Ruth's Chris makes much of its particularly gluttonous steak preparation. The aged Midwestern beef is seared at 1,800 degrees to lock in flavors and then served in sizzling butter on a scorching 500-degree plate. The waiter says few opt for their meat without the butter and some brave souls actually ask for more. An otherwise lackluster cigar list is brightened by the occasional Arturo Fuente Short Story or Hemingway. Well then, raise your expectations.
Cigars are to be enjoyed on the deck.
This New York institution travels well to Las Vegas, where its curbside location is not as sprawling but has captured some of the saloon ambience of its East Coast counterpart. The steaks are breathtakingly big, seafood appetizers excellent and the wine list extensive. The wait staff is friendly and fun. A waiter points to his girth to back up his recommendation of a sirloin steak. Somehow the caricatures of local Vegas characters on the walls of The Palm in the Forum Shops at Caesars don't have the same impact as those at the original New York Second Avenue version.