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Photo: Elizabeth Hait, AOL
In our search for the best of the best of fast-casual restaurant menus, we've sampled Applebee's Appetizers and Outback Steakhouse Favorites. We've given you our picks for TGI Friday's Sizzling Skillets, and Red Lobster Shrimp. Now we figured it was time to put some all-American burgers to the test, courtesy of Ruby Tuesday.
Menu Overview
We dug into all six of Ruby Tuesday's handcrafted premium beef burgers (we're saving the Veggie, Turkey, and Crab premium burgers for another taste test). Triple Prime burgers are a blend of ground tenderloin, sirloin, and ribeye, and are offered plain, with Cheddar cheese, and with Cheddar and applewood-smoked bacon. We also test-drove the Boston Blue (with blue cheese, onion rings, and barbecue sauce), the Smokehouse Burger (Cheddar, bacon, onion rings, and barbecue sauce), and the Alpine Swiss (with Swiss cheese and baby portabello mushrooms). All burgers come with lettuce, tomato, and garlic-mayo toppings, are served on a potato bun, and with a side of pleasantly crisp and well-salted "endless fries." Yes, spud lovers, it's fries till you pull the trigger. (We ordered all burgers cooked to medium doneness.)
See our winner, runner-up, and loser after the jump.
Elizabeth Hait, AOL
The Winner: Smokehouse Burger
Truly a "steaky" tasting burger, this beauty was juicy and full of flavor and texture. With a toppings combo of bacon, "aged New York Cheddar," onion rings cooked crisp, applewood-smoked bacon, and barbecue sauce, the Smokehouse could have been overkill, but it came together in a tangy, just-right bite, with, said one of the group, "a barbecue sauce that's actually subtle." The burger arrived more on the medium-rare side (which we all actually prefer), and the meatiness of the beef was enhanced by the toppings, not overwhelmed by them. One of the crew even wished there were more garlic in the garlic-mayonnaise.
Elizabeth Hait, AOL
The Runner-up: The Boston Blue Burger
Our fabulous waiter, Sean, at our local Ruby Tuesday (in Manhattan's Times Square) gave us all the details on Ruby's Sam Adams-spiked barbecue sauce, which is used on the Boston Blue. We loved Sean's enthusiasm (and all the info he had at his fingertips) but we couldn't help thinking that the combo of blue cheese and beery BBQ sauce was going to be a clash of the topping titans. Sean was right; we were wrong. "Love the unorthodox combo," said one of the group. Those little onion rings appeared again, as in the Smokehouse, and rounded out the flavor, as did the barbecue sauce with the undercurrent of Boston's hometown beer (which we all preferred to the sauce on the Smokehouse).
Elizabeth Hait, AOL
The Loser: Triple Prime Burger
"It's been called the world's best burger," or so says Ruby's menu. And it's not that this is a bad burger at all. It's perfectly good beef, but there was just no oomph to it without the additional toppings. "Unremarkable, and the bun was a bit soggy," said one of our testers. "Overcooked," said another. (There was some inconsistency across the board with the doneness of the meat; some burgers were much more rare than others.) That said, waiter Sean offered to have another burger cooked up for us; the amiable staff aims to please. For Ruby Tuesday burgers, more is more. Layer up those toppings and they bring out the best in that triple-prime beef.
Gluten-free Notes: The member of our crew who is allergic to gluten adds:
"I could have eaten any of these burgers if ordered without buns, fries, onion rings, and bbq sauce. Which would still leave me with options – but not a real burger experience. Unless I brought my own bun? But I still give this experience a thumb's up, I was able to eat!"
Calories and Sodium? Don't Ask!: We live in New York, where it's the law that calorie counts be stated on the menu. Were we thrilled that our Smokehouse Burger has 1,219 calories and 2,539 milligrams of sodium? Let's just say there was a stunned moment of silence, followed by a round of "pass the fries." This is definitely a once-in-a-while treat.
- How many calories are in Ruby Tuesday turkey burger? Take this quiz from Thatsfit.com to find out.
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3-04-2011 @6:40AM Maki Maus said... I have a problem swallowing overcooked meat, and I've pretty much given up ordering any kind of beef or hamburgers in any restaurant, since odds are that someone else's idea of 'rare' is my idea of broiled hockey puck. The last time I had to send a burger back, I got an argument from the manager that it was 'restaurant policy' to cook burgers to at least 'medium', although the menu clearly states 'cooked to order'. Needless to say, neither an apology nor a refund was forthcoming, although the manager did offer a free dessert, which I had to turn down as trying to chew my overdone meal had killed my appetite.
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3-04-2011 @8:05AM Kenny Nash said... Maki,
Finally someone put it into words for me. I refuse to have a burger anywhere except home because I never get what I ordered. I just grill my own at home and there's no sending it back. If I want to gamble I will go to Hard Rock here in Fort Lauderdale. If I want dessert I will freaking order it. Thank you so much for writing this comment.
Kenny Nash
youtube kenny nash "desire"
3-04-2011 @8:08AM J Lea said... Ecoli killed some kids and sickened hundreds back in 1993. No restaurant is going to undercook hamburger meat without a signed legal document stating you will not sue if you become ill. Even then, you'll probably have to grill it yourself. Steak is a different story though, since it's a solid piece of meat as opposed to the ground stuff, where if stomach and intestinal contents of the cow contaminate the meat, well done is the only way to ensure the bacteria are completely killed
3-06-2011 @8:42AM Jen said... Anyone else think that Maki Maus and Kenny Nash would be the first people to sue a restaurant if they came down with e. coli from an undercooked burger? Unfortunately for the whiny, sense of entitlement types, restaurants care more about legally protecting themselves and following health laws than serving you a bloody, half raw burger. Sorry! :)
3-06-2011 @12:45PM Taste said... If you've spent your life eating burnt meat, you probably prefer it, but this is also about honesty in advertising. Restaurants overcook meat to kill bacteria so they don't get sued. The simple answer is not to eat at these pathetic fast food places. If you have limited tastes and don't care that this kind of food is probably destroying your health, please feel free to continue your looser lives, but if we ever do go to socialized medicine, and I have to pay for you're heart attack and diabetes, expect me to balk. (Actually the government will then do what the HMO's do, and spend the money on themselves, and not really help you much.) Really, Maki should have sued the restaurant for false advertising! (Not that we need any more lawsuits...)
3-06-2011 @12:55PM joel jasons said... the mushroom cheese one in the top photos looks really good, but i've never had it before to know what it tastes like. i noticed the way you guys said this is a "once in a while treat" - - not just for the health reasons, but the wallet too. these can't be cheap, especially when you're done adding a drink and tip to your bill. check for coupons from HtTp://bIt.lY/couponclippers i've been able to get free appetizer or dessert with purchase for my meal out, or a free drink, that kind of thing.
3-04-2011 @7:15AM A Sandler said... Best Hamburger on Long Island: Tr's Great American Restaurant 17 Hillside Ave. Williston Park.
Burger Specials Tuesdays & Thursdays
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3-04-2011 @7:22AM GB said... Cheesecake Factory has the best burgers by far!!!
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3-04-2011 @7:45AM Jaydon said... I visited the Ruby Tuesday's in Belton, Missouri on my way through to Kansas City yesterday and ordered up a couple of Alpine Swiss Burgers for my mother and me. I was pleasantly surprised that the hand-crafted burgers which my mother and I both ordered, were exactly medium-well in doneness just the way we had ordered. The level of doneness was spot on and consistent. Now we were served the burgers with all of the toppings (lettuce, tomato,, and mayo) and all on a wheat bun. The combination of meat and toppings made the burger somewhat drippy but the wheat bun resisted getting soggy much more that a potato or white bun in my opinion.
I was a little disappointed that the portabella mushrooms were a little dry and served on top of the other condiments rather than being placed either under the melted Swiss cheese or directly on top of it. The mushroom slices were rather tiny and sparse. I wouldn't have been disappointed if they would have gone overboard with the mushrooms.
Yes, the endless fries were exactly golden crisp, fresh, well-salted and hot. The fries weren't the only thing that was endless at this Ruby Tuesday's. The server (forgive me for not remembering her name) offered and endless supply of customer satisfaction insuring we enjoyed the whole experience rather than just the food. Everything that was used to make this food order came fresh and it was evident that they didn't cut corners on anything including the fresh-out-of-the-oven mini biscuits we were served as complimentary appetizers.
All of this great customer service, free appetizer biscuits, fresh gourmet style hand-crafted burger, arguably the words freshest and crispiest fries and endless iced tea for under 11 dollars!
As I left onto the highway and passed by an Applebee's a few exits North, I looked at the parking lot of customer cars and thought "boy are you people missing out".
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3-04-2011 @7:47AM grady said... VEGBURGERS ARE THE BEST THEY NEVER HAD A FACE LIKE FLESHBURGERS DID
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3-04-2011 @7:50AM James said... Maybe instead of just gluten free they should be looking for glutton free. A single burger with 2,539 mg of sodium? With that much sodium and you still found it to be flavorful, your taste buds must have burnt out long ago. No wonder obesity is on the rise in America, if it wasn’t bad enough already, 1,219 calories in one burger?!?
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3-04-2011 @8:00AM H L C Van Layden said... One of the worst meals & service ive ever had was at Ruby Tuesdays that was inside a mall in Wilmington/Newark, Delaware.............
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3-04-2011 @8:40AM bob said... Ruby T's is a pretty great place for a lot of things... you simply can't go wrong with Mac and cHeese with Lobster mixed in, and their salad bar is one of the best going, especially if you happen to hit a fresh and warm pumpernickel cruton batch. The crab cake burgers are also pretty great... very diverse menu and my wife, who is a rabid veggiehead always finds something good to eat.
The only down side is that the place has a strange name and seems to have 1950's decorations and lampshades these days... I liked the old stained glass lamps myself...
Every eatery is going to produce sticker shock on the calorie side with the new trend to let you know what you are eating. ONE burger = a days worth of calories??? that is a slap on the fat butt of America.
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3-04-2011 @8:17AM jo said... Yes, that's really appetizing. Pictures of ground up dead cow , covered in pieces of fried dead pig and cholesterol-loaded fat. And, it's so heartening that so many people still believe it's okay to torture millions of farm animals, by confining them in enclosed spaces or jammed into dirty feedlots, standing in their own filth, while being forced to eat food that isn't natural to them, and producing tons of animal waste and methane gas, just so humans can consume them in this form and develop heart disease that puts ever more burden on our healthcare system.
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3-04-2011 @8:39AM BigMac said... What about vegetarians who put a burden on the healthcare system because they get sick when they don't get all the vitamins and minerals they need? (A recent study said 50% of vegans are malnourished.) Let's see, in your rant you invoked torture, global warming and health care. Want to add religion, politics, unemployment and Government spending? Obviously those are all caused by meat eaters.
3-04-2011 @8:55AM helema said... actually my meat is not tortured in a feed lot it is free range and dispatched humainley. these animals were put here to EAT not as pets!!
3-04-2011 @9:27AM Patrick said... It's conceited, smug, know-it-all "bleeding hearts" like you who give liberals like me a bad name. You must be so proud of your superior stance on life.
3-04-2011 @8:53AM GEORGE said... 5 guys
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3-04-2011 @8:57AM Ron said... Obviously you didn't go to "Five Guys."
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3-04-2011 @8:55AM herb sedler said... Did you not just say how unhealthy this burger was for you less than 2 weeks ago, I have had there food and they are alright, I just found it odd that you are now promoting there products after tearing them apart a few weeks ago. Almost any restaurant can serve something that can be unhealthy if you look hard enough, there is good and bad in most of anything prepared in a restaurant or at your house, unless you only graze and eat fruits and veggies which you are leaving yourself open to chemical poisons that are sprayed or came from the water or air. moderation is the key and enjoy your life. Eat what taste's good to you
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