11 Ruth's Chris Steak House Signature Sides, Ranked

I don't know about you, but when I'm treating myself to a meal out, I typically only give side dishes a passing glance. Every once in a while something may catch my eye, but more often than not, it doesn't — so I just order a main dish and relegate myself to a single-course meal (and probably a glass of wine). I think it's time to change my tune. Sides deserve more attention; not only can they add plenty of character to a meal, but they also command some attention on their own. 

Fans of Ruth's Chris Steak House will undoubtedly be familiar with its selection of mouthwatering steaks, but something that doesn't get enough recognition at the chain is its assortment of side dishes. That was the subject of my mission today: To visit the steakhouse and forego meat altogether, instead dedicating a couple of hours to the dishes that all too often play the sidekick to a steakhouse dinner. I tried and ranked all of its signature sides on offer. The ranking itself was difficult as the restaurant executes even the most basic dishes exceptionally well. So, rather than focus on quality, I took this opportunity to rank each in terms of its uniqueness (with flavor and textural appeal being obvious factors). Namely, I asked myself: How did Ruth's Chris make this side dish its own?

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

Now that we've gotten all the above out of the way, it's time to dive into my ranking, starting first and foremost with the (still undeniably good) creamed spinach. The manager at my location told me this is Ruth's family recipe, and that's not hard to believe — it had the essence of a dish that's been perfected over time, and its comforting, inviting appeal is enough to make even this upscale steakhouse feel a little more homey. However, there are a couple of reasons I had to give the creamed spinach the bottom spot on this list. 

First, if you're generally a fan of creamed spinach, this should be a go-to. Unfortunately, I've always had an aversion to cooked spinach — to me, it has a bitter, earthy quality that I find fairly unpalatable. This dish is far better than your classic creamed spinach, so despite my distaste for the food in general, I actually quite liked this iteration. Ruth's Chris managed to temper the spinach's bitter edge with a creamy, humble sauce, and I thought the blending of flavors worked quite well — it's a subtle and unassuming side with impeccably balanced seasonings. That said, though I enjoyed it warm, it quickly hit room temperature, and I didn't like it as much. I also think this is a massive helping of creamed spinach, and unless you're dining with a crowd, it may be too large an order to finish comfortably.

Up next is a very well-executed loaded baked potato, complete with butter, cheese, sour cream, chives, and, of course, bacon. This potato was absolutely massive, which I actually enjoyed here — all too often a baked potato feels like a single serving, but this could easily serve a couple (or a trio with moderate appetites). Plus, it's very pleasing to the eye. The crispy bacon pieces on top, and the way the sour cream drips over the edge? I was salivating just looking at it.

The interior of the potato was velvety soft and fluffy, and its flavors all exist in perfect harmony, as expected. I especially appreciated the saucy nature of the cheese, and though I was worried about the ratio of toppings to potato at first, a quick dig around the interior found there were plenty of toppings to accompany each bite of potato. However, this comes in at number 10 because, at the end of the day, it's your classic baked potato. Don't get me wrong — it's an exceptional baked potato, but other than its perfect execution, there aren't any additional ingredients to distinguish it from other baked potatoes. However, it scores above the creamed spinach because I enjoyed it more (personal preference, I know) and because my taste for the dish wasn't affected after it spent a little time on the table. 

Could you ever go wrong with ordering a side of mashed potatoes? Actually, yes, you can — all too often they're a gloppy, flavorless mess that leaves one dreaming about the creamy mashed potatoes their grandmother would make. Too many restaurant mashed potatoes lack the love and care grandma would put into hers, but not Ruth's Chris. In fact, these mashed potatoes blow my grandmother's out of the water (sorry, Grandma), and though I couldn't rank them any higher than ninth place due to the aforementioned "uniqueness" factor in my ranking, they're a must-order for any mashed potato fans.

They were some of the fluffiest mashed potatoes I've ever had, and look at the melted butter pooling throughout — I love a buttery dish, so this hit the mark for me. Not to mention the stunning execution of these picture-perfect mashed potatoes (which, yes, also have me salivating as I type this). Their texture is like silk, and the potatoes melt in the mouth. I did think the garlic was too subtle for me, but then again, I love garlic-packed dishes, so this may be a personal issue. I'm placing this above the baked potato because it does manage to carve itself a niche spot in the mashed potato sphere — I doubt I could replicate these at home, and they'd merit a visit to the spot again. However, they didn't quite match up to the following dishes in terms of character. 

I love asparagus — it accompanies nearly every dinner I cook for myself, most notably salmon and steak, and I generally give it a light saute in a pan until it's tender but still has decent snap. Ruth's Chris cooked its asparagus exactly how I like it. It had plenty of bite but was still impeccably tender and easily cut through with a knife. The asparagus is clearly the star of the show here, as it hasn't been over-seasoned in the slightest. However, there was one major component that gave this dish eighth place, despite its relatively simple asparagus.

I suppose I'm going to take to pairing my asparagus with hollandaise from now on — the sauce was a fun accompaniment, and though it's nothing new (in fact, Julia Child had a fairly well-known recipe for the duo), it's not an offering I commonly see on restaurant menus. Each element works together impeccably well, with the light, creamy hollandaise complementing the earthiness of the asparagus effortlessly. Had hollandaise not been included, this may have ranked lower on my list, but the sauce elevated it to new heights. This is why I gave it a higher spot than the previous three — however, I couldn't bear to rank it above the next offering, a personal favorite that I had to temper my own feelings toward. 

Ah, mac and cheese. Perhaps no side dish captivates me more, and this was definitely the one I was most excited about trying at Ruth's Chris. A well-executed mac and cheese can heal just about any ailment, in my opinion — moreover, the combination of cavatappi and a cheese sauce is one that diners of any age or background will love. This mac and cheese was impeccable and even retained some distinct Ruth's Chris character, though I can't exactly call it a unique offering. Nevertheless, I adored it.

That slightly crusty layer of cheese on top does a good job at disguising the incredibly creamy cheese sauce underneath. Creamy is the only way I can think of to describe it — it pooled on my plate when I scooped it out of the pan and made for a great dipping sauce for the warm bread on my table. The cavatappi was merely a vehicle for the cheese sauce, but it made for an impeccable vehicle, and is the only noodle I'll be using in my own cheesy concoctions from here on out. The ultra-creamy sauce is what set this apart from other restaurant versions I've had, and what gave this the number seven spot on my list. I just couldn't rank it above the uniqueness of the following dishes. 

If you're looking at the above dish and thinking to yourself, "Wait, those are au gratin potatoes?" I had a similar sentiment upon seeing the bowl arrive at my table. The potatoes in au gratin potatoes are traditionally sliced very thin, whereas these stood out with their large dice. This did, admittedly, give me pause — potato chunks are too easy to get texturally wrong, and I wondered whether this would hold up to the standard version.

I've learned my lesson, and I'll never question Ruth's Chris' culinary choices again. The potatoes had a soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture throughout each piece, and I may even be a diced-au-gratin convert now. Aside from the textural perfection of the potatoes, the cheese sauce was once again smooth and creamy, and it had a deep savory appeal that kept me going back for bite after bite (despite my best efforts to hold back). It was also well-seasoned with a slight peppery appeal. Dying to try these potatoes but don't live near a location? We may have a decent potatoes au gratin copycat recipe on our hands. For now, these were an easy contender for sixth place due to their impeccable execution and slight variation from the original.

When this fire-roasted corn arrived at my table, I was a bit confused and thought it had to be accompanied by tortilla chips — after all, it looks scrumptious for dipping, but one bite led me to realize that chips were hardly necessary. The corn is seemingly simple in its ingredients list — seasonal yellow corn, peppers, onions, butter, parsley, salt, pepper, and a house-made salsa verde — but the resulting dish is anything but ordinary. 

Whatever Ruth's Chris is doing to its salsa verde, the result is outstanding and easily took the fire-roasted corn to new heights. The dish as a whole is lightly sweet and manages to be both delicate and packed with flavor at the same time, but no single note is overwhelming. The harmony achieved with this side dish is impressive. When I tasted it, it was only just being introduced to the menu — however, it may make the permanent menu if it's a hit (which it undoubtedly will be). The house-made salsa verde is what really pushed this dish into fifth place, elevating it above my previous couple of choices; unfortunately, it couldn't compete with the next dish. 

Yep, you read that right — in addition to unadulterated mac and cheese, you can also get lobster mac and cheese at Ruth's Chris, and it goes without saying that I had to rank this above its humbler counterpart. If you're a fan of lobster (and, really, who without a shellfish allergy isn't?), this is the side dish for you. It earns its spot above the fire-roasted corn because the addition of protein makes it feel like this could be a meal in itself. However, it couldn't match the stunningly unique characteristics of my top three choices.

I actually tried this dish before the regular mac and cheese, and at first I wasn't thrilled to find such a thin base sauce. I quickly determined this was the right call on the restaurant's part; a heavier sauce would have easily overwhelmed the dish. The lobster chunks are bright and buttery, and they add a tender textural component to the dish without muting the other flavors in the mac and cheese. The sauce is the same rich, creamy sauce as in the aforementioned mac, and the top cheese crust gives just enough umami appeal to round out the lobster mac. The ingredient quality here is unmatched (as one would expect from an upscale steakhouse) and this retained just enough signature Ruth's Chris appeal to earn a relatively high ranking here. 

Ah, roasted Brussels sprouts, we meet again. This dish and I are old friends — we see each other whenever I find mention of her on a menu, and she never disappoints. It only follows that Ruth's Chris' version of the popular side would be outstanding, and outstanding it was. I know it looks like just a slightly elevated version of the classic dish, but an unseen component took this one to new heights and made it well worthy of the number three spot in this ranking.

First, the obvious: Tender, crisp Brussels sprouts are given an even deeper umami appeal alongside applewood-smoked bacon, and even just the savory mouthfeel of it all left me longing for bite after bite. But the hidden hero of this dish was its honey butter, which was delicate and subtle enough to stay in the background but offered the perfect sweet balance to slightly bitter Brussels sprouts. The honey butter acted as a springboard for the dish's other flavors to shine, and the result was, dare I say it, the best roasted Brussels sprouts side I've tasted (and trust me, I've had quite a few). Even sans honey butter this would have made a remarkably well-executed roasted Brussels sprouts dish, but the honey butter lifted it to third place. The following two were just a bit more impressive.

I know what you're thinking — how could a simple, small side dish of cremini mushrooms earn the second-place recommendation on a list filled with heavier, heartier sides? Well, these were simply the most impressive cremini mushrooms I've ever had, and a look at the menu makes it clear why. The thick-cut mushrooms are roasted in a pan before being topped off with a veal demi-glace and a sprinkle of fresh thyme. The result is an out-of-this-world dish with much flavor complexity, and though it looks simple to the eye, one bite will reveal that it's anything but. 

I appreciated the thick cut of the mushrooms — while they were still tender, they retained just enough interior bite to give ample texture to the mouthfeel of the dish. Thyme gives the slightest bright, fresh appeal to the dish and does just enough to keep the umami depth of the veal sauce from being overwhelming. The veal demi-glace, however, is the real star of the show. It brings a richness of flavor to this dish that remains unmatched when compared to others on this list. Just one bite activates the salivary glands and left me hungry for another. I don't know that I've ever had quite the experience of salivating after taking a bite, and that also made this dish stand out to me. It's exceptional, and its demi-glace is clearly what sets it apart from other offerings. Unfortunately, nothing can top my number one choice. 

I'm not sure I'll ever be able to eat another sweet potato casserole again without memories of this one looming in the background. I'm almost angry at Ruth's Chris for this reason — you've ruined sweet potato casserole for me forever, and I didn't expect that from any dish going into this tasting, much less the sweet potato casserole. I'll start by saying I don't think this should be on the sides menu. It deserves a spot in the desserts section, and no arguments about sweet potatoes being a vegetable could convince me otherwise. 

I hardly know where to begin. My first impression of the casserole was that it smelled divine the moment it arrived at my table; I immediately knew I was in for a treat. The potatoes themselves are sinfully smooth, with a texture even creamier than that of the aforementioned mashed potatoes (which I honestly didn't think was possible). Then you have the crispy caramelized top, studded with pecans and boasting some beautiful crunch. The two components of the dish blend together seamlessly to yield a result not too different from a pie (sans crust, of course). I won't blame you if you can't exercise restraint here — this sweet potato casserole was exceptionally well done, and its textures elevate the already extra-flavorful dish to heights I didn't know it was capable of reaching. 

It goes without saying that each side dish was exceptional. I put serious effort into maintaining my self-control — it took everything in me not to gorge myself on each side as it hit the table. At the end of the day, I certainly had my personal preferences, but that was a secondary factor when ranking these. I primarily focused on uniqueness in execution. When looking at each side, I gave the highest ranking to those with the most unique "Ruth's Chris" appeal — ones I could likely identify as belonging to the restaurant in a blind taste test, dishes to which the spot gave its own particular signature. 

Even my bottom choice (the creamed spinach) was the best creamed spinach that I, a famous cooked spinach hater, have ever had. At the end of the day, you should use this list merely as a guide and consider your own flavor preferences when deciding which sides to order. No matter what you go with, you're unlikely to be disappointed — especially if your side accompanies a big, juicy steak as an entree.