Whom has a better Prime Rib than Lawrys

[Foodandwine]

Just reading the Lawrys A LaCarte newsletter.. which is a communication for their VIP insiders. Just thinking that a nice Prime Rib Dinner would be nice meal. Do you hounds like any other places. I have not found any myself..

[smak34]

Lawrys is Excellent. But if you're willing to experiment, i suggest the following that have VERY GOOD if not Excellent Prime Rib Cuts:

1. The Summit house (fullerton). It can be hit or miss sometimes, but i say 70% of the time, its pretty damn good.

2. Gulliver's: (near john wayne airport). Gi-Normous Portions (hence the name)... the meat is good, but the cream corn is exceptional.

3. Las Vegas casino Hotels: Need I say more?

[BRIANTHEFOODUDE]

I Love the Prime Rib at MORTONS and I have always wanted to try the Prime Rib at LAWRYS... which one is better?

[gaylenwaydelich]

The Palm - only thing worth ordering besides the Lobster.

Lawry's rocks. My daughter and I use to go frequently before we switched over to the Palm.

[diaz]

No one compares to Lawry's.

[revets2]

the prime rib is available only at certain times at TAYLOR'S STEAKHOUSE. pretty good for the money.

mark peel makes a killer bone-in rib eye at CAMPANILE.

[holybull]

The Stinking Rose, right across the street has great Prime Rib.

It's a few bucks less and I can't tell of any difference in quality.

[LANative]

Tam O'Shanter is indeed owned by Lawry's, but retains its own unique atmosphere. The prime rib & creamed spinach is amazing, as well as the souffles. The prime rib is served with fresh whipped horseradish cream (ummmmmm), & the souffles are served with fresh whipped cream.

[czaplin]

I'm not exactly sure if it's better, I've never been to Lawry's (Although I have used your their Seasoned Salt)... but Tam O'Shanters in Atwater Village makes a tasty bit of prime rib. I

[Fru]

They are owned by the same company. www.lawrysonline.com

[bernardo]

Bully's in San Diego area, incredible flavor & nice tater too. Five Crowns sucks by comparison.

[tritip]

Wood Ranch BBQ on the weekends. Slow-cooked and finished on the grill. Seems to be good at all of he locations. Wood Ranch knows their stuff when it comes to beef.

[katkoupai]

I haven't been to any of these places, but if I had my choice, it would be...
1) Lawry's
2) Houston's

I've wanted to try Lawry's for a long time, and I've heard and read good things about Houston's. Take a look at this prime rib plate at Lawry's.

http://www.lawrysonline.com/theprimerib_beverlyhills_dinner.asp

Also, JeetJet recently posted about the great hot fudge sundaes at Lawy's, which gives me one more reason to go there.

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/419603

Does anyone know the prices at Lawry's? They are not listed on the online menu?

[Barbara Ladden]

I love prime rib and have been to Houston's on Santa Monica Blvd. maybe 6 times and Houston's on Wilshire twice. The quality of the prime rib is inconsistent. The 1st time at the Santa Monica Blvd. location, it was delicious, just what prime rib is supposed to be. At that location and on Wilshire, it has never been that good again. It has been tough, or too fat or overcooked, always something wrong. I've gone for lunch and dinner and it was fabulous only that one time. I keep going back because the restaurants are beautiful, the service is good and I hope once again I'll enjoy the prime rib with the fries and cole slaw.

[katkoupai]

Thanks for this info, Barbara. :) I actually have never tried Houston's, but a friend of mine highly recommends it, and I respect her opinion a lot. There is one near me in Pasadena, but I have not had the opportunity to go yet. It does seem to be busy whenever I drive by. :)

[vbabe]

I've had the prime rib at Houston's at both SM and Centrury City, I think century City's was slightly better, but both were very good, and I'd definitely recommend it. The spinach artichoke dip is also worth trying if you go there :)

[diaz]

the Prime Rib Beef Dip at Houston's is beyond belief. Have to order it with the shoestring fries.

[New Trial]

I am partial to the Prime Rib at the Palm.

[Foodandwine]

Hi Board,
thank you for the posts that mentioned names of places to try. As to the banter of grades of beef why post?? Just to proclaim that you have a butchers mind.. Anyhoo, regardless of the grade Lawrys tastes good to me.. I am just looking for your rec's in means of names of places to try. I want to explore what our city has to offer, not the meat packers association..

[Simon]

Yes. I don't like the Palm so much as an overall restaurant, but the prime rib i once had there was one of the best i can remember.

[Bite Me]

Love that I'm a "VIP insider" in someone's book! Now, having been elevated to that status, I am a little embarrassed to say that you could probably find excellent and better prime rib at several other restaurants. I only order it at the annual Xmas party that we have at Lawrys, and we go there for the Xmas carolers, not the food. My husband has really enjoyed prime rib at the The Grill, the Palm and Arnie Mortons. Let us now the results of your research.

[mc michael]

So-called prime rib is good, but really isn't a good rib eye steak even better--especially if it's really prime? So, Cut, Josie, et al.

[Golem]

Yes! Especially bone-in rib eye. I still haven't found the best in LA for bone-in rib eye. My favorite was on a cruise ship, and as yet no restaurant has ever duplicated (let alone surpassed) that. But I keep looking.

The Palm is pretty good, however.

[Servorg]

Give the rib eye at Bandera a try (Wilshire and Barrington in W. LA).

[Theo]

I found the rib-eye at Flemming's in Woodland Hiills to be excellent......

[Juliebeth]

Bandera in West L.A. has very good prime rib. Try to ignore the "meat market" scene. Lawrys is a classic even if their meat isn't the best in town; spinning salad bowl etc. They also have amazing bread.

[TomSwift]

I just finished that myself. Did you notice in the article about Five Crowns they refer to the meat as "our standing rib roast of beef" the "finest aged beef" without claiming that the meat is USDA Prime. If it were prime grade surely they'd mention it. Still delicious, though.

[russkar]

Not only is the Standing Rib Roast NOT Prime but it's not Choice either according to Lawry's Chef who I had dinner with about 5 yrs ago at the Bel Air Hotel. Lawry's uses a slow cook , low temp (around 225 degrees) cooking process over course salt to tenderize their Select or Higher Beef. I've never thought that Lawry's or Five Crowns PR was very good compared to REAL PRIME RIBEYE which is triple the price from a wholesaler compared to Select.
Like IPSE infers Smitty's or Morton's is far superior.
We prefer Grill on the Alley and Steakhouse at Circus Circus for Outstanding PR.

[TomSwift]

I would hope that they don't use Select, but since I've never eaten Select (to my knowledge) I'm not sure that I could pinpoint the grade. It's definately not Prime. Its proximity to the Wilshire Theater is the primary reason we eat there. Regardless of grade, though, the "crispies" are good nibbles. Grill is definately better, as you say.

[Foodandwine]

thanks for your thouhts so far.. what are crispies??

[wilafur]

crispies are the flakes of fat/meat that get charred. kinda like meat potato chips. hehe.

[burger]

To me, crispies are the pieces of seasoned crisped exterior fat on the prime rib (& other meats*) , sometimes w/ a small piece of seasoned meat attached. I'm somebody who usually trims all fat from a piece of meat but not the crispies- great excuse to eat more cholesterol.

* My grandmother's ham had the best pork cracklins on the exterior. Pork rinds are a dehydrated far inferior tasting version.

[russkar]

YOU have definitely eaten Select if you've been to Lawry's.
I also know you've eaten REAL Wagyu Kobe at Urasawa, right?
Which was better?

[Ernie]

I've had real Wagyu in Japan and have been going to Lawry's since a child. Kobe sounds glamorous and impressive to certain people, but in reality is much too fatty and bland a cut to compare to Lawry's prime rib preparation.

[TomSwift]

Duh.

[bohemiana]

Hey Tom, not that many people have had Kobe beef in Japan, which is as you of course know, much different than "Kobe" beef in the U.S. So the response is interesting. Here's my comment...I think prime rib is more flavorful but the texture of true Kobe beef is so unique and the meat is so expensive that it is something to enjoy for very special occasions. Prime rib I could eat all the time.

[bulavinaka]

Couldn't agree more. The exceptional beef cuts (Kobe, Wagyu, etc.) are presented and eaten much like sashimi in Japan. These cuts are so precious and are treated as such, at least in my recent experience during a stopover in Narita. They are gently grilled over charcoal, and served almost immediately. This beef is something to be savored. To serve it up like a big cut of prime rib at a steak house would not only be exhorbitant but probably would also be considered a waste to prepare it and eat it in that manner.

[TomSwift]

Agreed. However, the Kobe beef at Urasawa is the genuine article flown in from Japan, not American Wagyu, and is truly exquisite grilled over your personal charcoal brazier. It is so rich that just an ounce or two is overwhelming. I think that a Lawry's cut out of Kobe would be a waste. Lawry's prime rib is consistent and delicious, but I'd like to see their cooking style with Choice or Prime grade meat.

[monku]

The USDA says you can call a standing rib roast of any grade "prime rib". Unless it says "USDA Prime Rib," then assume the grade is choice, select or lower.

[burger]

monku is correct- the "prime" in prime rib refers to it being one of the 8 primal cuts of beef not the USDA grade.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing...

[sbritchky]

"Whom has a better Prime Rib than Lawrys"? That's quite an objective.

If "the 'prime' in prime rib refers to it being one of the 8 primal cuts of beef," then why don't we have, for example, "prime sirloin" or "prime chuck" (regardless of grade), since these are also "primal" cuts?

I remember reading a long time ago (I think it was in one of James Beard's cookbooks, but I can't find the passage) that "prime rib" refers to the ribs, not the meat. In other words, a prime-rib roast comes from the smaller "first" ribs, where the meat is tastier.

By the way, I much prefer to make my own rib roast. It's one of the easiest great dishes to prepare, I select the meat grade myself, and I can also cut the finished roast into nicely thin slices. Other than Lawry's -- with its English Cut -- most restaurants bury the beef flavor in thick chunks better suited for the dogcatcher.

[ipsedixit]

Smitty's Grill

www.smittysgrill.com

Morton's is also very good.

www.mortons.com

[wilafur]

look no further than arroyo chophouse

[Griller141]

Although I am generally a fan of ACH, I must say that the prime rib has been a total bust. Although it looks extremely impressive at 2 plus inches thick and huge in length and width, it is 50% fat. Not marbled fat, which is part of the charm of this generally fatty cut, but huge chunks of pure white fat. Very off putting. And no apologies when pointed out or offers of replacement. IMHO they should cut the $40+ price in half to represent what you actually get. Steaks are fine and the seafood is surprisingly good. Service is usually superb, but there are not rare off nights.

[wilafur]

sorry to hear about that, however, my last prime rib at ACH was damn good (albeit a yr ago). minimal useless fat and oh so tender. mmm!