Ruth’s Chris. 801 Chophouse. Fleming's. Which One Is Worth Your Top-Dollar Splurge?
Recently, I visited our city's three highest-end steakhouses—ordering the same items at each. Here, I tell you the pros and cons of all three and name my favorite—but with a caveat.
The Des Moines metro now has three high-end steakhouses to choose from. All are chains of a sort: 801 Chophouse, which opened its flagship restaurant in Des Moines in 1993, now has six other locations; Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse, which opened in West Des Moines in 2005, is skirting 65 U.S. locations; and Ruth’s Chris Steak House, which opened in West Des Moines last summer, has a whopping 147 locations worldwide.
So, which is best? For my money, it’s . . . well, you might be surprised.
In a Nutshell
If you look only at the meat, all three do terrific work. With dry-aged meat, Fleming’s steak is in a class of its own, but not everyone loves the flavor of dry-aged beef (more on this later). In the next tier, the lusty ribeye at Ruth’s Chris narrowly edged the one at 801 Chophouse (but only because I’m a marbling-hound, and Ruth’s was rife with it!)—801’s was exemplary, too. Service? Fleming’s and 801 offered the polish you’d expect. Service at Ruth’s Chris, while friendly, faltered a bit.
As for the ambiance, I have a favorite, but it’s clearly in the eye of the beholder.
All Are Very Good. One Stands Out.
And now, for a breakdown of the pros and cons of each, along with my top pick. Today’s premium content is available to paid subscribers only. I’m sorry to put up a paywall here, but I’m sure you can imagine the cost of doing a story like this one. If you’d like to read this article, you can subscribe for as little as $5 a month, or $50 a year. You can cancel a monthly subscription after the first month, which means you can always read the piece, then unsubscribe if you wish. But I hope you’ll join the club of people who support my food coverage in Des Moines.