Photo by Stephen Buchanan
Steve de Castro fled Cuba in 1968 with his mother and sister and ended up in New Orleans. There, he got his start in the restaurant business as a 14-year-old dishwasher. Flash forward more than five decades. De Castro owns nine Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses in three states, including four in Maryland.
At 23, he became general manager of La Riviera restaurant in Metairie, Louisiana, where he met Ruth Fertel, the brand’s founder. He went to work for Fertel, taking on the worst-performing restaurant in the chain in Washington, D.C.
“When I went to work for Ruth, I was 30,” de Castro says. “Within 12 months it became the best restaurant. I came in and cleaned house. I trained everybody to turn it up a few notches.”
De Castro also made the restaurants he owns very successful. The Ruth’s Chris in the Eastport section of Annapolis is particularly meaningful to de Castro since he was a long-time Crownsville resident. And the newer Odenton location is also receiving high marks.
De Castro recognizes the importance of his 35-year-old Executive Chef Ivan Garcia. Garcia became the youngest employee at any of de Castro’s restaurants to hold that position. Garcia loves to prepare customer favorites: filet mignon, New York Strip steak, a pork chop, and double-breasted stuffed chicken.
The restaurants also offer top-notch catering and a wine list that’s tough to beat. We recently sat down to talk with the 66-year-old de Castro and Garcia.
Photo by Stephen Buchanan
Steve, can you talk about why you left Cuba?
I left because the whole country wanted to leave. Fidel (Castro) took everything away from us. Things just kept getting worse and my father said, “It is time to leave.” My father and brother left in 1966. Then in 1968, my mother, sister, and I left for Mexico and after six months, we came to New Orleans.
What was your first experience with Ruth’s Chris? Did it involve your first job?
I knew Ruth from New Orleans. She was a regular customer at this restaurant I managed for eight years. I started at La Riviera at 14. I worked there for 10 years and started in the kitchen by washing dishes. Then I cooked for a few years and went to the front of the house to wait tables and bartend. I eventually became the general manager at 21 and it was then that I fell in love with the restaurant business.
What distinguishes your restaurant’s menu offerings from other steak houses?
It all starts with the product we purchase, which is the best two percent of the prime beef in the country. We are largest prime steak house in the world, so we have people in the slaughter houses and the dry-agent rooms hand-picking the best of the best. And we use fresh ingredients for everything else we do.
How do you keep the customers coming back?
I think it’s a combination of great service, good ambiance, and the consistency on everything that we do.
What kind of customers do you cater to?
We cater to just about every customer out there. We have the regular clientele that comes every week or every month. Then we have the special-occasion clientele that we get for anniversaries or celebrations. We get a lot of those.
Of course, you are most famous for your steaks, but do you offer many other dishes that people crave?
People would say, “If you go to a steak house, you don’t want to order fish.” Well, that’s not true. Our fish, veal, pork, and chicken are the best you can get anywhere. We purchase the finest products. We cook them very simply. We don’t have the heavy sauces to cover the dishes. We use a lot of salt and pepper, and butter. It’s done very delicately, and very simply.
Can you talk about the wines you offer?
Years ago, we started bringing in wines that were rated by Wine Spectator, and Wine Enthusiast. If it didn’t have a 90 percent rating, we wouldn’t bring it in. We hand select every bottle of wine or every brand that comes into our restaurant. It’s not an easy thing to maintain. We have a wine sommelier that has been handling that for the last couple of years. It’s a lot of work to do that for nine restaurants.
How has business been during the pandemic? Have wedding groups helped?
We have done well during the pandemic, but not as good as in a normal year. It’s because of our reputation of 20-plus years in Maryland, our consistency, and our product. We keep getting more and more small weddings for dinner. At our Pikesville and Pier 5 locations, we have larger facilities, and we do larger weddings as well. With social distancing and the size of the rooms and size of the parties you can have, it just makes it a lot more challenging.
Ivan, what makes the Annapolis restaurant different than other locations?
This Ruth’s Chris is part of the neighborhood in Eastport and the culture. We have regulars that are here often. The staff members are all really well-known and have been here for a long time. Our bartender Jennifer has been here since we opened. The customers come back and see the same faces. We create those relationships.
What is your most popular item?
Filet mignon. It’s so tender and very tasty. It’s the perfect dish for a night out. We season it with black pepper and sea salt. We top it off with butter and chopped parsley. You will taste the greatness of the meat.
What other steak do people like the most?
New York strip. The only items we use to prepare it are salt and pepper. We don’t add any marinades. We let the meat speak for itself. We cook it in 1800-degree broilers. That’s what keeps all the juices on the inside and the marble colors on the outside. It cooks from the outside to the inside. That seals the flavors in.
What should we know about the Ahi tuna?
It’s part of the main dishes we have at this location. We blacken it with spices on both sides. It’s made with mustard sauce, beer, and soy sauce. We sear it on the flat top, then we slice it and serve it rare. We finish it with cucumber salad, cilantro springs, fresh ginger, and mustard sauce.
Photo by Stephen Buchanan
Blackened Ahi Tuna
One Serving
Ingredients
- 4 oz ahi tuna filet
- 1 tsp blackening seasoning
- 1/2 oz canola oil
- 2 oz cucumber salad (or salad of choice)
- 1 oz pickled ginger
- 4 sprigs cilantro
- 1/2 oz mustard sauce (see recipe)
- 1/2 lemon (to garnish)
Directions
Place blackening seasoning in a pie tin then dip the tuna into the seasoning to evenly coat on all sides. Place oil on a clean broiler top or into a clean cast iron skillet and then set the tuna on the oiled area. Briefly sear for approximately 5 to 10 seconds, per side, on all 4 sides; cook tuna rare in temperature. To plate, place two ounces of cucumber salad on a long white platter at the 9 o’clock position. Next, top salad with 1 ounce of pickled ginger. Place 4 fresh cilantro sprigs on top of the pickled ginger. Place tuna on cutting board and using a very sharp knife, score the tuna in the center and then score the tuna again halfway between the center and each end. Use the scores as a guide to ensure you make eight equal slices. Shingle the tuna slices slightly overlapping and place it on the platter next to the salad. Leave small space between the tuna and the salad for the mustard sauce. Place lemon garnish next to the salad and serve immediately.
Mustard Sauce
Makes 2 Cups
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Coleman’s dry mustard
- 1/4 Cup Dijon mustard
- 1 Cup soy sauce
- 6 oz beer (Budweiser preferred)
Directions
Measure out dry mustard and Dijon mustard and mix well into smooth paste. Slowly add soy sauce and whip to incorporate into mustard paste. When all soy sauce is added, slowly add beer and whip well. Make sure mustard paste is fully incorporated.
Ruth’s Chris Steak House
301 Severn Avenue, Annapolis | 410-990-0033 | 1110 Town Center Boulevard, Odenton | 240-556-0033 | ruthschris.com
