Ruth's Chris Steak House, Irvine - 07.01.06

Another decadent evening at RCSH. This place is a classic and one of our favorites. We were seated immediately upon arrival in time for our 8:30 reservation. Always get a booth if you can.

We started with crab cake appetizers. We received two big chunks of nothing but crab meat slathered in butter and a light sauce of peppers and spices. That was delicious and piping hot.

Jay had his usual big chunk of meat -- sizzling of course. You can still smell the butter melting off of it. Anna Lisa ordered the salmon and on second thought should have ordered the halibut. There is just no way to justify paying $30 for salmon, especially when it is simply broiled. Nevertheless, the dinner was delicious as usual. The service was good, though it was a bit crowded that night. There was a large party within the same section and the servers appeared preoccupied with them.

Wine came from BevMo - a 2000 cabernet sauvignon from Napa. What is the name of it? It started out very leathery, heavy and punchy. We had to ask the server to decant it, which he was willing to do. Over the next two hours, it mellowed and became more drinkable.

Ruth's Chris is always a winner, even for vegetarians.

P.S. re Indigo (Mikey's Place)

It's been six months since we wrote the review re Indigo. It's July 3, 2006, Indigo has become nothing more than a great story. Our dear friend Mikey left his bartending job and along with him, the fun of going to the restaurant in the first place. He has since gone on to pursue his acting career and - - gasp - - is actually on TV. Well, sort of. He has been selected to be one of ten contenders - - out of thousands - - on the cheecky show called I Wanna Be a Soap Star on SoapNet TV. So, stay tuned, TiVO the show and get a whiff of what we mean when we say Mikey made Indigo HIS place.