October, 2005

Rating :8 out of 10

The Tariff : Dinner for 1

• Ribeye with side order of mushrooms
• 2 glasses of wine
• cheesecake
• $88 (including tip)

Wealthy capitalists of Cincinnati seemed to have found a home at Jeff Ruby’s, a downtown Cincinnati restaurant that specializes in beef. Not the beef an ordinary pudknocker may find at their supermarket, but a rarefied order of meat that will set you apart from the ordinary backyard chef. Even if you were to chance upon prime beef—good luck, supermarkets usually only carry USDA choice grade at best, not prime (prime is typically snapped up by restaurants), you still couldn’t dry age it for 21 to 28 days, as does Jeff Ruby. And you wouldn’t cook it the same either.

The Food

You are at top of the food chain when you arrive at Jeff Ruby’s. You wouldn’t even be there if you weren’t a true carnivore after the best, most succulent, thick steaks. Okay, you may have dragged along a date, a wife, or even your company whose tastes may differ (this is why steakhouses always have seafood such as lobster, crabs, and fish), but make no mistake, this place is all about the beef.

The rib eye ($35.50) is a house special. The 22 ounce cut includes the bone (for better flavor). Ordered “medium,” it will arrive a little red near the bone while the outside is seared to seal in the juices. It will look burnt – mine did. However, the flavor and texture of the meat is among the best, an excellent reminder of why we maintain a carnivorous diet. The restaurant does use “seasonings” on the outside (mostly salt) but it only serves to bring out the flavor in the meat—which is superb.

As at most top steakhouses, the menu is a la carte. You can get all sorts of potatoes (mashed, French fries, a house version which sounded a little like scalloped). I went for the mushrooms, but they turned out to be ordinary button mushrooms. Portabellas would have been a nice touch.

A bowl of bread is quite good. Unlike many Midwestern restaurants that are content to serve mediocre rolls, Jeff Ruby’s bread is moist and toothsome. A French bread was not warm but very fresh. A brown bread was very moist but big grains of crunchy salt were surprising.

The wine list is huge and imposing. Many wines are available by the glass (most above $10) and bottles easily reach hundreds of dollars. An impressive collection, indeed, and perfect for an expense account meal with potential megabuck accounts. However, I had the feeling that even ordering a $50 bottle would brand me a bottom feeder so I just stuck to two glasses of an overpriced St Francis merlot.

Dessert is offered from a ‘verbal’ menu. I had the cheesecake with caramel drizzle, a perfect ending.

The Service

I’ve found most steakhouse waiters to be brusque, disdainful and eager to turn over your table—but not at Jeff Ruby’s. My waiter was attentive, patient and quite knowledgeable—able to explain which of the cuts were wet aged or dry aged and which were aged in house. No smugness or superior airs, no sighing, no clicking of the heels while you decided which side dish. Orders were taken quickly and food arrived fast. There was a lapse in the middle of the meal when my wine glass remained empty (what can you expect when dining alone amid parties of 4 or more?) but another waiter was very good at filling in the gap.

The Ambience

The place was packed. And loud. Not exactly a romantic first date sort of place. Every table was full even though it was a Tuesday evening. As established downtown restaurants are wont to do, Jeff Ruby’s was decorated with photos of celebrities, almost all of them with the same guy, who I suspect was Jeff Ruby himself. Pete Rose and Boomer (Esiason), being local sports figures, were prominent along with probably all of the national figures who ever found themselves in Cincinnati.

www.jeffruby.com