Ruby Tuesday, Marley Station Mall, 7900 Governor Ritchie Highway, Glen Burnie MD

Okay, I know we were just at Ruby Tuesday a couple of weeks ago, but hey, it's Valentine's Day weekend, they have a great special going, and.... well.... they are one of our top favorite restaurants. And besides, since I forgot to photograph the Italian Cream Cake last time, I wanted to get that up for my readers before y'all forget all about it. Yes, really... I did this all for you, my loyal followers.

Seriously, Ruby Tuesday's "Share the Love" three-nights-three-courses special truly rocks! For $19.99 per person, you get to share an appetizer from a selection of four yummy starters. You each get to choose an entree from an array of seven mouthwatering main courses. Finish by sharing one of four decadent desserts. Considering the consistently high quality of food and service RT delivers, this is a genuine BARGAIN! You better hurry, though... it's just for Valentine's Day, so it ends at closing Sunday night!

We tried the Southwest Spring Rolls appetizer for the first time. These delicate delights are grilled chicken, veggies, black beans, cilantro and a blend of cheeses wrapped in a tortilla and fried to light and crispy goodness. I especially liked the sweet and spicy Southwestern Ranch dressing.

I had a difficult time choosing between the Steak and Lobster Tails or the Steak and Lobster Mac & Cheese, but finally settled on the latter, a new addition to the RT menu. I've said this before, but it bears repeating -- one of the things we love about Ruby Tuesday is their creatively evolving menu, and this is a case in point! I would never have thought to add lobster to my favorite comfort food, mac & cheese, but I am so glad the RT chefs did -- it is creamy, cheesy goodness infused with juicy bits of lobster. The sirloin was perfectly cooked to my "medium well" order -- just enough pink for added tenderness -- and deliciously seasoned and browned outside. Fresh, tender-crisp broccoli and a just-right baked potato rounded out this course.


Now, really, Hunny is not the predictable type. He just happens to love salmon and if he finds it done a new way, he just has to try it. So, he chose another dish that's new to RT's menu, the Salmon Florentine. The creamy Spinach and Artichoke Sauce is tasty without overpowering the light and flaky salmon. It's accompanied by savory brown-rice pilaf and sweet steamed sugar snap peas. Fresh, healthy, pretty and delicious - this dish has it all!



We finished off this wonderful meal with a slice of the Ruby Tuesday dessert-to-die-for, Italian Cream Cake. Anyone who likes carrot cake will LOVE this three-layer slice of bliss. It's a moist buttermilk and walnut cake that tastes like carrot cake with coconut in place of the carrots. The sinfully lustalicious cream cheese frosting is just wonderful all by itself. In fact, as Hunny pointed out, the toasted coconut around the outside isn't necessary at all.... the pure frosting is .... well, you really, really need to try it for yourself! If you click on the photo for a close-up of this masterpiece, your watering mouth will convince you!

Even when the place is hopping-busy, as it was this evening, the Ruby Tuesday staff never seems to get overwhelmed, which in itself is remarkable. It was a pleasure to enjoy another great meal and impeccable service at RT. Our server, Melissa, never let our tea and soda glasses run dry, delivering the friendly, knowledgeable service that we've come to depend on from RT. (Speaking of tea, I must say again, NO ONE does iced tea like Ruby Tuesday! They are the masters!) Management, as usual, was greeting guests, keeping tabs on service, and generally making diners feel welcome and attended to. With the tab of less than $48 for a fabulous Valentine's Day dinner, one word sums up our experience: satisfaction!  Well, I could use other words... contentment, happiness.... it was simply a regular Ruby Tuesday kind of evening.

Ruby Tuesday, Marley Station Mall, 7900 Governor Ritchie Highway, Glen Burnie MD

Located just inside the rear entrance of Marley Station Mall, Ruby Tuesday is one of our favorite eateries because, over the years that we've been dining there, we have always enjoyed consistently good food and service. Their atmosphere is relaxing with an uncluttered decor, comfortable, spacious  seating, and pleasant music. It's usually relatively quiet although, like any restaurant, it can get pretty chatter-heavy when they're packed out with customers.
There are a lot of things we like about Ruby Tuesday, but a couple are especially significant, one being that they frequently update their menu. They have some standard goodies that stick around, but they're not afraid to add something new to their repertoire, and we appreciate the variety. On this visit we tried two of their four new Mini Combinations and we're SO glad we did, because they were fantastic! All of RT's Mini Combos are served with "endless" fries and come with your choice of fresh-made soup or endless fresh garden bar. We both chose the garden bar.

Speaking of the Fresh Garden Bar, it's the other significant thing we like about Ruby Tuesday. They're one of the very few full-service restaurants with a complete salad bar. I can't give you an exhaustive list of their offerings, but be assured that their selection is excellent and they keep it well stocked with fresh items. One of my personal favorites is edamame -- a truly good-tasting and good-for-you veggie that, unfortunately, I rarely find at other salad bars, not even the all-you-can-eat buffets.

RT has a great balance of choices, with plenty of fresh, crisp "standard" garden-salad ingredients (starting with four types of greens), several tasty kinds of pasta salad, a selection of fruits, including Waldorf salad, plus plenty of dressings and toppings. 

Hunny, salmon lover that he is, had the new Salmon Cake Minis. These babies are scrumptious -- grilled golden brown and served with fresh lettuce, tomato and sweet-spicy chili sauce. We were both impressed with the size of these "mini" masterpieces -- as you can see from the photo, they were hanging over the sides of their little buns. He really liked these!


That's not to imply that he was any happier with his choice than I was with mine. I picked the new Pimento Cheese Minis. 


I happen to adore pimento cheese, but I've found that the quality difference between brands ranges dramatically. Let me tell you, this was the second-best pimento cheese I have ever eaten. The only one who's done it better was my late Aunt Lilly, who made it from scratch. This was so near to the quality of hers, though, that I felt compelled to ask the manager, Melissa, if it was made on premises. Surprisingly, she said they get it ready-made from a supplier. In retrospect, I should have asked the name of the supplier -- it's that good! The Pimento Cheese Minis are served with fresh lettuce, tomato, a pickle and Ruby's mayonnaise, but it's so creamy, the mayonnaise really isn't necessary.

If you've read my previous posts, you know that I'm a big fan of fruit-flavored iced tea. Well, no place does that better than Ruby Tuesday. On this visit, I ordered my "usual," the Ruby Red made with pomegranate juice, one of those superfoods that is so good for you, you should drink some every day. That said, I admit that I've tried other flavors once or twice. Served in elegant, tall glasses similar to pilsners, RT uses real fruit and fruit juice -- the peach and mango are infused with luscious bits of fruit that make them delicious and beautiful.

Oh, the manager I mentioned earlier, Melissa -- yeah, she stopped by our table a few times to make sure everything was to our liking. Happily, our server, Jackie, was taking excellent care of us, but we really appreciate it when management is fully engaged with the customers and aware of what's happening, and Melissa makes it her business to do that. She's also a great seller -- despite the fact that we had already decided against dessert, Melissa's description of another new addition to the menu, the Italian Cream Cake, convinced us to share a slice. It was the first time either of us had ever tried this type of cake, but even without other versions to compare it to, we both found it delectable. I love carrot cake, and the Italian Cream Cake, to me, seemed like carrot cake made with coconut instead of carrots, with a very similar texture and cream cheese frosting, but a lighter, less "spiced" flavor. It was so good, in fact, that I completely forgot to take a photo! Oh, well, I guess that means I'll just have to have it again soon. I mean, my readers do need to know what it looks like. At least, that's as good an excuse as I need! After a relaxing and thoroughly enjoyable couple of hours, terrific food and service, and a tab of just $32 and change, we left feeling happy and satisfied.