Legendary steak house now in Manila
Asingle mother with a chemistry degree at the age of 19, Ruth Fertel, founder of Ruth’s Chris Steak House, mortgaged her home for $22,000 to buy a 60-seater dining space, employed single mothers as staff and butchered 30-pound beef loins by hand just to jumpstart her humble joint back in 1965. It was challenging, to say the least, especially at a time when gender inequality was still apparent in the United States.
But she soldiered on and persevered, and from a tiny shack in New Orleans, Louisiana, her signature restaurant now has over 150 branches in the US, Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, China, Aruba and now, thanks to the tandem behind Salvatore Cuomo and Bar, the Philippines, too.
Top of the list
Luigi Vera, who makes up half of the business duo (the other is Ritchie Yang), first encountered the brand when he was still in college.
“Back in the ’80s, when tomahawk and porterhouse were not yet popular,” he says, “I tried and liked their filet mignon in San Francisco. Over the years and after traveling around the world, Ruth’s Chris still tops my steak house list.”
Four things make Ruth’s Chris’ steaks topnotch: the quality of the steak, the aging process, the cooking process and the way the dish is presented.
It starts with the finest beef cattle—Hereford, Angus or Shorthorn—with diets and feeds that have been calculated to produce the beefiest-tasting meats, further intensified by weekslong aging. They are cut thick to prevent them from drying, then seared in a broiler at 1,800°F, the perfect temperature to seal in its natural juices.
They are then placed on 500°F sizzling hot plates and dabbed with butter to reinforce the mouthwatering flavor. Everything was studied and perfected to guarantee utmost satisfaction.
But even if the aged meats are king at Ruth’s Chris, the other menu items are just as noteworthy. In fact, the Veal Osso Buco Ravioli, Sizzling Crab Cakes and Chilled Seafood Tower have a loyal following.
Great memories
For those like Vera who have nothing but great memories of the brand, it’s good to know that the Manila branch will serve the same menu as the ones in the US.
“We also made sure that we maintain the same warm and hospitable service,” Vera adds.
“In terms of store theme and design, since Asia is more vibrant, we retain the old-school opulence but added some brass fittings, light fixtures and chose a cosmopolitan environment such as BGC (Bonifacio Global City) for its maiden branch.”
The opening of the iconic steak house was scheduled weeks ago, but the pandemic and the government’s safety precautions caused its delay, giving them more time to fix their sourcing, quality check and staff training, among others.
And now that dining is allowed, Manila’s Ruth’s Chris couldn’t be any more ready and excited to serve the people. INQ
Ruth’s Chris Steak House is at 2/F, ORE Central, 31st Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.