There’s something very specific about the pleasures of a good steakhouse. It’s dark and clubby with exceptional service, and you can mostly anticipate the menu. Ruth’s Chris, which got started in New Orleans in 1965, grew successful by challenging the notion that predictability necessitates mediocrity—that is, just because it’s a chain doesn’t mean it can’t be great.

Bread comes to the table fresh and warm. The chopped salad, touted as a classic, sports a little spill of fried onions on top that adds texture but steals thunder from the tasty blue cheese. Fried oysters and gumbo are delicious, and creamed spinach is like a dream, with the pepper and béchamel and spinach leaves all blending together into an irresistible pile of fatty goodness. But this infamous gimmick of bringing a well-seasoned steak on 500-degree plates of sizzling butter means you had better order it cooked at least one level lower than you want it. The kitchens are remarkably adept at this, considering their patented 1800-degree ovens.

Being the chain that it is, you can rest assured that you’ll feel equally at home at all locations. There is an equalizing dark, clubby feeling, although this decade-old branch is looking a bit worse for wear. The décor is starting to look dated, and the tacky mural along the back isn’t helping. We’ve noticed the dining room is increasingly filled with people in shorts and sandals. Is carelessness contagious?

Even at these prices?