A New Brunch For Center City

Because apparently this city can never have too many brunch spots, it was announced last week that national steakhouse chain Ruth’s Chris (which recently opened a Center City location on the first floor of the Sonesta at 18th and Market, in the old home of that English pub that I only went to once, even though it was literally right around the corner from my office) was going to be launching a brand new brunch service in Philly on February 4.

Our is one of only two cities where this experiment is being tried (the other is Boston). So let’s see what we’re in for, shall we?

The service will run on weekends only–Saturdays and Sundays, from 11am to 3pm–and offers a 250-seat space in order to enjoy it, right off the lobby of the Sonesta.

The menu is a combination of dishes from the regular steakhouse menu, plus a solid run of Southern-styled brunch classics put together by chef Johnnie Reynolds and his crew. Right now, it appears that the final version of the menu is still being put together, but look for things like Creole biscuits and andouille sausage gravy, Cajun tenderloin eggs benedict, omelets stuffed with lobster ratatouille and served with zuchini fries, plus chicken and waffles–which I’m excited about because I get excited about chicken and waffles whenever they pop up on menus. The version here looks to be “hand-breaded buttermilk chicken breast with hot pepper jam, served atop herbed waffles. Topped with a watermelon salad and bleu cheese then drizzled with jalapeño maple syrup.”

And okay, sure. That seems a little…busy to me. And watermelon and bleu cheese together sounds like an unnecessary risk. But whatever. Chicken and waffles, right?

At the bar, they’ve also got a full spread of brunch-time cocktails–mimosas, sangria, blueberry mojitos, two different kinds of Bloody Mary (Cajun and five-spice) and a New Orleans brandy milk punch–plus a big wine list to choose from, if that’s your jam.

Service starts next weekend.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House [Official]