I read the positive reviews for Rupp's Downtown, which made the choice of dining there a hopeful one. We walked in the door and were immediately hit with the smell of an old home that has not been open to fresh air in a long, long time. This was the first hint that we should have turned around, but the reviews were so good. We kept on walking. There was no one to greet us at the door: an empty bar to the right, an empty room with tables to the left. Beyond the dark bar (literally no lights) was a chef standing behind a wall of windows... doing nothing. He saw us, and turned away. By the way, one review had raved about the original wooden bar, how beautiful and well crafted it was. But it was dark, very dark inside, so the bar simply appeared as an object to walk by. When we finally saw a hostess, who was gabbing with a waitress, she didn't welcome us, but did ask how many in our party. It was as if the staff was only going through the motions of their job. The smell was better in the back of the restaurant, but the old-home odor lingered. I still hung onto the rave reviews I read - I wanted a good steak! The salad bar was a disappointment. Hard boiled eggs are not meant to be frozen at any point. The lettuce was wilted, but the dressing was okay. We ordered our steaks medium rare, which they were. However they were so tough and chewy we couldn't eat it. My husband let the waitress know that we were disappointed in the steaks. She said she would let the chef know, but she never returned. Nothing was done. Our bill came and that was that. It was refreshing to walk out of the Rupp's and into the wonderful night air. We had good soup, wilted salad, and tough steak. The atmosphere was dark, dreary, and very outdated. The place needed an airing. Please find another restaurant for a steak dinner, this is not the place. read more