Ruby Foo's

Tonight's evening meal was at the Upown location of Ruby Foo's on the west side of town. We went there based on a brief investigation that suggested it was a good place for family entertainment, based on the strength and novelty of the kids menu as well as the wholesomely boisterous atmosphere.

The kids menu in question indeed contained some interesting items such as the pb&j roll, but unfortunately it seems that most of the creativity in producing the menu went into the naming of the items rather than ingredients or preparation. Our son opted for the intriguingly named Samurai sword chicken tenders, which produced some above-approve interest and anticipiation. When they arrived, however, it was apparent the the "Samurai" influence must have been intended in an abstract or symbolic sense, and practically speaking they were no different from the "chicken finger" chicken tenders available at nearly every other restaurant on earth.

Luckily a couple of the starters we ordered had some kid appeal, including the bao buns stuffed with barbecued pork and the spring rolls. The barbecued eel and avocado roll was rejected out of hand without even a tasting, though, based solely on excessive eel content. For adult tastes, all three were just fine, although not anything that couldn't be executed just as well by the line cooks at a reasonable competent TGI Fridays.

For our entrees we selected a couple of Ruby's special bowls, including the chicken yaki soba and the Thai garlic chicken. Initially my wife ordered the yaki soba, but after a note of caution from the waiter about the fact this preparation was pretty spicy (in fact the spiciest on the menu, he indicated) she chose the Thai chicken as an alternative, based on his assurance that it would only be mildly spiced.

When the dishes arrived, after a couple of bites both of us agreed that if the Thai chicken had any less heat than the yaki soba (which indeed was quite spicy, particularly for a mass-market family place), it was only by a very slim margin. They were so close, in fact, that we took the unusual step of inquiring to our waiter, in response to which he offered to have it remade without the hot Thai chilis. We agreed to this solution, but couldn't help wondering why that possibility didn't come up earlier the first time we ordered.

Overall the food was just okay; definitely not something I would go across town for again.

The Diner, Meatpacking

To close out the weekend we headed down to The Diner, Meatpacking, lured by the hope of expertly prepared comfort food and a kids menus that includes a scrambled eggs and french fries combo (as entree and side that is, not combined hash-style).

The adults had the steak sandwich and the Kobe sliders, about both of which we could offer no complaints. With simple food like this, the kitchen just has to make sure there are no glaring mistakes that would jar the diners away from the enjoyment of ingredients they know taste too good not to be in direct conflict with continuing good health. After all, it's hard to go wrong combining tender slab of decent quality meat with cheese, some onions, peppers, and a dollop of mayonnaise and coaxing it onto a hunk of bread. Not impossible (certainly I have seen it done and can point out some places it's done on a regular basis), but it takes some effort. No problem here, though, as it was executed quite well down to the proper degree of doneness (medium rare).

The best thing about eating at The Diner, at least from our table, was the opportunity to sit halfway inside and outside on a nice day and enjoy the passing slice of life that is the meatpacking district. We were lucky to have a table facing The Apple Store, which provides ample amusement just by itself. If conversation starts to slow, it can be fun to try to keep a running tally of those who are/aren't dressed in black as they enter the store.