Overall Grade A+
The Breakdown:
Atmosphere: Grade A-: The only negative thing we have to say about Jeff Ruby’s is the location. The restaurant is located in what appears to be an office building. Finding it was just a touch tricky, but we eventually prevailed. Oh, one more thing…the color of the upholstery on the seats was a little weird. Once inside, the restaurant (with the exception of the upholstery) definitely has an upscale vibe. The setup in the dining room is fairly unique, providing the patrons with lots of privacy without too much seclusion. Noise level was minimal, and this place was packed. We’re not sure how they pulled that off, but they did.
High marks: Pretty much everything: setup, noise level, etc
Low marks: Color of the upholstery
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Service: Grade A+: If anyone is curious as to how to get an A+ in this category, you need to go to Louisville and observe our server, John. Not only were we provided excellent service by John and all of those who assisted him, we were entertained as well. The staff made us feel comfortable, and when we had a question on how the trolley system worked, they went and looked up the information for us (disclaimer: they gave us the wrong answer, but the attempt was there). Our food and drinks came perfectly spaced, and it seemed as soon as we were running low on something, there was someone there to make sure we wanted more. Seriously, we’ve never experienced service that could be considered as close to perfect as this service was.
High marks: Absolutely everything
Low marks: Nothing, hence the A+
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Food/Spirits: Grade A+: Oh man, my mouth is starting to water just thinking about typing this review. Jeff Ruby’s simply topped every other restaurant in every category, and we’ve been to a bunch. We will start with the spirits. We both ordered the Raspberry Mojito’s and both fell in love with them. Now I am a big mojito fan, but Katina usually doesn’t order mojitos. The fact that she ordered a second one before we were finished should tell you all you need to know. The balance of raspberry flavor with the perfect amount of mint makes this the Mac Daddy of mojitos. Next came the appetizer. We chose the Crab & Corn fritters and we were not disappointed. They came with a lobster remoulade sauce and they were cooked to perfection. They kind of reminded us of really good hush puppies – but you need to understand, I mean really, really, really, REALLY good hush puppies. Katina chose the 11oz Lobster Tail for her entrée and was giddy as a school girl when it arrived.
This thing was huge, well-seasoned and cooked in butter. John brought Katina some drawn butter for dipping, and she was done. I can tell you the moaning coming from our table should have brought some scornful looks, but since the rest of the customers were doing the same, no one seemed to notice. I had Colorado Lamb Chops for my entrée.
Now I am a huge lamb fan – it’s pretty much my favorite land animal to eat. So if your restaurant serves some form of lamb, you can bet I will try it. I wouldn’t consider myself an expert, but I feel comfortable in saying that the lamb I got at Jeff Ruby’s was the absolute best I’ve ever had. It was cooked perfectly – slightly pink but not sitting in a pool of blood, and when I bit into it I barely had to chew. It almost melted in my mouth…simply amazing. We shared an order of macaroni with cheese to share for our side dish. It was as good as macaroni and cheese could possibly be. After our experience to that point, we had to try dessert. At Katina’s request, we tried the Banana Cake. Katina liked it so much she made me take her back the following night to get more. In all the time we’ve been together, she’s never done that before.
High marks: Absolutely everything
Low marks: Absolutely nothing
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Value: Grade B+: Fair warning for the thin of wallet, Jeff Ruby’s is not a restaurant to visit if you’re trying to eat on a budget. It’s a place you go to if you want to splurge. Even though the food is orgasmic, the price tag was not. We are more than happy to pay a premium price for high quality food, but we cannot in good conscious give an A grade for food this expensive. That’s why we weigh the value score the lowest when we consider our overall grade. We want to warn you of the price, but not discourage you from giving the restaurant a try. If you go, you’ll love it. Your wallet may not.
High marks: Superior quality food, portion size very good to generous
Low marks: If you go the whole nine yards, plan on kissing a couple of Ben Franklin’s goodbye
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