superb!
Reviewer: Nile & Leigh
from Carlsbad, CA
Celebrated our 24th aniversary last night. We made the right choice, it was excellent. We had the bone in Rib Eye, BBQ shrimp appetizer, baked potato and chopped salad. The steak was served sizzling hot, the potato was baked perfectly, the shrimp was excellent, they couldn't have done better. The service was excellent, water refilled, wine poured when needed. The atmosphere was nice, quiet, perfect lighting. We cannot say anything derogatory about our experience. Karyn was our concerned waitress....she was a delight.
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Good food, great service. Worth the price? You decide.
Reviewer: Karen
from Santa Barbara, CA
Husband had a craving for a steak and had heard good things about Ruth's Chris, so we dined there last night.
The food was pretty good! I had the Ahi Stack, which was outstanding. A generous portion of ahi, perfectly seared, with a nice sauce. It was high-quality fish, smooth as butter. Husband had the petite filet mignon with a stuffed lobster tail. The lobster was overdone. In fact, the waiter offered to remove the tail from the shell at tableside. He worked it for a while but then couldn't do it, so he gave it to Husband to do. We are not complainers at restaurants, so Husband took it graciously. It would've been better for the waiter to return to the kitchen for a properly prepared tail. Husband reports the steak was very good.
We ordered two side dishes to share. They are generous portions served "family style," and there were leftovers. We had mashed potatoes and a dish of sauteed spinach. Both items were heavy on the butter/oil.
Since everything is a la carte, the final tab was quite a lot. The entrees were ~$30-$35 each, and each side was $7. We had a bottle of wine (Blackstone Merlot). The wine was $42, retailing at about $10 at grocery stores, so you may get a sense of their wine pricing. They had an extensive wine list. We're not wine affectionados, so can't give you much more info than that.
The service was very good. We did pour our own wine after the initial pouring, but the waitstaff was attentive and we didn't want for anything.
The final tab before tip came to $140. That was without salad/appetizers, dessert or after-dinner coffee/tea. For a community that has so many wonderful dining opportunities, going to the mall for a super-high-premium priced dinner is not something we'll probably repeat.
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Grandsons loved it
Reviewer: Grampa
from Santa Barbara, CA
Took my grandsons fishing and as a treat they picked Ruth Chris for dinner. We all had the Rib Eyes which were superb, the Mashed potatoes and Onion rings were outstanding, but the Mac and cheese to say the least was horrid. We did have a great time and the 5 boys look forward to coming back for dinner. The boys range from 6 to 13.
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good not the best
Reviewer: Rizzle
from Santa Barbara, CA
I stopped by after a work meeting and sat at the bar for dinner. The service was very very good. The food was so so. My first time here I was hoping to see that sizzling steak thing they tout. Mine was a ny steak med rare and it came out covered in melted butter and I'm like dude where's the sizzle. I said that to myself not out loud, lol. I heard some steaks come out sizzling though so that was pretty cool. They need to work on the consistency with the sizzle factor they claim. Hey Ruth, where's the sizzle madam? I was denied my sizzle! :( It's a gimmick of sorts so I didn't judge them based on that. The steak was pretty good. The stick of melted butter on top of it and swimming around it obviously made it taste better, next time I'll get one without butter. It was cooked med rare as I ordered. The roasted tomato side dish though, was grim as can be. It was totally no high quality tomatoes and I took one bite and left those things the heck alone. I am afraid of that dish now and I love tomatoes. Next time I'll get the mash potatoes or something, maybe a side salad. With all the high accolades this chain restaurant gets, I wasn't impressed on the first go round. I will go back for sure for a second shot but when that happens if they don't get my sizzle on I'm going to walk out of the hizzle and write a negatizzle review on the restaurant message board. w00t!
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A bit disappointed!
Reviewer: Nick
from Santa Barbara, CA
Nice decor and nice atmosphere.
Great salad.
We had 4 filets and 4 sides. My steak was a little overdone for Medium rare. I was having trouble cutting through it until I realised it had a thick wood skewer in it! not sure why. Waiter half apologised but could not explain why it was there.
Potato au gratin was a bit undercooked (raw). Small wine servings (by the glass).
The Bread Pudding desert was very good, although we had to wait along time before our desert order was taken.
A bit disappointed - probably will not be back - S.B. has plenty of better and cheaper places to go.
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service was right on..
Reviewer: Samuel Lloyd
from Santa Barbara, CA
Went in for dinner last friday night with my wife for a steak. We've heard great reviews of the food , but iffy on the service. Well I gotta say the service was spectacular. Our waiter Justin got to us right away and was very informative. We didn't have to wait for anything really.Bread and water got to us right away. He anticipated everything we needed and the rib-eye he suggested was nothing short of amazing. We will be back to Ruth's again very soon.
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