Treat Yourself to a Luxurious Evening at Rib Room

Rib Room, located downtown in the heart of the Cultural Trust, is the epitome of cozy elegance. Tucked behind Meat & Potatoes’ main dining room, Rib Room serves prime rib along with a variety of classic hors d’oeuvres, salads, and sides. Owned by the Richard DeShantz Restaurant Group, Rib Room offers exceptional, personalized service, as they only serve 16 guests at a time.

Wagyu carpaccio

You enter the restaurant, and you’re immediately at ease with the low lights and warm red banquettes. The whole experience feels calm and unrushed. Rib Room has a lovely selection of classic cocktails, such as the 1944 Mai Tai and Manhattan. Rib Room has a wide variety of wines by the glass from Napa Valley, Bordeaux and other locales; I opted for a glass of Sangiovese from Tuscany—I knew it would pair perfectly with the prime rib.

The menu is small, but mighty; it truly highlights the luxury ingredients the restaurant is using. I started with a few items from the hors d’oeuvres section of the menu. The wagyu carpaccio is a lovely, light start to the meal. The Thai basil aioli, jalapeño and cilantro bring a freshness to the savory wagyu. The wagyu is cut so thinly that it melts in your mouth, and each bite brings a wave of herbaceous flavor. This is a bright start to a heavy meal.

The second appetizer, pâté de duck, was a little heavier but equally full of savory flavor. The pâté was served at room temperature, and it was luscious. The smooth pâté is topped with a sharp madeira gelée that adds some much-needed textural difference to the dish. The black truffle layers bring another layer of fragrant flavor to the pâté. Everything comes together to create a velvety, savory dish that spreads beautifully on grilled sourdough. If you want to lean into the luxuriousness of this experience, then this dish is a must.

I needed a salad to break up all of the meat in this meal. Rib Room offers a lovely selection of salads; I ended up ordering a wedge, but they also have Caesar and Crab Louie salads. The wedge is classic with crunchy, crumbled bacon, thinly sliced radishes, creamy Roquefort and some finely chopped herbs. Everything comes together to create a burst of freshness.

Creamy mashed potatoes

The star of the show is the prime rib. You can opt for a 14-ounce king’s cut, 12-ounce queen’s cut or the 10-ounce English cut. I ordered the smallest English cut, so I had room for appetizers, sides and dessert. The prime rib is immaculately cooked to juicy red perfection, and the meat itself is so tender that it could almost be cut with a butter knife. The prime rib is accompanied by au jus and homemade horseradish. The horseradish adds the perfect zing to the otherwise rich prime rib. My favorite item that comes on the side is the Yorkshire pudding. Rib Room really taps into its British side, as this pudding is not at all like any American pudding. The Yorkshire pudding is essentially an airy, fluffy roll that is best dipped in the au jus and eaten with a piece of meat on top. I could easily eat more than the one they give you.

My side of choice is usually some form of potato: mashed potatoes, truffle fries or a twice-baked potato. The day I visited, I was in the mood for some creamy mashed potatoes. Once again, Rib Room elevates your typical mashed potatoes with French-style butter and whips them into submission. These are the most luscious mashed potatoes—I dream of them. The prime rib swiped through these was a decadent bite. If you feel you need a vegetable, they offer creamed spinach or spicy collard greens, too.

Baked Alaska

No visit to Rib Room is complete without dessert. It’s an easy choice since there is only one option—Baked Alaska for two. The flavor of the Baked Alaska changes frequently, ranging from lemon to sweet potato pie. The night we visited, it was a s’mores flavor with a graham cracker crust and whipped meringue topped with cinnamon. This dessert is an experience. Your waiter comes to your table and douses the entire dish in rum and lights it on fire before serving it up. Each bite has a contrasting creamy and crunchy texture that is just delightful. The ending to the meal is just as luxurious as the beginning.

Rib Room is contradictory, as it’s both extravagant and homey. All of the food is made with the best ingredients, but they’re simple, homey dishes at their core. Right now, Rib Room is on summer break, but when they reopen in September, I suggest booking a table to try this experience for yourself.