WineSpectator Steak House Awards???

I see every year, repeatedly, in the WS Restaurant Awards awards for Fleming's Steak House, Ruth'sChris Steak House, and DelFrisco's Steak Houses. For branches from various states throughout this Great Nation, which couldn't all possibly have the same wine lists.
The only wine list I could dredge up on-line was Ruth'sChris. It was fairly large but looked pretty quotidian and wasn't much on there that interested me...the standard SilverOak/etc.
Anybody eaten at any of those restaurants and feel that their wine lists are anything special?? Or is it because those three regularly advertise in WS??? I know...yada/yada/yada...there is no connection between the advertising side of WS and the editorial side.
Tom

[Robin Garr]

I avoid those places, Tom, but I did review the Ruth's Chris here back in the early '00s, and at that time its list was noteworthy for being topped by a handful of trophy wines (four of the five Bdx first growths) in poor vintages at wildly inflated prices.

For the high-rollers who thought a night at Ruth's meant they had hit the big time, the opportunity to lay down a four-figure tab for Famous Boredoo probably made their night. For the rest of us, the list was, as you say, quotidian, and marked up maybe 4X wholesale at a time when a 2 1/2X markup was the local industry standard.

This was the case in Louisville, anyway. I assume it was typical, although we do get a lot of horse-industry related high rollers here who are quite easily separated from their money by canny merchants.

[David M. Bueker]

The local Ruths Chris here has normally featured Ridge Geyserville and/or Lytton Springs, so no complaints.

We were recently at Ruth's Chris. I do think that their wine list is decent though it is not award worthy in a wine geek sense . However, when a Beringer Knights Valley Cab comes in at $170 I choke on my $18 shrimp cocktail. With so many good, reasonably priced craft beers available I find myself gravitating away from steak house wine these days.

I have eaten at most of these places during my travels... for instance at least 4 different Ruth's in different cities. And more Morton's than i can count. Basically they are all the same. You can get a good overpriced steak at any of them. Their wine lists are exactly as described above. Long lists headed by a few very well known names at enormous prices. I always thought that those were there strictly for those with unlimited expense accounts. Usually I have been able though to find something drinkable at a fairly reasonable price if you look hard. You do have bear in mind though that everything in these places is overpriced. But they do provide a nice dining experience every once in awhile as a treat.

[Robin Garr]

The local Ruths Chris here has normally featured Ridge Geyserville and/or Lytton Springs, so no complaints.

Did you check the price comparatives against other local eateries?

However, when a Beringer Knights Valley Cab comes in at $170 I choke on my $18 shrimp cocktail.

Wow. Just wow.

[David M. Bueker]

The local Ruths Chris here has normally featured Ridge Geyserville and/or Lytton Springs, so no complaints.

Did you check the price comparatives against other local eateries?

No, but they have been reasonable. Usually around $70 which is 2x retail.

As has been discussed much before, doesn't take a lot (besides entry fee) to get basic WS award, and the core list of all those steakhouses would qualify

But steakhouses have their uses, usually the most corkage friendly places (l haven't been to Ruth's Chris in many years, but think local is still $25 corkage; Morton's usually will waive if we eat there as a wine group).

Used to frequent the great majority of those places, but that was when I was traveling on an expense account and entertaining clients who wanted to go there, or because I needed to schmooze the accounts.

But for some time now, I haven't. Once the wife pretty much stopped eating beef, and I slowly cut down as well, there wasn't much call. Besides, as others have said they were all egregiously overpriced and sucked out even more moolah with their bullshit a la carte pricing. Gouge gouge gouge.

And let's face it: if you focus on properly selected and supplied meat and hire anything more than an idiot line chef to make sure it's not overdone, how hard is it to be a steakhouse anyway?

Thing is, steak house wine lists have NEVER impressed me. Very little differentiation; very little real attention paid to a fully rounded list; even less, really, paid to real food matching. And endless ocean of Cabernet and Merlot, eventually brightened up with Syrah, maybe a couple of Zins. And mostly, yes, quotidian stuff, a list of Usual Suspects that were not in the least bit imaginative or creative or touched with genius.

Bern's is an honorable exception, but even its wine list is not so much selected as it is accumulated. But however it happened, there's madness of the best sort, and opportunities abounding. And while Bern's food prices gouge with the best of them, there are always wonderfully bizarre and affordable wines galore to be had.

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Raleigh is the only one of those mentioned by Tom Hill to which I have been (and that one several times for special wine dinners including a Robert Mondavi commemorative dinner around what would have been his100th birthday with Robert Mondavi wines.)
The wine list is generally what one would expect for a steakhouse--i.e., Cab, Merlot, and as Hoke said, a few Zins and Syrahs. One of the things that made the wine dinners fun was the maître d' (or general manager might be his title) who was enthusiastic about food and wine pairings and a lively host. Also, the dinners included a raffle for prizes and I won a set of Riedel glasses at the first one I attended.
I am already planning to revisit Bern's in Tampa in November having had a great experience there last April.