At first it feels like a totally mismatched pairing for the TikTok video. “No Broke Boys” by Disco Lines and Tinashe is blasting, while an exterior shot of Ruth’s Chris Steak House is on the screen. Then the clip cuts to a tabletop, and the camera lands on one of the steakhouse’s classic white oval plates filled with some sort of dip.
“Ruth’s Chris has been gatekeeping. Ask for the sizzling garlic butter with the bread. You’ll thank me later,” creator Brionna Tepe (@britepe) wrote in the video.
Tepe, a fitness buff and dedicated dog mom, shows off the simple but decadent bread accoutrement.
The caption reads, “The secret menu item at Ruth’s Chris is [fire emoji, fire emoji].” And though the secret’s already out, the simplicity is what hooks people. Plus, the video has been watched 775,400 times, so people are really curious about this dish.
Is It Really A Secret Menu Item?
It’s no secret that butter makes everything better. But is “sizzling garlic butter” really a secret-menu item?
Well, it’s not on the official menu. And Tepe was clearly able to order it; however, we couldn’t find any other instance online of another Ruth’s Chris customer also being able to order it. That may be because it’s location-dependent, as some commenters suggested.
Tepe said she managed to order this at the Sarasota, Florida, location and that they didn’t charge her for the butter, which is usually reserved for the chain’s steaks.
That’s not to say Ruth’s Chris doesn’t have a secret menu. The steakhouse chain itself touted one on Instagram in 2024. “Shh… it’s our little secret. Ordering Sweet Potato Casserole with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is a secret menu item our longtime guests know all too well,” it captioned a video featuring the delicacy.
Some commenters on Tepe’s video name-dropped some other alleged secret menu items.
“Lol, it’s free I used to work there, the bar also has potato chips,” one viewer, @wagwandasaniwater, shared.
Several users swear by something called the “chicken cheese stuffing.”
Another suggested, “Try the butter and have them add a little honey. So yumm yummy.”
Butter Makes Everything Better
From a simple finish on pasta, swirled into a sauce, or being slathered on bread, butter plays a crucial role in cooking. Bon Appétit backs up this position, noting that scientifically, butter is “actually irreplaceable.”
The reason that butter is such an incredibly effective ingredient is because it does more than one thing—in more than one dish. It helps cakes to stand up, cookies to stay tender, and pie crusts to stay flaky (and that’s just in baking).
Because American butter is roughly 80% fat, 5% milk solids, and 15% water, it behaves differently under heat. For example, with biscuits, the sugar in the milk solids caramelizes in a hot oven, leading to a golden biscuit top and bottom. Also, when cold butter is used, it forms large flakes in dough, creating steam that leads to the pull-apart quality of biscuits, Bon Appétit explains.
Add garlic to that, and the flavor profile is unmatched. That’s because the sulphur compound responsible for the garlicky taste, allicin, when broken down (chopped up), releases flavor. Added to melted butterfat, the flavor is carried through the entire compound, which also serves to amplify the taste. The result is a side dish you can’t keep your hands off.
Just don’t skimp on the good salt.
BroBible reached out to J3lea via her TikTok direct message and to Ruth’s Chris on their online portal. We’ll update this with any more “secrets” we uncover.
@britepe This secret menu item at Ruth’s Chris is 🔥🔥 #fyp #explorepage #foodie #viral #foodtiktok #foodtok #foodreview