Puttin' on the Ritz

Oh, I do feel fancy eating at the Ritz; especially at lunch time surrounded by local politicians and lawyers. Yes this is a pricey place to eat and at night it turns into a meat market (has nothing to do with food).  I would stay clear of the place at night unless that is your screen. But I would totally try the Ritz out for lunch if you haven’t already.

Just one word and one word alone Voodoo!!! That's right the Voodoo Chicken is to die for (insert scary laugh here). I tried the Voodoo Chicken appetizer for lunch limiting the amount of carbs. My coworker, and sometimes I will refer to him as a friend but usually not in public and never to his face, order the Voodoo Chicken Sandwich and side salad. The Voodoo Chicken is tangy and spicy but not overwhelmingly hot for your taste buds just a light kick of spice. I would say if you like buffalo chicken at other restaurants then you would like the Voodoo Chicken.

I ended up going to the Ritz two days in a row for lunch with two different groups of coworkers. The first day we had great service; our waiter was on top of his game bringing refills before we asked and frequently stopping by to see if we needed anything. Oh and by the way he was very personable and witty which is always as a plus. The following day the waitress seemed distracted and very slow with our order which is something that can’t happen during lunch breaks.  So just for warning you could possible wait awhile in getting your meal depending on your server.

Ummmmm….carbs! I do enjoy the warm sour dough bread that is complimentary with your meal.

Both days I went to the Ritz two separate coworkers order this next dish and one allowed me to try it. The Cajun Chicken and Shrimp which has… you guessed it chicken and shrimp as well as red peppers, poblanos, a creamy Cajun sauce and angel hair pasta. Now this pasta has a nice kick to it and even though it has shrimp is does not have a seafoody taste to it because of all the Cajun spices.

The second day I went to the Ritz I wanted something lighter then the Voodoo Chicken so I order the iceberg wedge. The wedge is usually served as shown in the picture with tomatoes, bacon, fried shallots and an oh so creamy gorgonzola dressing (I love a cheese based dressing); but since I am picky and don’t eat anything cute I 86’ed the bacon. My coworker got his wedge with bacon and had no complaints. 

Two of my coworkers ordered the fish in chips which ended up taking awhile and when the plates did come out each plate only had two pieces of fish instead of the full order. The rest of their order came out later which was odd. I don’t eat seafood and especially not fish because I am a picky eater. But my two coworkers assured me that with the Ritz fish and chips I wasn’t missing much.

If you are ever in the downtown area and looking for a fancy place to grab a bite to eat...

"Spending every dime, for a wonderful time
If you're blue and you don't know where to go to
Why don't you go where fashion sits,
Puttin' on the Ritz."