Valrico Ruby Tuesday's Disappointing

When I had lunch at the Ruby Tuesday's in Riverview, I was impressed and I held that thought as I entered the chain restaurant in Valrico, 1812 State Road 60 E. Mistake!

There were a couple of things that went well but the overall visit was disappointing. My wife and I entered about three in the afternoon, so right away I'm expecting a leftover salad bar and I was not surprised to find wilted lettuce and sad tomatoes. The cheese had that consistency it gets when mashed against the side of the container so I looked at the rest of the toppings and decided the salad thing was out. I was going to test for crunchy croutons but I couldn't find any.

We waited around for a couple of minutes and nobody came to seat us so we seated ourselves. Our server was taken aback when she saw a new table but we assured her we had only just sat down. She gave us a couple of menus and, within minutes, we had our drinks and a different server.

I joked to the new server about my Hawaiian shirt scaring the other waitress away but I found that my sense of humor was not well received. It is my experience that the servers who work in the mid-afternoon have the best sense of humor mostly because they have to; its harder to make a dollar in an empty restaurant but I found the only one in Valrico that has no laugh track. I'm not going to mention her name because my aim is not to hurt anyone, just help with their mistakes.

My wife was in a saucey mood so she ordered the spicy buffalo shrimp and they came out perfectly done. The breading was crunchy and they were gently tossed in the buffalo sauce and brought out to the table within minutes.

One of the tricks to eating fried food tossed in sauce--if it sits in a window waiting for the rest of the meal to finish cooking, it will mat down and lose its crunch. If they over-toss the shrimp in the sauce, it will tear the breading apart. So it really is tricky to get the breaded food out right, but with proper timing, it can be accomplished.  She ordered the ranch dressing instead of bleu cheese and it appeared to be the stuff bought by the gallon---nothing to write home about.

My meal was less than OK but I wanted at least good, bordering on spectacular. I ordered the New Orleans-topped tilapia and my fish was overcooked as the edges were crispy and hard, despite the fact they tried to mask this with a cream sauce. The shrimp were the best part of the dish since they were seasoned just right and not overcooked but they were set in a sauce I could have read a newspaper through. I might have added some butter, more cream or a roux to the sauce to thicken it up some, but that's just me. The broccoli was perfect but I hold issue with mashed cauliflour. I don't like the dish but that's a personal thing, not a cooking problem. They were probably cooked right but I didn't like the texture at all. Fault my tastebuds, not the food on this one.

A positive note to end the review--the garlic biscuits were outstanding and, although they arrived late, they were very fresh and delicious. Plus, while we were eating, I saw a prep cook loading up the salad bar with fresh goodies. Too late for me but the people just entering the door were in for a treat.

The next time I go to Ruby Tuesday's, I will drive the distance to Riverview. At least that way I know the odds are increased for me getting a better meal and possibly a good salad bar. I give these people two stars and shame on you for hurting your franchise.

1 Star--Wouldn't go back on a bet

2 Star--Would have to go back, but only on a bet

3 Star--If I was in the neighborhood and hungry

4 Star--Would go out of my way even if I wasn't hungry

5 Star--Would make reservations and wait in a line