We went to Ruth's Chris for our anniversary celebration. Even though I didn't think we'd need one on a Wednesday night, I made a reservation. (You can make them online.) It's a good thing we did. They were packed. The bar was full, there were guests at every table, a banquet room in the back and the one downstairs both had parties.

The restaurant was slammed. Amid the controlled chaos, the staff stayed remarkably composed, but tensions were showing. It affected the service and the food, and not in a good way.

Our visit started out on the wrong foot. They seated us at a table next to the kitchen. It was also on the thruway to the rear banquet room, so there was lots of coming and going. (At Riverside, we always got one of those nice cushioned, romantic booths with a view of the River. Couples can probably forget those now.) Normally I would have asked for another table, but there weren't any. Normally, I would have noticed they were slammed and gone somewhere else. But, this was a special occasion, we had a reservation, and we were there with high expectations.

The service started out great. A helper brought Pelligrino bottled sparkling water (there was another choice, but I don't remember what it was). Our server was professional and charming (and a bit chatty), and said she would make sure we had a wonderful experience.

We ordered a half-bottle of Tattinger Brut. After about fifteen minutes, our server came by to apologize for the delay, and said she was waiting for the manager to get our wine. After about twenty five minutes, the "manager" (there were several) came to our table with two glasses of champagne, compliments of the house. He said that he could not locate what we ordered, apologized profusely, and told a long complicated story about problems with suppliers, distributors, and wholesalers in the area, and that he believed they would have to revise their wine list. Whatever. (Their wine list is quite impressive if you're in to that sort of thing, but now I have to wonder if it's all for show and whether they really have them all).

We asked what kind of champagne he had brought us. He didn't know, and went to find out. He came back and said it was Chandon. It was nice. The glasses had strawberries on top, and they were some of the best strawberries I've ever tasted. The strawberries turned out to be the highlight of the evening.

I don't understand why they didn't just come back and say the wine we ordered was not available this evening and ask if we'd like to order something else. We had thought about getting a full bottle of Moet White Star, which cost almost twice as much as the half-bottle of Tattinger. But we weren't given the opportunity, nor did we get to enjoy our usual ritual of popping the cork and pouring the bubbly and enjoying conversation as we slowly empty the bottle. I should have insisted, but by that point I was just happy to have anything. At least we finally had two glasses of champagne so we could toast the occasion.

(Funny story. The last time we went to Riverside for our anniversary, we ordered a White Star. They were out. We asked what other champagne or sparkling wine they had, and the only thing they could come up with was Asti Spumanti. It was awful. That location must be cursed in terms of wine service.)

Next we ordered from the extensive menu. It all sounded great, and there were some interesting and more adventurous choices such as venison with blackberry sauce making it hard to choose. We both opted for the chef's selection for the evening, which was petit filet with lobster tail. We thought we would go with a more traditional choice, presumably a Ruth's Chris flagship offering that would really show off how great their steaks are.

There were a number of sides, priced from $7 to $12 or so (everything on the menu is priced separately). We couldn't decide so we were each going to each get two so we could sample a variety. Our server talked us out of that, saying they were served "family style", meaning the portions were large. So the Mrs. ordered asparagus with hollandaise and I got broiled tomatoes.

Then we waited. And waited and waited and waited. After an hour and five minutes at the restaurant, all we had been served was bread (the bread is nothing special) and two glasses of champagne. We were finally able to flag down our server and get another glass of champagne for me.

Our dinner finally arrived after we had been there about an hour and twenty minutes. The asparagus was rubbery, tasteless, and had no seasoning. The hollandaise was nothing special. The grilled tomatoes were great. The steaks were a little tough and chewy in places, and undercooked in others. (I ordered mine medium, and it was bloody red in spots near the middle, but no way were we sending anything back -- we were starving by that point). But mainly, the steaks were unremarkable. We grilled better Fresh Market ribeyes at home for some friends last week. I'm not sure what we were expecting, but expectations were not met for what is supposed to be the best steak you can get. The lobster tails were a complete disaster. They were overcooked, hard, and rubbery. (You're not supposed to need a steak knife to cut lobster, are you?) What little flavor they had was fishy and not-so-fresh tasting. Did I mention the grilled tomatoes were pretty good?

Then, about two-thirds of the way through my meal, I noticed it. A hair. Fused onto the rim of my plate in steak juices. (Plates are served at 500 degrees to keep your steak warm. When they say "careful, the plates are hot," they mean it!). I scraped it off and put it on the table. When the server came back by, I told her she could "return this to the chef," pointing to the hair. She couldn't see it (or so it seemed). She bent over, put her finger on it, and wiped it off the table cloth onto the floor, saying "what? where? what is it?". I couldn't believe it. Now I wish I had left it on my plate, but it wasn't very appetizing. I'm sure she thought we were a couple of grifters trying to scam them out of a free meal, but she was professional and apologized profusely.

So we struggled through. I noticed one of the managers apologizing to a couple at the next table. Something about their potatoes au gratin, which is apparently a very complicated dish. A table of four nearby was seated after us and got their food before us. While they were waiting, one of the guys called a manager over, got up, put his arm around him and walked away from the table, leaning in real close to "have a talk" about something. I believe the guest was Hallerin Hilton Hill. Which is probably why they got their dinner pronto (relatively speaking), or maybe it was because of "the talk." We saw Gus and Bill Regas on our way in. I seroiusly doubt they would approve of what went on there last night.

Needless to say, we didn't take home any of the leftovers and we didn't order dessert. We just asked for our check, please.

The manager and server came back to apologize more, saying they were sorry our evening wasn't perfect and that it was certainly not up to Ruth's Chris standards. The server apologized for "ruining" our evening and said she was "almost in tears," and I believe she was sincere. Then the manager said he was comping our entire meal, and hoped that we would give them another chance. I told him I understood they were slammed and they hadn't met our expectations, but that it wasn't necessary to comp our meal. I told him we ordered something, they served it, and I would pay for it. He insisted, and pleaded with us to not judge them by this visit and to give them another chance. I didn't debate it any more. I did leave the server a nice tip. It wasn't her fault.

Anyway, the decor was nice. It's hard to tell what was changed exactly from the Riverside Tavern, and overall the look is similar. There may be new floors and carpet, but I don't remember the old. I believe there are new tables and chairs, and there was new upholstery on the cushioned booths. There was a red neon light running the length of the arched ceiling that I don't remember being there before.

There are a few white sheer curtain panels on the windows facing the river that I don't remember from before. They didn't obstruct the view much, and I guess they added a little something. Maybe they were added to help absorb some of the noise. That place has always been noisy, and it still is.

The major change is a new wine rack that runs the length of the main dining room, separating it from the kitchen/grilling area that used to be open to viewing. This also created new space for adding eight or ten new tables, but it's a little tight and, as I mentioned earlier, there is a lot of foot traffic along there.

They use all white linen tablecloths and napkins, of course. The table tops were lightly padded, and that was a nice touch. Oh, people often wonder about the dress code. It used to be strict, but they have relaxed it. For Knoxville, it's "business casual, no jacket required." We saw plenty of blue jeans, short sleeve polos, and even some t-shirts. In other words, the dress code is "Knoxville".

Prices are as expensive as you've heard. The half-bottle of champagne that we wanted was $62. The White Star would have been $112, I think. The glasses we finally got were, I believe, priced at $10, which actually seemed reasonable. The filet and lobster entrees were $59. Sides were $12 for the asparagus with hollandaise, if I recall correctly, and $7 or $8 for the grilled tomatoes. So our bill for the meal and four glasses of wine would have come to about $178 before tax and tip.

That's not unreasonable for special occasion fine dining, but you expect it to be special and fine and it wasn't. There's a lot of upscale hype and drama, which is reflected in the prices, but the food just doesn't live up, and I'm not sure it would even if everything were perfect. The service, when you could get it, was at least pretty great. And at least they had the decency to comp us. We may give them another chance, but it will definitely be at a time when they aren't so busy.

Ironically, the professor-in-law had just yesterday given us a gift certificate for the Foothills Milling Co. in Maryville. We wish we had gone there for our anniversary.