I don't have anything new to say.
Not a lot new to say about Castaways. Having already sampled their crab legs, I thought I would try two specials they had listed on the board, a cup of gumbo and a blackened redfish with crawfish topping entree. Alas, though each came in generous portions, both seemed somewhat bland and under-spiced. (And the lame wedge fries side didn't help either.) But the gator, corn fritter and onion ring appetizers were fine as always, and the fried berry cheesecake was surprisingly good (now they just need to offer it ala mode).
Service was generally good, but I do lament the fact that they've downsized the drink glasses, as the large glasses were a definite plus the last time around (and reduce effort on the wait staff fetching refills). This is a decision they should reconsider.
Next time I think I'll go back to the crab legs.
The place looks like a dump from the outside, and the experience once we got inside was kind of creepy: the 10-year-old girl who was doing the seating and waiting tables (She was apparently a child of the managers: "We use our kids as labor and pass the savings on to you!"), the badly burned tables, decor that reminded me of the Chinese place in A Christmas Story, asking about the dim sum mentioned on the menu and being told by our waitress that they had "just taken over the place" and hadn't had a chance to update the menu...these are not good signs.
However, I have to admit: the food was much better than I expected. Unfortunately, they closed up shop shortly after our visit.
A no frills Chinese place, but I sort of like it. Or liked it, as it seems to have closed since we visited there. Sic Transit Eggroll.
We hadn't been to Ruth's Chris for three years: in the meantime, Ruth died, so we felt this year, it was time to go back and see if anything had changed on the high-end steak front.
The answer was: no, Ruth's Chris still turns out pretty much the same steak, served in the same way. I think this is both good and bad: good because at these prices, you like a certain predictibility. Bad because there's a lot more they could be doing.
For example, wine. Ruth's Chris generally has very good wine lists, but I don't see them hosting wine dinners (like I do other establishments around town), nor can you get something like a flight of different wines to sample (like you can at Fleming's): Ruth's by-the-glass options are very limited.
I think Ruth's is still vastly better than Sullivan's and somewhat better (at a higher price) than J.C.'s Steakhouse. But I also feel that they need to change to keep up with the new crowd of younger, hipper diners: can they do this without alienating the old crowd?
I think. I've had. Enough.
Every year the prices get a little higher, while the steak stays the same. It is, too be sure, still excellent steak, but it also seems less "vertical" than in years past, and not sufficiently better than that served at Fleming's (or even JC's) to justify the price difference.
Make no mistake: I would still be more than happy to take a return trip to Ruth's Chris if someone else were picking up the bill. But I no longer see it as a viable contender for my own dining dollars.
Other than observing that I still think this location is slightly better managed than the Mesa one (but the management at the Mesa one has improved a great deal), I just really don't have anything new to say.
Since I had a cold, I don't feel it fair to comment in detail on the
food,
so three brief observations: