LAWRY''S PRIME RIB | Beverly Hills | New York

The sputtering, sizzling sound of a prime rib of beef hot from the oven is a tantalizing virtue of this great, curiously overlooked dish. Once a staple of American restaurants, only a few (besides traditional steakhouses) still serve it the right way: sliced with the bone; its crispy, golden fat still at the edge; and a rosy center. This is the way it’s done at LAWRY'S PRIME RIB, a chain whose original flagship is in Beverly Hills (100 N. La Cienega Blvd.; 310-652-2827).

Other prime rib standouts
BOSTON: Grill 23
161 Berkeley St.
(617) 542-2255

CHICAGO: Chop House
60 W. Ontario St.
(800) 229-2356

LONDON: Simpson’s-In-the-Strand
100 Strand
011-20-7836-9112

NEW YORK: Manhattan Grille
1161 First Ave.
(212) 888-6556

WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Prime Rib
2020 K St. NW
(202) 466-8811