With its white linens, low lighting and extensive wine selection, Ruffino’s Restaurant has a country club-style atmosphere that fits perfectly for its location on the eastern end of Highland Road near the Country Club of Louisiana.
While the restaurant specializes in company meetings, rehearsal dinners, pharmaceutical presentations, award ceremonies, birthday, anniversary or retirement celebrations, it can accommodate almost every event.
Ruffino’s fits the categories of an Italian (Louisiana-inspired Italian), Seafood restaurant and steakhouse.
The first time I went to Ruffino’s was to celebrate my graduation from LSU. My family was looking for a nice place to take me for lunch after the graduation ceremony so one of my friends suggested Ruffino’s since that’s where she and her family were going.
One of the items I remember ordering was the Crabmeat Cheesecake, which my friend had also suggested for an appetizer, and it was delicious! The cheesecake consists of jumbo lump crabmeat baked with a medley of Italian cheeses set in a Creole Meuniere sauce with Hollandaise.
While Ruffino’s is a nice restaurant with tasty dishes and a pretty atmosphere, I do believe it to be a little overrated. Even Ruffino’s has its off days and is inconsistent when it comes to good service and food.
Recently, a group of friends and I went for a birthday celebration. The service was fine but we couldn’t help feel that our dishes were a bit overpriced considering the quality of the entrées.
For an appetizer we ordered the fried calamari, which was really good. The calamari had a fresh (not frozen) taste and the fried batter was perfectly crunchy. So no complaints there!
We were also served bread while we waited for our main entrées to arrive. The bread was a little over-baked and dry. It almost had a burnt marshmallow taste to it. Weird, I know.
Two of my friends ordered the Veal Michael. This dish contains pan-sautéed medallions with crab meat and imperial sauce. It is served with Capellini and Tomato cream sauce.
This dish is served in two dishes, one for the pasta and one for the veal and crab meat. There were complaints around the table that the pasta was overcooked and mushy and that the sauce had a weird taste. One person even compared it to tasting like shrimp. Needless to say, I had to taste it for myself. And they were right.
If you come to Ruffino’s and you’re in the mood for something easy, light and not heavy like pasta and steaks, I recommend the Margherita pizza. It’s simple, with tomato sauce, Provolone and fresh basil, it’s hard to mess up. A friend of mine ordered this and really enjoyed it. Ruffino’s pizzas are 10” New York style crispy pizza crust. They even have an option to build your own!
As for my entrée, a friend and I both ordered the Cedar Plank Baked Redfish. I had tweeted earlier in the day about going to Ruffino’s that night and they tweeted me back asking whether I knew what I would order or not and then suggested I order the cedar plank baked redfish.
Since I was pretty certain I had ordered this at my graduation lunch and loved it, I decided to stick to what I knew and order it again. However, this time I was disappointed.
Here is a description of the dish: Fresh Redfish baked on a cedar plank in our wood burning oven. Topped with fresh pesto, sliced tomatoes, and drizzled with balsamic syrup. Served with garlic and rosemary roasted potatoes. Add Jumbo Lump Crabmeat or Sautéed Shrimp.
We chose not to add crabmeat or shrimp. The redfish was a little dry, but I think it was the balsamic syrup that threw the whole dish off. I don’t know if we just went on an off night or what but it did not taste like I had remembered it or imagined it.
Because of these inconsistencies I don’t think I will ever order the cedar plank baked redfish again.
Normally, straying from what I usually order to try something new would worry me a little, in case I would not like it, but in this case I could never really be sure the dish that I usually get would taste the same every time.
We did not order dessert, although the birthday boy and girl were each given a free small vanilla cake. Which was really nice!
Then, we saw other diners at tables eating cotton candy. We asked our server about it and he said that it was free! Who doesn’t love free food? Especially free sweet food!? I think the cotton candy was the highlight of our night!
What does set Ruffino’s off from other restaurants around Baton Rouge is that they provide a shuttle service to help diners get home safely. The restaurant provides groups of customers with shuttle service to and from their party location with a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter passenger van, which seats 10. So this may be something to look into when celebrating an occasion or just dining with a large party to make sure everyone makes it home safely. The Sprinter is even equipped with a full bar and two flat-screen TVs.
So if you’re looking for a nice, romantic atmosphere for a special occasion or celebration, Ruffino’s may be the place for you. Some would describe the attire as anything from dressy to casual. However, I would not go to Ruffino’s for a casual lunch or dinner. At the end of the day I believe the restaurant has a great atmosphere, but as far as the food goes it’s overrated and overpriced. With that said, you MUST try the Crabmeat Cheesecake!
18811 Highland Rd
Baton Rouge, LA 70809
(225) 753-3458
www.ruffinosrestaurant.com
Price Range: $$$
Filed under: Italian, Places, Restaurants, Seafood Tagged: Alex Smith, Alexandra Smith, Baton Rouge Italian Restaurants, Baton Rouge Restaurants, Baton Rouge seafood restaurants, Baton Rouge steakhouses, Cedar Plank Baked Redfish, Crabmeat Cheesecake, Margherita pizza, nice restaurants in Baton Rouge, Ruffino's, Ruffino's Restaurant, Ruffino's Restaurant Review, Veal Michael
