Alright, folks, let me tell you about my little outing to Ruby Tuesday over in Tampa the other day. It’s one of those places, you know? Been around for ages.
Deciding to Go
So, the missus and I were trying to figure out dinner. Nothing too fancy, just something easy. The thought of their salad bar popped into my head – sometimes you just crave a good ol’ salad bar. We hadn’t been to a Ruby Tuesday in a long while, so we figured, why not? Let’s see what the Tampa one is like.
Getting There and First Impressions
We hopped in the car and drove over. Wasn’t too hard to find, right there on the main drag. Parking was a breeze, plenty of spots. We walked in, and yeah, it looked pretty much like every other Ruby Tuesday I’ve ever been in. Dim lighting, lots of dark wood, booths. It wasn’t too busy, maybe half full, which was a good sign for a quick dinner. A friendly face greeted us at the door and showed us to a booth pretty quickly. No waiting around, which I always appreciate.
The Main Event: Food and Drinks
Our server came over, a young fella, seemed nice enough. We started with drinks. I just got an iced tea, and the wife got a lemonade. Standard stuff.
Then, the Garden Bar. That’s what I was really there for. I made a beeline for it. Here’s what I loaded up on:
- Lots of fresh lettuce, spinach too.
- Cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and those little broccoli florets.
- Shredded cheese, of course. A good handful.
- Some pasta salad they had on the side.
- And a generous scoop of croutons for that crunch.
Drizzled some ranch over it all. It was pretty good, actually. Everything looked fresh, and they kept it well-stocked. I was happy with my salad creation.
For the main course, I was in the mood for something hearty. I ended up ordering the New Orleans Seafood. My wife, she went for the Rib Eye, cooked medium. We waited a bit, chatted, sipped our drinks. The food came out in what felt like a reasonable amount of time.
My seafood dish, it was alright. The fish was cooked okay, and the shrimp were decent. The sauce had a bit of a kick, which I liked. It came with some rice and broccoli. The broccoli was a bit plain, but fine. My wife said her rib eye was cooked just how she liked it, tender enough. Fries on her plate were your standard steak fries, crispy.
Service and Atmosphere
The server checked on us a couple of times, refilled my iced tea without me having to ask, which is always a plus in my book. The atmosphere was pretty laid back. Just people having dinner, families, a couple of groups. Nothing too loud or rowdy. It was a comfortable spot to just eat and talk.
Wrapping Up
We skipped dessert. We were both pretty full after the salad bar and our main dishes. Got the check, paid up, and headed out. All in all, it was a perfectly fine meal. It wasn’t mind-blowing gourmet stuff, but that’s not what you go to Ruby Tuesday for, is it? It was familiar, comfortable, and the salad bar hit the spot.
So, that was my Ruby Tuesday adventure in Tampa. Did the job, filled us up. If you’re looking for something dependable and you like a good salad bar, it’s worth a stop. Just a straightforward dinner out, nothing more, nothing less. And sometimes, that’s exactly what you need.
