5/1/2018

For my first time at Ruby River I left feeling like i was in an offbranded Outback Steakhouse.



For my appetizer i ordered the Browning Onion, this is exactly like the Blooming Onion at Outback but without the mandatory trademark infringement lawsuit. The Blooming Onion comes with spicy signature bloom sauce BUT the Browning Onion is served with their "famous River sauce". TOTALLY DIFFERENT!!!



My Iceberg Wedge Salad came with a nice dressing, blue cheese crumbles, diced tomatoes and bacon pieces. Fresh ground black pepper was offered at service. I ALWAYS get the pepper because it makes me look like I am well traveled and know my regional spice levels. About 2/3 of the way through the salad the waitress returned to see if anyone wanted more blue cheese crumbles. WHAT? IF there was MORE blue cheese to be had , why wasn't it offered at the outset. This created a huge dilemma, Do I take the extra blue cheese crumbles and throw off the blue cheese to lettuce ratio for the rest of my salad, making each bite prior to the addition seem lacking and each bite after seem like it is flamboyantly showing off its extra cheeseyness? I declined the additional cheese, not wanting to appear needy and at the mercy of the cheese monitors.



My 12oz Ribeye looked very similar to the 12oz Ribeye served by Outback. Perhaps it is an weird coincidence, Who knows? I ordered my steak cooked medium, so to make sure i was properly chastised for NOT accepting the extra blue cheese crumbles, my steak was served well done. In the dark cavern that is the dining area one can not SEE the steak but as a consumer of beef, i can tell by the chewwiness. I gave the waitress a knowing look and eat the steak just as if i had ordered it well done but told her it was perfectly medium, thereby creating doubt in her mind as to what i really got. CHECK AND MATE!



My sauteed mushroom side dish was perfect. Just like at Outback.



Oh and as always, the clam special was much better than at Japopo's