Friday, October 4, 2013

Ruby Tuesday Food Review

Buffalo Chicken Burger with Fries

You'll be hard pressed to find a bigger, more satisfying lunch than the one I had at Rockville's Ruby Tuesday earlier today. Two apps, a burger & fries and two cupcakes for dessert... for under $20? Pinch me, I must be dreaming.

Perhaps I'm not dreaming; but I need to carefully reexamine the sheer volume of food I consume at lunch. I arrived around 11:30 AM and was escorted to a booth, by a hostess full of good energy. Next, I met Chelsea, my even friendlier server. I warned her of the carnage yet to follow (Fire Wings - in hot buffalo sauce, and a Buffalo Chicken Burger) + two free cupcakes in honor of my birthday (five days earlier.) Little did I know, I had yet to receive my amuse-bouche of three garlic cheese biscuits. Yum! They're a bit doughy, but get you in the mood for what's to come.

Garlic Cheese Biscuits

Ruby's wings arrived piping hot, and had me salivating before the plate hit my table. They're nice & meaty... almost too meaty. I managed to finish seven of nine, before declaring "no mas." Kudos for delivering them with a moist toilette and heavy-duty napkin. Some places just "get it." At $7.99, they average out to less than a dollar a piece. Good taste and value. Believe it or not, Chelsea cleared my plate and offered me more biscuits. I began to wonder if I'd be able to get out of the booth as easily as I had slipped in. BTW, the booths are old and not easy to get in & out of. Time for a remodel?

Fire Wings in Hot Buffalo Sauce

Only three minutes passed between the arrival of my wings and main entree. That's way too soon to stack food for one person, even one as ravenous as yours truly. Better timing at the pass would be appreciated. The thing I like most about the Buffalo Chicken Burger at Ruby's is that it's served on a pretzel roll. Guess what? No pretzel roll, just a regular plain bun. Cold too. What a disappointment. The chicken itself was well-cooked and flavored. Fries were hand cut and good enough (they'll get you more of those too, if you ask.) I still had to make room for dessert, so I barely finished two-thirds of my burger and a third of my fries. Portions here, are generous.

2 Mixed Cupcakes

My b-day cupcakes were moist enough, nicely sized and covered in a foamy cream topping. I got one each of Red Velvet and Carrot Cake; and they were quite sweet. Chelsea offered to box them up; but I passed, settling for two bites of each. I believe a take away box would have come dangerously close to gluttony at this point. Service was top notch, and food arrived swiftly (too?) & with a smile. I spent just under $20, not including a $5 tip for a ton of good-quality food. How do you argue with that?

Atmosphere: C+ (Seats are old and uncomfortable. Also, be careful who you sit next to... Could be a long meal.)
Service: B+ (We need more Chelsea's in the world.)
Wings: B (Lots of meat, hot & spicy.)
Burger: B- (I really wanted a pretzel roll.)
Cupcakes: B- (Great way to end a meal.)
Value: B+ (Free biscuits and cupcakes? What a deal!)
Overall: B (Who knew Ruby Tuesday's could be this good?)