1. January 2012: Restaurant Lawry’s – The Prime Rib

When you order a typical cut at Lawry’s you get much more thant that – first, you get the “Famous Original Spinning Bowl Salad (crisp romaine and iceberg lettuce, baby spinach, shredded beets, chopped eggs and croutons, tossed with our exclusive Vintage Dressing)” which is a nice salad mixture which is artfully prepared.

Then, the Cut Waggon is driven up and …

… your cut is prepared for you. I went for the “The Lawry’s Cut” (USD 42.00 – which includes mashed potatoes, yorkshire pudding and whipped cream horseradish) which is apparently the traditional cut of theirs. While the waggon driven up is a nice experience, the way the dish is prepared is not so much. If you look at the plate, it is about 0% appealing, everything just put there with absolutely no love. I had the spinach (USD 6.00) with the cut and the spinach refined with bacon was definitely tasty.

The cut itself is quite fine but also has a lot of fat in it, so while it was somehow tender, it was also not really the high-quality beef I was expecting. The rest is quite okay too, but somehow – for the fact that it has such good reviews – I was quite disappointed!

For desert I had a “Crême Brulée” (USD 8.00) which was fine but definitely nothing special. Pre-prepared, put to the fridge, not even the crust was freshly burned. Overall, the dishes are okay, no question, and the preparation of everything is nice to look at but honestly, I would not come here for the dishes really but more for the experience.

The place is like a room you would expect to be decorated in the 70ties – plushy, heavy, but very nice! Already when you enter you feel like being in another time – the 70ties. And this picture is completed by the way the waitresses dress. They are all a little bit older and wear typical waitress outfits from back then with a bonnet. While the accent of our waitress, Nancy Yager, was rather thick so I sometimes had trouble understanding her her service was very dedicated with the little side-effect that she continuously tried to sell us more dishes.

One very nice thing though was the “Grgich Hills Wine Flight” (USD 19.00) where you get three types of wines: Fume Blanc, 2009, Napa Valley; Zinfandel, 2008, Napa Valley and Cabarnet Sauvignon, 2008, Napa Valley. What was a bit odd though was the fact that all three wines are served at once and not gradually one after another.

As mentioned, the dishes are okay, the prices are a bit steep in my opinion for what you get. The prices for beverages are definitely okay though. A bottle of “Voss Sparkling Water” accounts for USD 7.00 and a double espresso for USD 4.50.

Overall, dining at Lawry’s – The Prime Rib is an experience of its own as you are kicked back to the 70ies once you have entered the building. On the other hand, the food served is fine but definitely not as outstanding as it is described in most reviews I have read about it beforehand. Still, if you are in the immediate neighbourhood it is worth a visit for a small dish to experience the atmosphere!

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Contact Details:

Lawry’s – The Prime Rib

100 North La Cienega Boulevard

90211 Beverly Hills (USA)

Tel.: +1 310 652 28 27

Fax: +1 310 657 54 63

Homepage: http://www.lawrysonline.com

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.