The New Ruby's

We were invited to attend the opening night of a 'test' restaurant for Ruby Tuesday. It's the Ruby Tuesday at Northshore/Pellissippi. I'd been told that it was a bold departure from the previous version. It certainly is... both visually and epicuriously (no, that's not a word). The chain underwent a rejuvenation a few years ago, and I think it still stands up well. The first thing you notice is the vibrant, hip colors. Primary colors, only slightly muted are throughout the new, open format dining area. The successful salad bar is still there (whew). The floors are large bold tiles. And most of the booths are gone in favor of individual tables and high-top friendship tables. Curtains and dangling beads are hung from the ceiling along with colorful lighting.

To start off with, the menus are very well designed... however it is a little hard to tell that the entrees come with either a side and salad bar or two sides. My fiance had delicious fish tacos and I had blackened talapia with mango chutney. My sides of choice were mashed potatoes and grilled green beans (perhaps they should be haricots verts since the menu has become much more upscale). My talapia was perfectly cooked and everything else on the plate was delish. The pricing seems about the same as it previously was. But what was really a treat (other than great friends to share the evening with), was a steak that one of our dining companions had. WOW!! One of the best steaks I've ever had. This was all the more impressive because last year at some point I ordered a sirloin at that very Ruby Tuesday, and it was possibly the worst steak I'd ever had. This great cut was heavily coated in peppercorn and cooked perfectly. No steakknife was needed for this. Well-done!


Not that Ruby Tuesday is the kind of place that I like to dine at on a regular basis; preferring to stick with local fare rather than chain food; but they have done an excellent job with this concept and I, for one hope that it's successful and is rolled out for the whole chain.