Ruby Tuesday

• Where: Locations in Roanoke (near Valley View Mall and Cave Spring Corners), Christiansburg, Lexington and Bedford
• Prices: Burgers and entrees: $6.99 to $18.99
• Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday
• Soda products: Coca-Cola
• Alcohol? Yes, full bar
• Plastic? All major credit cards accepted
• Smoking? Yes
• Takeout? Yes
• Delivery? No
• Reservations? No
• Vegetarian dishes? Yes, listed as 10 sides
• Live music? No
• Catering? Yes
• Banquet space? No
• Handicapped accessibility: The Blue Ridge Independent Living Center checked the Cave Spring location and determined that it’s accessible.
• Kid friendly? Yes, kids’ menu, high chairs, coloring books and puzzles available.
• Call: Valley View: 265-9301; Cave Spring: 725-1833; Christiansburg: 382-9474; Bedford: 587-5770; Lexington: (540) 463-2094
• Net: rubytuesday.com

THE MENU

Ruby Tuesday bills itself as "simple, fresh American dining," and its new, more upscale menu exemplifies this.

Not only does it offer several dishes composed of fresh (never frozen) high-quality ingredients, but it also blends American favorites with flavors from around the globe, including Italian, Asian, Mexican and Southwestern. Two of the appetizers illustrate this concept: Chicken-filled Asian dumplings with peanut dipping sauce and Southwestern spring rolls filled with chicken, vegetables, beans, cheese and cilantro wrapped in tortillas and served with fresh avocado ranch dressing.

Except for bison and turkey burgers, which come in frozen because they're highly perishable, the other 15 burgers are made individually and to order. All dishes and sides come in raw and are prepared by a trained kitchen staff. The crab cakes and burgers are hand formed and blended, and the vegetables, including broccoli and asparagus, are trimmed and steamed in house.

Seafood, an ever-popular draw, arrives fresh several times a week. New high-demand dishes include lemon-grilled salmon, sirloin with crab cake and salmon Oscar, the latter an 8-ounce salmon fillet topped with jumbo lump crab meat, which comes with tender asparagus tips and a lemon butter sauce.

The new addition to steaks, Point Reyes prime sirloin, is named after its first-rate Point Reyes blue cheese topping. Chicken arrives at the restaurant fresh and is featured in seven preparations. Chicken Oscar, the poultry variation of salmon Oscar, offers a 10-ounce butterflied breast with jumbo crab meat and perfectly steamed asparagus spears under a light mantle of delicious lemon-butter sauce.

Menu presentation is new, too, with a larger format, cleaner look and appealing photos of popular dishes. Some of the new dishes come with specific wine recommendations to enhance the fine dining experience. For example, the Asian glazed salmon "pairs well with the blackberry and spicy qualities of Bogle Old Vine Zinfandel."

The wine list has improved with the addition of several premium selections, including Luna Pinot Grigo and Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay ($21/bottle, $8/glass) on the white list; and Sterling Vintner's Cabernet Sauvignon ($21/bottle, $8/glass) and Neyers Ranch Merlot ($45/bottle) on the reds. Estancia Meritage ($37/bottle) is available only at certain restaurants.

WHAT I TRIED

For lunch, I ordered the grilled salmon salad ($12.99), a bountiful plate of fresh organic greens, baby tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, tossed with vinaigrette and topped with a grilled salmon filet. I loved it. I've also enjoyed a nicely balanced white bean chicken chili with the salad bar ($8.49).

At dinner, I'm partial to the salmon Oscar ($17.99), a free-form version of chicken potpie ($11.99) and Asian salmon with a peanut barbecue glaze ($15.99).

THE BOTTOM LINE

All of the fresh ingredients and from-scratch cooking added to the new Ruby Tuesday menu follows a national trend among restaurants to provide healthier, higher-quality offerings to the consumer. But, the improved food comes with higher prices.