The Prime Rib (Philadelphia PA)

沒有Egg nog latte 的日子. 第225日. 晴

Went to "The Prime Rib" for dinner tonight. It was one of the steak houses I wanted to visit during my Washington D.C. excursion - but we opted for Sam and Harry's instead. Mainly because the Prime Rib has a strict dress code. (Jackets required!) Visiting Philly allowed me to check off another steakhouse off my list...

Here's my review:

Went in with a full suit/tie and sat at the bar. Everyone there was either a politician, a neural surgeon, a partner of a firm or a wife of the aforementioned. So I didn't feel too out of place dressing up. They offered a nice Hot August Nights menu. $33 for a 12-14 oz cut, salad, 2 sides and dessert as opposed to just their signature dish - a 28-32 oz bone in ($41.95). Of course, need to order RARE when it comes to prime rib. Anything warmer will be uncivilized.

Salad wasn't anything special. HOPR puts on a better show. The potatoes layonaise and creamed spinach both were portioned perfectly. The onions were beautifully cooked to provide the perfect sweetnesss to balance out the rest of the meal. (skipping the steak for now) The chocolate mousse pie was waaaaay too rich. And the "Ghosty Town" Cab was a tad too acidity for my taste buds.

And the main course - was unfortunately - overcooked. SIGH.... I asked my bartender if I indeed ordered RARE. I didn't even finish my sentence and he already said, "Yeah...that looks a bit overcooked." A bit?!?! The steak was well done!!! No signs of blood anywhere!! Much to my regret, I turned down his offer to bring out another steak. As I was walking out to use the restroom, a random stranger comes up and apologizes to me for overcooking the steak. Turns out he was the manager. (WOW! That's impressive.) Then as I got my check, the bartender said "Your wine is one me. Sorry for the temperature problem."

I didn't completely blame the chef for overdoing my steak. It was partly my fault for not ordering the signature dish and going with a half-cut. But I take offense at the bartender for not openly admitting to the chef's utter complete failure at cooking a prime rib the way it's ordered. Nonetheless, definitely worth a second trip. Only next time... order the House Cut.