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Ruth's Chris moving to Market St.?

A deal at the Sonesta is in the offing.

Talks are in the deepest stages to relocate Ruth's Chris from its home of 27 years on South Broad Street to the Sonesta hotel at 1800 Market St., reps of both sides confirm.

If rib eyes are dotted and T-bones are crossed, the steakhouse would open where Elephant & Castle was, perhaps in late summer.

Marsha Brown, who owns the Philadelphia and King of Prussia branches of the New Orleans meatery as well as a third on Long Island, told me that nothing is final but encouraged me to check back. Ruth's Chris is among the longest-running chain steakhouses in town.

Hotel manager Jordan Cooper, while also emphasizing that the deal was not signed, said Sonesta management was "very excited for the opportunity to work with the Ruth's Chris brand and welcome this fine-dining establishment to our property."

"This partnership is the perfect pairing for our hotel, mirroring our bold and modern design aesthetic, commitment to high-end hospitality and the Sonesta philosophy that food should always be a work of art," he said in a statement provided in response to my question.

Ruth's Chris - whose dining room has been described as "Teddy Roosevelt's trophy room" - is in the Atlantic Building on Broad Street, just north of Spruce.

Brown said she also was looking for a spot in Center City for a branch of her New Hope restaurant, Marsha Brown.