A Meat Lover’s Dream

A birthday celebration calls for meat, that’s what I say. Screw the sugary treats (cakes and ice cream do nothing for me), let’s move on to the savory stuff.

So it was the Hubby’s birthday and I decided to forgo the prim and proper and go straight for the tried and true. So I made reservations at the House of Prime Rib in San Francisco.

I know what you’re thinking. It’s a tourist trap. It’s boring. There’s only one thing on the menu. But the question is, do they do that one thing right?

Absolutely.

I had the English Cut, which was two large yet super thin slices of prime rib, no seasoned crust. It was perfect. Easily one of the best slices of meat I’ve ever had. It was a perfect medium rare and the flavor of the meat was flavorful, well seasoned, juicy and tender, almost buttery. You could tell this was high quality beef.

My Hubby had the King Cut, which was the largest one on the menu. It was huge but he finished it with no problem and raved about the flavor. In fact, he toyed with the idea of getting another helping (if you finish the King Cut they apparently give you another for free if you ask). I advised against it since he said he thought his arteries couldn’t take it :).

The sides were mixed, though. Baked potato and creamed corn were both out of this world, but the mashed potatoes were totally boring and the brown gravy tasted artificial. A big disappointment. The creamed spinach was good, not great. The spinach tasted frozen, not fresh. And yorkshire pudding is something I’ve never cared for, though some say it’s the perfect vehicle for sopping up meat juices.

Service is supposed to be legendary here, but I found it lackluster. The waitstaff and host were only artificially friendly, which was a disappointment. But service was prompt and professional. Maybe I hit them on an off day.

Regardless, it was a fabulous experience with it’s old school charm and ambiance, and exceptional food. It may be a tourist trap and they may only have one thing on the menu, but they’re a Bay Area institution for a reason. You can’t do much better for a special occasion dinner.