Big Easy comes to Roseville

It's a long way from New Orleans, but Ruth's Chris Steak House plans to deliver the culinary spoils of The Big Easy like few others can. Slated for a Monday opening, Ruth's Chris is undergoing final touches at its Galleria at Roseville location while staff learn the subtle Southern touches of preparation and presentation of the cuisine served in this successful chain, which operates in 89 outlets worldwide. A typical Ruth's Chris location goes through 300,000 pounds of beef every six months, says Roseville general manager Rich Rojko.With that comes a wide spectrum of steaks of varying cuts and flavors, ranging from fillets, rib eyes and New York Strip to T-bones. But while each has a distinct taste and feel, the biggest player in the rotation - literally - is the porterhouse, a 40-ounce monster which goes for $78.95. It's half strip steak, half fillet, divided down the middle with a giant bone, and is dubbed a meal for two. Usually, it is, said Rojko."I was in Beverly Hills last week and Shaq (Shaquille O'Neal) was there," Rojko said, grinning. "He ate two of them."The restaurant started in 1965, when Ruth Fertel, a New Orleans-based divorced mother of two, was scraping by as a lab technician at Tulane Medical School. Despite obtaining a degree in chemistry from Louisiana State University at age 19, Fertel was struggling to make ends meet. That all changed when she saw an ad for a restaurant, Chris Steak House, for sale. She had no experience running a restaurant but the concept quickly took off. Her mojo - an 1,800-degree method of cooking steaks - remains a key element in keeping steaks cooked to a high standard, and retaining their warmth while customers eat them. The menu also offers seafood, lamb chops and other assorted entrees.Rojko, along with a team of corporate trainers, is taking the restaurant's new employees through their paces, which includes serving some local invitees Friday and Saturday to help smooth out a few nuanced wrinkles that hopefully won't be in place when the restaurant officially opens."The bar will have its own energy and its own sounds," Rojko said. "The booths are a little bigger and fit five to six people." There is also a private dining area in the back which will hold up to 40 people. Between the bar, main and private dining areas, and outdoor seating, the entire restaurant will hold 300 people, Rojko said. Chef Jim Cannon, along with several corporate trainers, is on hand especially to train staff. The man can talk about steak, in all its varieties and nuanced presentation.On Saturday employees sat down at three massive banquet tables to sample different kinds of steak and then seafood.The premise was it's a lot easier to sell something if you know what it tastes like."All our meat comes from Midwest, corn-fed beef," Cannon said, while gesturing to one of the walk-in freezers in the back. Cannon is on hand to teach the cooking staff the exact time and handling required for each steak, down to how many minutes they're cooked on each side, and proper handling and presentation. But despite the happy talk and good stuff, it comes down to consistency and attention to detail."It really is an art form," Cannon said.The restaurant will be taking mostly reservations for now, and they'll probably start off with 60 percent of diners doing so, with the rest walk-ins, Rojko said. But that changes depending on the community they're in. It's The Big Easy, indeed.- Jason Probst can be reached at jasonp@goldcountrymedia.com.