An Outstanding Meal...The Old Way

As the return reader will know, I have been very lucky in dining. I have had a lot of great meals in a lot of great places. So it is a rare thing when a particular meal towers above all the rest in its category.  Such as the beef category for example.

I was in Beverly Hills, California about two months ago, a venue which I particularly enjoy.  Although I am rather luke warm about L.A., Beverly Hills is my kind of place. And every time I visit, I want to have dinner at Lawry's.  But I never did until this year. I was very sorry it took me this long.

I am a dedicated carnivore.  And I love prime rib most of all. The problem is that it is very, very difficult to find good prime rib.  I am not sure why this is. I had read somewhere that Lawry's had the finest prime rib around, so I was in a state of high anticipation when I left my car with the valet and ventured through the heavy wooden doors.

This is obviously a place that has been in business at this location a long time.  The bar, for example, had the patina of years of happy use. There are huge murals on the walls of the dining room.  One doesn't see that sort of decor all that much any more. The martini I had while waiting to be called for my reservation was perfect; icy, strong and in the proper glass.  When the hostess showed me to a banquette [my favorite sort of table] she introduced me to my server.  Here, all the servers wear old fashioned uniforms with little caps.  And they are addressed as "Mrs.", "Miss" or "Mr.".  I liked all of this a LOT.

After scanning the leather bound menu and wine list, I was surprised to find that the prices are very reasonable. All of the Prime Rib entrees come with salad and Yorkshire Pudding.  And the wine prices were also very reasonable, verging on downright low for some of the selections.  In fact, the price of a bottle of my beloved Chateneuf Du Pape was so reasonable that I ordered it...
 

For the meal, I decided to start with a traditional shrimp cocktail...

...and as you can see, Lawry's had heavy linen table cloths and heavy silver as well...

...very luxurious.  The salad was wheeled table side on a cart in a huge bowl set into another huge bowl filled with ice. After Mrs. Frei gave the greens a toss with tongs, she set the bowl to spinning and drizzled the salad with a very fine balsamic dressing. The salad was delicious.  But the main thing at Lawry's is of course Prime Rib.  I decided to order the second-largest cut, the Diamond Jim Brady, medium rare.  A silver leviathan approached the table...

an amazing Edwardian serving cart which contained the beef and all the accompaniments. Everything hand carved at table side.  The cart opened next to me, emitting the most amazing aroma imaginable...

...the chef carved my portion and then added mashed potatoes, gravy and English peas...

...along with creamed horseradish, simply the finest meal of beef I have ever had.  Bar none.  Did I mention that this is the SECOND largest portion?  The largest portion is what they serve to the football players for the Rose Bowl.  Oh? And did I also mention that they also include Yorkshire Pudding in the feast?  This was a light and savory dish which was a delight all of itself...the Lawry's web site has a photo depicting the pudding in its un-attacked condition which is what it looked like when it was delivered to my table...

I could not contain my enthusiasm long enough to take a photo until after I had lopped out a large portion for my plate and deflated the pudding....

...as I sipped the great Rhone wine and set to this marvelous meal, I looked around the room and thought only one word.  "Baronial".  This fine repast was nothing less than that.  When I was finished, I really had no room for dessert.  The dessert menu, however, contained one of my absolute favorites.  Sticky Toffee Pudding...the perfect end to this perfect meal...

I admit that even a trencherman such me could not finish the Sticky Pudding.  But what I had of it was delicious.  All that could have been added was a small bit of Stilton Cheese and a fine Port to round out this meal.  They have many nice Ports at Lawry's and I would bet that had I asked for Stilton they could have produced some for me.  But I was in too great a dining induced state of bliss to make any further requests.  This was the sort of meal that you remember fondly in the middle of a business day months or even years later.  I cannot wait to return to Lawry's for another round.

P.S. Lawry's only has four locations in the United States. Beverly Hills, Chicago, Dallas and Las Vegas.

Shots

 It has by now been established without argument that the modern day is primarily one of instant gratification.  The insidious effect of this phenomenon has even pierced the sanctuary of the tavern, causing me to ruminate today on the topic of "shots".

To say that I am ambivalent on the subject of "shots" is an understatement. Classically, an imbiber's reference to a "shot" is the drink defined by Webster as "a small measure or serving (as one ounce) of undiluted liquor or other beverage" and by the The American Heritage Dictionary as "a drink of liquor, especially a jigger" which has long been a part of cocktail culture. I am even willing, on occasion, to stretch Webster's definition of a "shot" from "undiluted" to "substantially undiluted" when a drop of water or an ice cube or two is needed to release some flavor locked within a whiskey. In any event, the adult drinker's right to an honest pour of a finger or two  in either a rocks glass or in a proper shot glass is a right predating all recorded law.

Both vessels can and should be used for a reflective tipple of favorite Scotch, Bourbon or other alcoholic beverage on an appropriate occasion.  The former is also used to contain great cocktails such as the Old Fashioned which has provided the correct name for the glass.  The latter is also customary equipment for the business end of the venerable Boilermaker.  Or for drinking rot-gut whiskey in a western bar after a hard day's ride.  Or Tequila in a cinder block joint in Panama City, Florida while you are eating the best Carne Asada steak you can imagine.  Without question then the "shot" holds an ancient spot in the history of drinking.

But when the modern need for instant gratification intersects with classical boozing, an ugly back edge to the
"shot" is soon exposed consisting of the seemingly unending string of complicated alcoholic concoctions being offered to the patrons of many bars, usually in small plastic cups.  We have all seen them on drink menus by now.  A "Napoleon's Horse's Sweat".  A "Ferrari Oil Pan Droplet".  With not only names but descriptions which range from the madly complex to the downright nasty.  Especially the ones containing Red Bull.  The neo-shot is intended to be downed in one gulp, presumably to effect an immediate alcohol buzz while simultaneously preventing the consumer from actually tasting the contents of the plastic cup. The tavern equivalent of hitting yourself in the head with a rock.   

On the other hand, the modern shot is probably doing at least something to keep the art of mixology moving forward with new vitality. If some thought is given to the recipe and good ingredients are used, there is no reason why a small cocktail should be placed lower in the hierarchy than a traditional drink. The problem (other than the immediate consumption issue) is that most neo-shots seem designed with the one purpose of justifying a snarky name that the patron will get a laugh from when ordering.  As for the abominable plastic cups, they deserve no more of a raised eyebrow than the use of stemless martini glasses in so many places these days.  Both "innovations" are motivated by the scrabble for profit with fractionally low purchase price and disposability on the plastic side and low breakage and ease of cleaning on the stemless side. The Eco-conscious tippler would no doubt weigh in on the side of even stemless glassware due to its reusable nature and lack of petrochemical content.  Similarly, the trade-unionist imbiber would support a washable product in the hope of boosting employment among bar workers.  Some of us who are rather notably lacking in sub-plots merely want a martini glass that functions like a martini glass is supposed to function, with a stem that keeps the heat of your hand away from the drink.  These days, we "no subplot" folk are probably a vanishing breed.

A difficult social situation can be presented by the neo-shot.  In some situations, a fellow patron may offer to buy you one in return for some bon mot or another.  Or due to the success of a favorite sports team. In such circumstances it helps to know your bartender very well. On one such occasion, as I no doubt blanched at the notion of downing a "Ballentine Buzz Saw" or a "Purple Passion Panic" or some such thing without a team of paramedics or a stomach pump at my side, the wonderful bartender immediately intervened and said "he doesn't like shots......how would it be if you buy him another round instead?" That is a good bartender, I can tell you.

One particularly suspect sub-category of the neo-shot is the jello shot.  There is no evidence from which the fault for the jello shot can be laid at the doorstep of the Jell-O company which has occupied a respectable place in American desserts since its primary product was invented by Peter Cooper in 1845.  Does Mr. Cooper look to you like a person who would pour a lot of discount brand vodka or grain alcohol into a vat of gelatin for the purpose of making American youth drunk during spring break?

I hardly think so.  But the true depths to which North American drinking has descended is proven by the product I saw for sale in my local grocery store yesterday and which is depicted in the opening photo of this post.  Disposable, plastic, "gelatin shot cups".  In packs of forty, no less.  Despite the labeling in French and Spanish, someone please tell me that the contagion has been confined to my continent.  Please. Until I receive confirmation of this issue, I will remain at the corner of some bar in some semi-dark establishment.  Drinking a drink, not a neo-shot.  Out of a glass vessel suitable for the dignity of the occasion.  You may join me if you like.