DINNER 68: Thursday, March 9, 2006

We ate at Jeff Ruby‘s Steakhouse in downtown Cincinnati this evening with Wendy’s clients Anne & Larry. This is a steakhouse through and through, from the cigars available for purchase near the bar to the ‘exhibition room’ where the beef is dry aged to the art deco interior (designed by Dave Stephens, who also worked on The Venetian, The Luxor, and MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada). The portions at the Steakhouse are huge — almost overwhelming. The “family style” vegetables on the menu, which advertises that they serve two, were enough for our party of four.

Wendy & I ate the Bluecrab Bisque; Foie Gras Appetizer; Halibut entree; New York Sirloin (cooked a perfect medium-rare); and a side of Mushroom Caps in Sherry and Garlic Butter. We enjoyed a half-bottle of Pine Ridge Merlot with our meal. Everything was well prepared and cooked as ordered. The kitchen displayed a light hand on seasonings, letting the flavor of the ingredients speak for themselves. After such a generous meal, there was absolutely no room for dessert, so we skipped their steakhouse-style desserts of cheesecakes, creme brulee, molten chocolate cake, bread pudding, key lime pie, and more.

After dinner, we stepped across the street to the Aaronoff Theater to see WICKED, a wonderful musical about the witches in Wizard of Oz. Tonight was the second night of the new tour, and the show was spectacular and amazing. The voices were astounding as were the sets and costumes. Here are some pictures of the show (which answer the question of “how does she get green?“). Every bit of the show was super-enjoyable. If you’re able, get to see WICKED!