Ruth's Chris Steak House 106 Crown Park Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD 20878

"Went with a friend for the Happy Hour hamburger and fries special for $14.00 in the bar area on Sunday, January 28. Ordered my burger medium rare; it came burnt and well done...no pink inside at all. My friend ordered hers medium; hers came back well done as well with no pink inside. So, after approximately 12 minutes of not being able to eat our charred food with the waitress missing in action, not having checked back within the requisite two to five minutes of having been served -- by someone else -- to see if our food was satisfactory ("Restaurant 101"), we finally saw her and flagged her down to send both meals back and tried again for our medium rare and medium burgers. While we politely explained to her our reasons for returning the burgers, the young waitress made a point of stating that it wasn't her fault how the meat was cooked, even though we did not at all blame her... just explained why the burgers weren't made to order in the hope she'd understand and articulate that to the "chef." Her reaction was immature and unprofessional; my friend and I, both decades older than the waitress, felt like we were sitting in a dump, not Ruth's Chris Steak House. While we were waiting -- far too long -- our waitress passed our table without a blink, so, we caught her and asked how much longer (really, she should have checked on her own), and she replied soon then went behind the bar, which was not all that busy. It took way more time than it should have, and we knew our burgers were again going to be overcooked...and, when finally served again by some guy who wasn't our server, they were: next to no pink inside. By then we were starving, so, we ate them (the fries were good, at least) but didn't order any dessert or coffee because the service and cooking was so sub-standard for this, or any, restaurant. Heck, McDonald's cooks burgers better and the staff is better trained -- you get no snarky comments to ruin your Happy Meal! Back in the day, and the last time I had been to a Ruth's Chris around the late 90s, this restaurant chain was known for its expensive but delicious meals cooked to perfection. Now I understand why it wasn't crowded, except for a few drinkers around the bar. So incredibly disappointing. I won't be returning to this, or likely any, Ruth's Chris Steak House."

"The absolute BEST HAPPY HOUR in the Gaithersburg/Rockville area! The happy hour menu is minimal but perfect. The atmosphere is elegant. The food is delicious. The drinks are made with premium ingredients and garnished to perfection. The servers are incredible. The bar seems significantly understaffed, creating some delays, but that’s not the staff’s fault for sure. Understaffing is the ONLY reason I could not give a perfect five star review. This was my third visit, nothing to complain about other than the shortage of staff. Check them out at happy hour—you’ll be glad you did!"

"Nothing bad I can say about my experience here. The calimari and spicy shrimp appetizers were delicious and the brussel sprouts and mushroom sides were okay. As for the steak, is it a bit expensive? Can you watch a YouTube video and make a very good steak at home for much cheaper? Yes and yes. But they are using USDA Prime and bringing it out sizzling hot, so it is what it is. I would say the best part was the service. The waiter was very on top of things and very good at answering questions. I also left my coat and got a call immediately before I even got to my car. Overall, I would say it is not somewhere I would go solely on the value of the food, but I would recommend considering for special occasions as it will be high quality and you will be treated well."

"Me and my partner had Ribeyes. Great cut and well cooked but it lacked seasoning, any additional flavor. A good cut should speak for itself but I expect more flavor in the crust, felt like it wasn't even salted. Mildly disappointed for a high end steak house. Lobster bisque was light on the lobster as well for the price. Otherwise great food, desserts were delicious. Wine was phenomenal."