Now in a new South Toledo location, the folks at Ruby's Kitchen are still committed to making things from scratch and taking their time.

It is one of the few remaining soul food restaurants in the city, and its menu features many of the staples of a soul food place. It's hard to have a meal there without the table filled with dishes of greens, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, baked and fried chicken, ribs, smothered pork chops, rice, catfish, salmon, sweet potatoes, and more.

It's been several years since we've visited Ruby's, or Ms. Ruby for that matter, so we thought it was time for a trip. Returning was like a trip back home to grandma's house. We were late, arriving close to closing time for an initial visit. No matter to Ms. Ruby and her staff, who welcomed us like family on Thanksgiving.

Soul food being an ethnic version of home style cooking, the menu is rife with what might be called southern comfort food. One companion opted for the center cut pork chops ($13.59) smothered in the restaurant's standard brown gravy. He found the meat expertly cooked -- firm without being tough -- and the breading around the two chops amenable. He opted for macaroni and cheese (delicious) and mashed potatoes smothered in the same brown gravy as his sides.

While he professed to enjoy his entree -- it was certainly filling, he declared -- he wondered at the subtlety of the spicing. He recalled bolder flavoring in the gravy he's enjoyed in past visits to the South, and suggested that Ruby's might have been tempered for a more mainstream (read:non African-American) palate.

Another companion opted for the Oxtails ($13.59), which are slow cooked and a special you can find on Fridays. It too was delicious, yet fatty, the companion declared. The dish weighed heavily on her stomach later in the evening, perhaps a side effect of eating nearly the entire portion, she said.

I selected one of several catfish dishes: grilled blackened catfish ($12.99), with macaroni and cheese and fried mushrooms on the side. All were delicious, but like my dining companion, I wondered if it would be rude to ask for more seasoning on my catfish.

On a second visit I ordered what is arguably Ruby's most famous dish: her beef short ribs ($16.29 with two sides or $13.29 for ribs alone.) This dish is among the Saturday and Sunday specials and a must-try for all lovers of beef.

For our other entrees, we ordered a half slab of ribs ($15.49 with two sides) and a combination plate of shrimp and wings ($18.79). The ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender and glazed in a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce. The shrimp were large enough to surprise us and tasted fresh. The wings were on the bland side and a little greasy, but not a deal-killer for our meal.

We took some warm, homemade cornbread home since the meal was colossal.

Desserts included peach cobbler ($3.99), and homemade vanilla ice cream ($3.99), which go well together.

Be prepared to wait for your food. It was at least 20 minutes before the plates started arriving. The time passed easily with Ms. Ruby chatting us up at our table.

Contact Bill of Fare at fare@theblade.com

First Published August 23, 2017, 8:17 p.m.