Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

Kitty and Ducky

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

1601 Van Ness Ave

San Francisco, CA 94109

(415)673-0557

Ruth's Chris @ Pacific Heights SF

This was our last stop of the year for San Francisco's Dine About Town. Ducky saw the four $ signs on Yelp and wanted to seize the bargain opportunity. Finding parking was difficult since it was nestled in such a busy street area. However we were determined to see what the hoopla was all about with this steakhouse. I opted for the Dine About Town menu while Ducky opted for the restaurant's year round prix fixe meal (which is according to our waiter "The Dine About Town Menu on Steroids").

Dine About Town Prix Fixe: $35

Ruth's Chris Prix Fixe: $40

House Salad

Mixed greens, croutons, and grape tomatoes. They used a vinaigrette dressing which is what I much prefer over cream based dressings. There were no surprising elements here. -Kitty [3/5]

Bean and Chorizo Soup

The bean and chorizo soup was not all that spectacular.  I tried pretty hard to enjoy it, but it just didn't satisfy my expectations.  It just tasted like a simple canned soup with beans and sausage.  Nothing more needs to be said.  -Ducky [2/5]

Petite Filet Mignon

It came out molten hot yet the inside was still soft and juicy. The steak was also lathered in butter, as you can see in the above picture. Excellent crust. Overall it was a good steak but I felt that I would have been just as content with the ones I make at home or had better elsewhere. -Kitty [3.5/5]

Seared Bay Scallops

The scallops were very nicely done.  I think this was our favorite dish out of everything else that was ordered.  However, it was a very small portion.  It was essentially 5 "large" scallops with some vegetables.  Was it worth the extra 5 dollars?  Maybe, but I do not see myself ordering it again any time soon.  -Ducky [3.5/5]

Creamed Spinach

I had no idea what I was thinking when I ordered this side. With one bite though I knew it was not my cup of tea. Butter and cream was all I tasted...and maybe a hint of spinach. Don't get me wrong I am all for butter but this was too much for me. Paula Deen fans would approve. -Kitty [1/5] 

It was more cream and butter than spinach. HAHA -Ducky

Sauteed Green Beans

Buttery sauteed green beans.  It seems to me everything except the lemon at Ruth Chris is lathered with butter.  The green beans were pretty tasty and very buttery.  Butter makes everything taste good? I would have been just as happy if it was just a simple sauteed green bean with salt, pepper, and olive oil.  -Ducky [3/5]

Lemon 

We thought they were quite fancy for wrapping their lemons in this mesh wrapper. That's all. :)

Chocolate cake and Fruits with Sweet Cream Sauce

It was a very rich chocolate cake, so I was glad that it came in such a small size. The sweet cream sauce was nice but did not leave any lasting impression on me. After such a heavy dinner, being greeted with a dessert that was nearly as heavy only turned the experience into a drawn out marathon to finish my food. -Kitty [3/5]

Chocolate Cheesecake

VERY VERY VERY rich chocolate cheesecake. It took a large majority of my will power to just finish this dessert.  I do not really like cheesecake, but I wanted to give this a chance to have something different from Kitty's dessert.  The cheesecake was very rich, sweet, and mushy.  That is just a recipe for disaster for my taste buds, heh.  -Ducky [2/5]


Despite our low ratings, don't think that Ruth's Chris is a terrible restaurant! It is not at all. The atmosphere of the restaurant is very classy and service is wonderful. It's still a good place for steak whether it's for a date, celebration, or to satisfy your carnivore needs. We were just not fans of its heavier cooking style. -Kitty

At one point I felt that this restaurant should be called Ruth Chris's Butterhouse. HAHA.  I did manage to go to a different Ruth Chris, but I ordered a rib-eye steak.  It was actually a very good steak.  I guess the quality could vary depending on the steak/cut you order and maybe Dine About Town or regular dining.  Who knows?  -Ducky

Overall Score: [3.5/5]

Sociale

Kitty and Ducky

Sociale

3665 Sacramento St

San Francisco, CA 94118

(415)921-3200

Sociale @ Laurel Heights - SF

Sociale is an Italian restaurant. Situated between Locust

St and Spruce St, it is actually located after you walk through an alleyway. While driving this restaurant can be easily missed. However once you find said alleyway, at the end you'll be greeted with a quaint and romantic scenery. We came armed with a $50 for 3 Course Dinner for 2.

Fried Olives

[$9]

I like olives and I like deep fried foods therefore this combination caught my attention. But wait, it doesn't stop there, the olives were stuffed with cheese (Fontina to be exact), making it even more excellent. Forewarning though, consume these delicacies in small bites because the olives they used were pickled so it was intensely salty. -Kitty [3.5/5]

Pappardelle With Braised Duck

[$19]

It's like this restaurant is psychic or something. I love duck and I LOVE pappardelle pasta, so no questions asked I chose this. It was served with peas, truffle oil, porcini mushrooms, and parmesan cheese. Hands down a must try dish! The sauce did not overpower the duck but instead complemented it. And speaking of duck, it was very tender, making each bite incredibly satisfying.

-Kitty [5/5]

Persimmon Bread Pudding

[$8]

Even at the very end Sociale impressed me with its selection of desserts. I chose the persimmon bread pudding served with vanilla ice cream. What really appealed to me were two things: 1) the bread pudding was not mushy and 2) how well they brought out the persimmon flavor! I also highly recommend this. It's not too sweet and it's not too heavy. -Kitty [5/5]

Crab Timbale

[$13]

The crab timbale was quite flavorful. They used real crab meat with a bit of sweet sauce that really brought out the sweetness of the crab meat itself. If you don't like cold foods (like Kitty), I would avoid getting this dish. The dish is served cool, which I liked, but Kitty did not so much.

-Ducky [4/5]

Wagyu Bavette

[$32]

I got greedy and tried to maximize my value of the bloomspot coupon. I chose the wagyu steak with fries. Ehh... Not really something I would consider trying again. I don't know if its because I am really picky with my steaks, but I felt the steak was too chewy. I thought it was Wagyu? Isn't Wagyu supposed to be tender? Well, it was a flank cut as well. The fries were just salty garlicky fries, nothing too special, but came with two sauces. One was a sweet sauce and I was not too sure what the other was.

-Ducky [3/5]

Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Meyer Lemon Curd

[$8]

I'm not really a fan of heavy creamy desserts in the first place, so I am a bit bias against the cheesecake. Again, I was trying to maximize value and I have to say that value does not always equal "best deliciousness". Everyone has their own preferences. I just wanted to try this just for the sake of trying it. It was a bit too sweet and rich for my sensitive palette.

-Ducky [2/5]

We enjoyed Sociale very much. Even without a Bloomspot coupon we would come back. The quality and taste of their food justifies their price (which are not unreasonable in the first place).

THE BEST PART of Sociale is the service. We asked the waitress whether the Wagyu was supposed to be so chewy. She offered several times to change our dish for something I liked better. That is a super plus in my book :). I chose not to exchange my dish because I knew they were going to toss it. I am adamant against wasting food even if I don't like it too much.

-DUCKY