Valentine Dinner With Ruth's Chris

Actually, my Baby and I had a pre-Valentine's Day dinner last night at Ruth's Chris Steak House on Westshore in Tampa. I discovered, much to my surprise, that reservations not made well in advance would be very difficult to obtain on "the" day, so we celebrated a couple of days early.

This was our first visit to any Ruth's Chris and since we have heard nothing but good things about this steak house we decided that this would be the perfect venue to indulge in good food,  fine wine, and lasting love. So, with fine wine in mind, we began our evening with a luxury ride aboard a Lincoln Town Car from Cab Plus. This upscale taxi service is a bit pricier than the typical area cabs, but it is so worth the expense.

Ruth's Chris has a very rich look and feel with a very warm ambiance. We were greeted by a doorman as we stepped from our coach and promptly seated by one of the charming hostesses. Linda, our very efficient server for the evening, took our beverage order, a couple of glasses of sparkling Domaine Chandon Brut to start and a bottle of Mendocino Fog Cabernet Sauvignon to accompany our entrées.

The Chandon Brut paired well with my appetizer of New Orleans style Barbecued Shrimp with a white wine reduction. We were both extremely pleased and surprised by the Cab. This was a very economically priced wine that was well suited to stand up to both my bride's Petite Filet and my big honkin' bone-in Cowboy Ribeye.

After my appetizer, we were served our requested salads, an Iceberg Wedge for her and the Sliced Tomato and Onion for me. That iceberg wedge looked big enough to sink the Titanic. My beefsteak tomatoes could have used a little more time on the vine to ripen properly. Other than that the salad was rich with vinaigarette and bleu cheese crumbles.

The main event arrived with a warning that the steaks were served on platters heated to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and that we should probably refrain from touching them. I failed to refrain once for a brief instant and to paraphrase the late Ambrose Bierce, "once, was enough." Those plates kept our steaks warm from the first bite to the last. And those steaks - heavenly! They were perfectly seasoned and prepared to order.

Not that we needed it, but my Valentine ordered a Bread Pudding dessert for us to share. It was tasty, but huge, and most of it came home with us in a box.

Our tab for the evening came to $217.75 and we added a 20% gratuity. The money was well spent! The food and wine was superb, and Ruth's Chris doesn't scrimp on portions.

To top off the night, our chariot from Cab Plus was waiting for us at the door.