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We had a great DineLA Diner at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in Beverly Hills. The experience was what I had hoped DineLA would be - good value, excellent food, served without pretense at a restaurant where I probably wouldn’t go normally.

There are a few reasons that I haven’t been to Ruth’s Chris before.

1. It’s a chain and, according to every in-flight magazine I have read, I can eat there in any major (or not so major) city.
2. It’s a traditional steakhouse and generally I don’t eat at steakhouses, they are just not something I am drawn to
3. It’s expensive. Steaks, sides, extras… all charged a la carte and none of them are low priced.

For the same reasons I have shunned Ruth’s Chris made this a prime choice for DineLA restaurant week.

We didn’t have too much trouble getting a reservation for last Friday night, although when we arrive, the restaurant is full. The hostess greets us warmly and walks us to our table… which happens to be in the darkest corridor, seemingly pushed against the wall at the last minute, with one chair hanging out into a walkway where the wait staff is coming out of the kitchen. My wife and I look at each other, we don’t want to pains in the ass, but I ask “Is there another table available?” The hostess says that she will check and we go back to the waiting area.

A few minutes later, she comes back with a smile and offers us a nice, well lit booth. She is very nice about it and we are grateful. I guess someone will sit in that other cramped table, but I’m glad that it’s not us.

As she puts down the menus, the hostess is very clear about the DineLA menu, handing us a printed copy and explaining the price details. Our waitress follows up soon after we sit and she too tells us about the DineLA menu, as well as some information about the regular menu. On a night like this, I feel reassured that I wont feel like riffraff ordering off the reduced price menu. Looking around the room, it looks like many tables are ordering the three course meal.

We do order drinks, a sparkling water ($7.95) for my baby-momma and a glass of Mark West Pinot Noir ($12) for me. The wine comes in a large glass and is a generous pour, which it should be for $12, since Mark West touts itself as “Pinot for the People” and is normally under $30/bottle. Price aside, it really is a beautiful wine.

The warm sourdough bread is delivered and we order our meals. For a price comparison, here is what I had, along with the normal menu prices:

• Ahi Tuna Appetizer ($12.50)
• Petite Filet Mignon ($32.95) with a side of Mashed Potatoes ($7.50 ?)
• Raspberry Sorbet (~$10)

Approximate Normal Price: $63
DineLA Restaurant Week Price: $34
Approximate Discount: $29 (46%)!

Now, with reduced prices will we get reduced portions? The answer is no.

My Ahi Appetizer is full size, as well as my wife’s salad. The ahi is pretty good, however the cajun spices that the fish is coated with are a bit overpowering. My other small critique is that the slices could have been a bit thicker, the portion was fine, but I would have liked less slices of that same overall amount. But hey, you don’t go to a steakhouse for raw fish.

After we polish off our appetizers (as in, polish our plates clean), we have a little more bread during our very short wait for our steaks.

The steaks arrive, the friendly expediter explaining that the plates are hot, as in 500 degrees hot. The steaks are sizzling, the butter bubbling. And I do mean bubbling, because there is butter everywhere. On top of the filets, on the plates, pooling on the mashed potatoes, maybe even on top of the creamed spinach. It all smells of decadence.

Does it taste of decadence? Yes. The meat has a wonderful flavor and texture, it’s cooked perfectly — hot, pink and juicy. Although listed as a petite filet, this is the size of most regular filet orders I have had, maybe larger. In fact, neither one of us finish all of our steak and have a little to take home for tomorrow’s lunch.

Both side dishes are also a treat. Certainly calorie crammed and not listed on any trendy diet, but not overly heavy and thankfully not salty (which I hate in potatoes and creamed spinach). We can’t finish all of these either.

After we surrender to our meat and “vegetables”, our desserts soon follow. My wife’s bread pudding is an enormous plate of cinnamon baked nuggets bonded together with some sugar and sweet sauce. I am an inadequate judge of bread puddings, they are not high on my list of preferred desserts. The bread pudding is good, but not a huge stand out.

My sorbet is a good topper to a heavy meal. It’s a large wine glass with three or four scoops, more than enough for me.

With a glass of wine, Pelligrino and a cup of coffee, our bill comes to just under $100 before tip. We both agree that this is a great deal. I’m glad that we were able to try Ruth’s Chris at a discount.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House
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By Jonah (see more of his posts). Jonah is the founder of la.foodblogging and also created Digesty, a food blog aggregator and Cheww.com, a spam free foodblog search engine.