Hungry?
No reason to tease you: this is the plate of prime rib that is created at your table, at one of San Francisco’s most iconic restaurants – and yes, it’s carved table side from this massive cart!
Let’s dig in to one of San Francisco’s greatest dining adventures, the iconic “House Of Prime Rib!”
A few years ago, my wife Alex and I had a weekend away. It was a glorious winter day in San Francisco, and after the obligatory walk along the Embarcadero, and out onto a pier to look back at the city, we headed to this legendary house of meat:
Welcome to The “House Of Prime Rib!“
The neon sign greets you from Van Ness Avenue – and once inside, you are not only impressed by just how big the restaurant is – and it’s always packed, so you must plan ahead – but you will also be impressed by the giant carving cart that awaits you as well:
Yes, we’ll see that in action soon.
The original House of Prime Rib opened in 1949 and Owner Joe Betz turned it into a San Francisco institution!
The menu has a classic feel to it, and as they proudly boast:
The House of Prime Rib serves well-marbled Prime Rib in the English Tradition. Pure Prime Rib is carved at your table, to your specifications, from our unique stainless steel carts. We serve only the best beef available, the top 2% of all beef marketed.
Here is their philosophy, clearly laid out for you:
We’ll explain more about this menu soon. Next up, a primer on their “carving” – and the menu!
THE CARVING MUST BE DEFT, AND “SHORT THE TIME FROM CART TO PLATE”. OUR ROASTS ARE CARVED TO YOUR INDIVIDUAL ORDER AND IN YOUR VIEW. FROM OUR SPECIALLY BUILT CARTS, AND SERVED PIPING HOT.
And as you will see, that is true!
Here are your food options – note this menu is a few years old so expect prices to have gone up a bit – still that’s for an entire meal:
That’s it – that’s what they serve! Oh, but every meal comes with all of this as well – read all about it:
Yes, this is a complete meal! Here’s what comes with your prime rib:
The Salad Bowl : A colorful mixture of healthy, crisp, seasonal greens prepared at your table, tossed in our unique house dressing.
Mashed Potatoes : A generous steaming helping of the all American favorite, served with thick brown gravy.
Or Baked Potato : A superior sized Idaho potato served with butter and sour cream, with a sprinkle of chives.
Yorkshire Pudding : Straight from merry olde England! Light, airy batter baked to a golden brown dome, with a fluffy interior to soak up those savory beef juices.
Creamed Spinach : A light dish of garden spinach whipped with fresh cream and pieces of bacon.
Fresh Cream of Horseradish Sauce
Now THAT’S a complete meal!
We had to start with a classic first: their Martini, served up in a large shaker that stays with you at the table for a second serving…ice cold, delicious and a perfect start to the meal…
Then, the dining experience begins with the salad – made very dramatically table side of course…
Oh, and it was delicious! The ingredients were perfectly chilled and their special dressing was tangy and the lettuce was perfectly crisp as well.
As soon as I finished, I headed over for a look at what was to come:
Behold The Legendary Stainless Steel Prime Rib Carving Cart!
It’s half the size of a small car – and the Chef who works it is a master with the prime rib:
The cart is wheeled up and the slicing begins: and your Waiter joins in to add your side dishes to your plate before it is expertly slid in front of you – here’s a look up close:
I got the “House Of Prime Rib Cut” – and was lucky enough to have it served “on the bone”…then the Waiter begins the process of completing the plate: in my case, the Yorkshire Pudding was laid on top!
I ordered the “loaded” baked potato, a massive spud that was dressed for me table side of course: bacon, chives, butter and sour cream!
My wife Alex had “The City Cut” with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach, and here’s what her plate looked like:
We all dug in, and it was a perfect meal: the meat was tender, juicy and full of flavor. The potato was monstrous and perfectly cooked, and the creamed spinach was full of flavor and not overwhelmed by cream or butter – a perfect blend.
Oh and guess what? As the menu says, they stop by to see if you need to be “topped off” with a few more ounces of meat!
Yes, they wheel the cart by in case you need more! As you can see from Alex’s Instagram post, she enjoyed her meal as well:
We were too full for desserts, and if you look again at the menu, you’ll see something else that is shocking: the prices!
Yes, this entire meal was – at the time – less than $50 before drinks! “House Of Prime Rib” serves classic food in a terrifically entertaining environment – at a great price!
Bravo to the House Of Prime Rib for a great meal!
San Francisco is a food-lovers city: one of the greatest in the world…and as I showed you, you can eat really well for a reasonable price!
Behold The “Crab-santhemum!”
This incredible dish of fresh Dungeness Crab is arranged to look like a flower – and it’s served at The Swan Oyster Depot – located less than a mile from the House Of Prime Rib!
It’s an incredible restaurant that has lines down the block all day and night – click here to see how we discovered – and ate – their “secret menu!”
Of course, you’ll need this great food after spending some time on “the rock!” That’s right, you can take a cruise over to the legendary Alcatraz!
Yes, if you are in San Francisco, you need to take a ferry over to Alcatraz Island, which sits right in the middle of the bay…here is a tour of this infamous prison:
San Francisco is such an incredible city – and all of this incredible seafood made me want to make some!
How about a fried fish taco with homemade salsa and cabbage slaw!
I made this dish as part of my “52 In 22” cooking challenge – one new recipe from one of my cookbooks every week for an entire year!
See how this turned out by clicking here:
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Categories: Alcohol And Bars, Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Eat This!, Fine Dining, Food, Food Porn, Food Travel, Recipes, Restaurants, Travel, Wacky Food, World's Wildest Food
Bite! Eat! Repeat! 
That looks like areal ‘dining experience’, John. But I would have to give it a miss, as I cannot eat meat cooked that rare.
Best wishes, Pete.
What a terrific old school steak house. I can hear Frank and Dino singing as everyone sips a martini.
Bernadette, exactly! Oh, and speaking of Sinatra – I just ate in his favorite NY Italian restaurant – that has a mini-statue of Frank on the bar! Sharing that story soon!
i recently go there, their food is awesome i would suggest you all it is one time experience