God bless free-market competition—that is my gut response to the new RBar menu at Ruth’s Chris. During happy hour, 4 to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays (including Friday), you can order some of this town’s finest food for $8 a dish, and many of the dishes are full-out entrees. Of course, you’re likely to be side-swiped by a pomegranate martini or two (also specially priced at $8) while you’re at it, but that doesn’t change the fact that this newly launched Sizzle, Swizzle & Swirl Happy Hour menu is a sweet deal.
Started in May, the eight offerings are split evenly between meat and seafood, all $8 a plate except Filet Oscar, which at $16 is still a steal (after 6:30, the RBar menu items jump to $11 to $21). I assume this attractive marketing move is a preemptive attempt to upstage other nearby steakhouses (the new 801 Chophouse recently planted itself in Clayton, and Morton’s, on Bonhomme Avenue, has long been a competitor). If they’re trying to bring people in the door and build customer loyalty, I think they’re on to something. Seared Ahi Tuna was a delicious display of premium fish, a light sear around the edges, with salt, pepper and a little Cajun seasoning. It came with spicy pickled ginger and a little mass of pickled cukes and red peppers—an excellent dish and almost enough for a light meal. Actually, when you consider the warm bread loaf they bring to the table, it is enough.
Smoked Salmon Chips is a plate of large, thick-cut potato chips turned bright orange from a coating of Cajun salt and piled high with capers, diced red onion, creme fraiche and the best smoked salmon I’ve had outside of Canada. The flaked fish was moist, with a wonderfully delicate smokiness—subtle and sweet. Here again, you could make a light meal out of this, as there are four massive chips with plenty of topping on each.
Love lobster? There’s the Spicy Lobster platter, a pile of fried lobster chunks glazed with that tasty Thai chili sauce everyone loves; it’s sweet and spicy at the same time, with visible red pepper flakes. I’ve saved the best for last, Filet Oscar, which is a serious-sized portion of 4-ounce filet piled with lump crabmeat, asparagus spears and bearnaise sauce. And the dish comes on a sizzling hot plate, just like Ruth’s Chris dining room steaks, and doused with hot butter.
So to recap: your choice of eight entrees, seven of them for $8 each. And lest you’re worried about getting your greens, many dishes include some kind of salad fixin’s (Tenderloin Skewer Salad, Crab BLT with Zucchini Fries). If there’s a downside to this, it completely eludes me.
[amuse bouche]
THE SCENE | Ruth’s Chris’ bustling bar area, with windows, a large circular bar, booths and a patio to the outdoors
THE CHEF | Executive chef Brent Morrison
THE PRICES | Happy hour menu with $8 entrees and boutique cocktails, $3 beers
THE FAVORITES |Seared Ahi Tuna, Smoked Salmon Chips, Filet Oscar, Crab BLTs with Zucchini Fries, Spicy Lobster
[chef chat] >>brent morrison
PEDIGREE | L’Ecole Culinaire
FAVORITE INGREDIENT | Sea salt; I use it in all my proteins and vegetables.
FAVORITE RESTAURANT | Kabuki in Ballwin, a Japanese sushi restaurant
FAVORITE COOKBOOK | Under Pressure: Cooking Sous Vide by Thomas Keller
MOST MEMORABLE DINING EXPERIENCE | When I was in training for this position in Indianapolis, there was a restaurant called Oceanaire that had dollar oysters on Sundays, 12 to 14 different species.
1 n. brentwood blvd. | 314.783.9900
By Jonathan Carli
Photos by Bill Barrett