High Times at Ruby Tuesday’s

Located on Sycamore Road in DeKalb, Illinois, Ruby Tuesday’s is a great place to take the family on a Friday night. With a menu that stays mostly around the $10 mark, even a college kid can afford a great meal for a once in a while treat.

Even though it was definitely during their busier hours, the servers still managed to do a fine job. Business was kicking at about five o’clock at night the estimated wait was only about fifteen minutes and we were still seated within about ten minutes. With a buoyant toddler in tow we were seated at a window table and promptly asked what it was we wished to drink. I ordered a lemonade and the waitress, quick on her feet, asked if I would like to try one of their flavored lemonades as opposed to the fountain drink.

To talk about their selection of foods is Margaret Blake, a fellow patron. She says, “They have a wide enough variety for all types of eaters. They of course specialize in their burgers, but they do not forget about the white meat eaters.” From previous experience I have found that you cannot go wrong with a burger. So, after a long debate with myself, I chose their Triple Prime Bacon Cheddar Burger. At only about $11 it is definitely worth what you pay. Cooked to order anywhere from medium rare to well done their burgers are always juicy and flavorful and, more importantly, also served with french-fries (or onion rings on request of course).

Where the main course was quite worth the money I have admit that the dessert, their Double Chocolate Cake, was not all I was hoping for especially considering that it cost us about $6. Essentially a chocolate bunt cake, it comes with a good helping of melted chocolate inside the ring of chocolate cake, and a large scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. All in all the cake was quite dry and the chocolate so-so, the ice cream was still on its own pretty good.

As far as the actual building goes it’s quite tidy and managed in way that even on their busier days the wait is not so bad. Clearly a newer building, on the outside it seems to be what it really is, a pretty low-key family restaurant. To be truthful on the inside it’s not much different. With those stained glass lampshades that you seem to find in every family style casual restaurant, the booths along the walls (and even some set up for extra seating and used to separate the restaurant and help with the flow of traffic), and tables set up for it to feel a little more like home. “The atmosphere is a relaxed setting. Even though the tables are not that far apart,” Miss Blake makes a valid point, “you do not feel too crowded and can enjoy the company of the people you are with” .More than that, like a good restaurant they had posters of old ads and other nick-knacks on the walls that were attention grabbing enough that they could entertain, but not so much so that they would be distracting.

I was impressed by our waitress because, even though it was pretty obvious that she was quite busy with other patrons, she never forgot any of the things we requested outside of our order, whether it was something as little as a straw or something bigger like adding a desert she always came back in a reasonable amount of time.

Overall, considering the general family style of the restaurant and the fact that it was their busy dinner hours on what was pretty much a weekend, they did well. The food was good and the service was more than one could expect.

***Ruby Tuesday’s
2370 Sycamore Rd.
DeKalb, Illinois 60115
(815)748-7900
http://www.rubytuesday.com/