Jeff Ruby was eating his Wheaties when I called him last week to talk about food. "You might not remember this, but it's the breakfast of champions," he told me.
While he might not be a championship athlete, Ruby is inarguably a champion when it comes to his chosen occupation of restaurateur. After opening his first luxury steakhouse, The Precinct, in 1981, Ruby went on to open Carlo & Johnny and the Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse empire, which now includes locations in Nashville, Louisville, Columbus and Lexington.
Since a man can't live on steak alone (or can he?), I asked Ruby about his five favorite dishes at other Greater Cincinnati restaurants.
Here are the dishes he wanted to talk about.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The fried chicken at The Eagle, Over-the-Rhine
"When
you bite into The Eagle's chicken, you get a really nice crust," Ruby said. "It's not soggy at all. It's juicy inside, it's brined, and once you bite into it, I don't care if it's breasts or thighs or whatever, it's tasty and has texture. It looks good, smells good, tastes good and feels good."
Chicken nuggets and burgers at Sacred Beast, Over-the-Rhine
"Guy Fieri asks my opinion when he's in Cincinnati. On his most recent visit, he asked if I wanted to come to Sacred Beast with him. I told him that (co-owner and chef Jeremy Lieb) used to be my chef, but he quit and left me to go to work for (Boca owner) David Falk. But I like him. I respect him and we have a good relationship. And if he has his own place, I'm happy for him. I tried his (chili crunch chicken nuggets) and it was the best chicken I've ever eaten at any restaurant. I don't care if it's chicken Kiev or cordon bleu – it's the best (expletive) chicken in Cincinnati."
Ruby also loves Sacred Beast's Dirty French burger, which is topped with Gruyere, caramelized onions and Mornay sauce in a pool of peppery au poivre sauce. "It's sloppy, but everything on it is good. It's different than any burger I've ever tasted, and it's damn good."
A 'wet SOC' 4-way at Skyline
"Cincinnati chili is just spaghetti with sauce on it," Ruby said. And he likes a lot of sauce. "I like it so it has more gravy. It needs to have more broth in the sauce as opposed to meat."
Ruby said he orders a 4-way with spaghetti, onions, cheese and chili, "wet," with extra "drippings," or what he refers to as "a wet SOC."
The mussels charmoula at Abigail Street, Over-the-Rhine
Mussels charmoulais a traditional North African dish of steamed mussels in a fragrant sauce made with spices such as cumin, fresh herbs, paprika, citrus and garlic. And Ruby thinks Abigail Street serves one of the best versions. "It has tomatoes, saffron and a ton of herbs and grilled bread," Ruby said. "They've got great food there."
The grouper at Oriental Wok, Fort Mitchell
Ruby and Oriental Wok owner Mike Wong's friendship goes way back, Ruby said. Which is why he tries to visit Wong's Oriental Wok, in Fort Mitchell, at least once a month. He changes his order frequently, but his go-to is the grouper with ginger and scallion soy sauce.
Bonus round!
What's the first restaurant meal you remember?
"I was 7 years old in Miami Beach at a restaurant called Gray's, and I ordered the frog legs," Ruby said. "I thought I would try something different because I have always done things differently."
How do you like your steak?
"I like everything 'medium rare plus,' which means not too red," Ruby said. "My favorite steak right now is the wagyu cap steak (at Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse). It's everyone's favorite."
Aside from a steakhouse, what kind of restaurant have you always wanted to open?
"A long time ago, I was talking to Jean-Robert (de Cavel) about doing a restaurant together," Ruby said. "We were having breakfast together at Bob Evans on Montgomery Road and I said, 'Listen, I want to call it Blueberry Hill, I want to get Fats Domino to open it up. I want some classic dishes that neither of us were doing, like beef wellington, lobster thermidor and clams casino.'"
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Jeff Ruby shares his 5 favorite dishes from Cincinnati restaurants
