Daily Dines: Prime rib at Mortimer’s
Mortimer’s is the place where everybody knows your name, or, at the very least, your face. The door to the restaurant takes you right by the big horseshoe bar, so you can say hello to the regulars and Mark, the bartender, on the way to your table or just stop and pull up a bar stool there. It’s one of the friendliest and most comfortable places around town.
And on Monday nights, you can get prime rib, a baked potato and a salad for $18.99. It’s the most old-fashioned steak house meal to me, one that reminds me of the Jolly Ox or Steak and Ale, but don’t think I have anything against it. My friend and former CA colleague Michael Donahue and I have had this tradition going for several years, though I limit my prime rib consumption to every couple of months or so.
This week it called to me. Sometimes red meat is what you’re craving, and there I was, with a hunk of rare beef, a big baked potato topped with butter and sour cream, and a salad with homemade Thousand Island, because when it’s made in-house, it’s a whole different thing than what you buy. I resisted the martini, but to do it old school, you’d need to start with one and then have a glass of a big fat red to go with your meal.
The prime rib was tender, of course, and it’s served with horseradish and au jus, so you can mix it up a little. A baked potato is a baked potato, but it’s a thing most of us like. The salad at Mortimer’s is simple — some iceberg, a tomato wedge or two and a sprinkle of cheese, but the croutons, made from the fabulous rolls, are delicious and so is the Thousand Island. It’s the only place I eat it, but when I’m there, I get it every time.
The meal is too much for me to eat, and I’ll often split it when I’m with another light eater. But if I bring it home, there’s plenty left for a steak sandwich the next day. Should you eat it all and have such a craving, delay it for a day. Wednesday is prime rib sandwich day at Mortimer’s, and you can get yours for $12.99.
Bonus: If you want dessert, save room for the pecan ball, which is vanilla ice cream rolled in pecans and topped with fudge sauce, whipped cream and a cherry.
Mortimer’s, 590 N. Perkins Road; 901761-9321.