How San Francisco's Most Iconic Prime Rib Restaurant Serves Hundreds of People per Night—Plateworthy

- Oh, exciting, entertainment and dinner. - You're doing better than me. - (laughs) Thanks, Joe. We're at House of Prime Rib and we're making ribs. (laughs) - No joke, we did it. (upbeat instrumental music) This is the last one of the delivery, and we are checking, before entering the aging room, we check if everything is sealed. This is Chef José. He's been here for many years. - Let's do it, José. - Let's take him to the aging room. - So these are going to go in the dryer, right? They've essentially been a sort of flavor development and wet aging. -And he goes to the drying room. - Great, let's do it. - Okay, thanks boss. - Oh, look at this light.

It's like a club here. Thus, infrared lights prevent bacteria from growing. How is that? Does it inhibit? - When we work there, we have to turn it off. - Yes. - Because it burns your eyes. - Wow, incredible, what a production. Now let's grab the ribs for the last round. - Yes. - Yes, let's do it. Do you think there are more than 300 here? - Oh, 300. - Easily, 350? These are hanging out here. - One week. - Is it a week? - Yes. - Okay, let's go. So we have our ribs for service to

night

, right? These have been aged.

Are you ready to dive into the rock salt? - Ready to go. - Amazing. - We add rock salt because the enzyme changes if you only have it in the normal oven, because it is also a softener. When you put it in there, and we submerge everything, by doing so, you keep all the juices inside. But I can't tell you all the secrets. - I don't want to meet them. - I have seen you knowing the

restaurant

business. Sorry, I'm a little scared. (both laugh) - No, I'll accept it. I will take it. So how much rib do you eat on average per

night

? - Well, during the week we go to 368, we are serving up to 400 dinners.

And on holidays, during the week, like last night, we serve 600 dinners. - Oh my God. You're doing some numbers, Joe. Did you use rock salt all the time? - Since 1949. - Wow. I was not even thought of or conceived yet. (laughs) So we're just throwing in regular rock salt? - It's normal rock salt. - Normal rock salt. - And it's already wet. Conducts heat and seals it. - Yes. - Everything finished? - Yes. You need more salt. You don't want to see any problems. - So it should be completely submerged? So, this method of cooking it, did you develop it? - Well, I already took it, when they already had it.

You want the meat to be nice and moist. - So what's the next step? - Okay, now go into the oven. - Well. - Okay boss? - Have the boys help you. - I can lift it. I am very strong. Last Sunday I lifted 265 pounds by myself. Put me to work, Joe. (Laughter) So we set the

prime

r. How long do they stay at this temperature? - That's a little secret. Well. - About two and a half hours. - Well. (laughs) High temperature, low temperature? - Medium temperature. - Well. (laughs) Medium. - Here we are. Let's have a drink. - We have some time to spare, huh? - Yes. - Excellent, let's do it.

Back to work. (Both laugh) Are the ribs ready to come out? - The ribs are ready. - Let's do it. It smells amazing. It looks like a big bed of salt. So we set a timer for 20 minutes. - Look, everything is closed. - Yes. - No steam coming out. We let it rest now. - Yes. - And then we break the salt. - Well. - And we took it out. - So the ribs have come out of the oven, they are in their blankets of salt and we let them rest for how long exactly? I need to know. - It should take a couple of hours. - Well. - Because then, as you know, the juices return to the meat. - Is it redistributed? - And it's still cooking. - Mmmm, that makes sense. - Because you know, like the salt here, it continues to cook. - Sure, it's still quite hot.

So a kind of high temperature cooking followed by low temperature cooking. - The best meat is, you know, lowering the temperature. - 100%. Preparing for service, right? What's the next step, Chef? - Let's break the meat. - Let's break some meat. So you make them all the same, first on each side? - And then we delete this one from here right now. - Wow, steam is still coming out of them. They cook over low heat, right? I mean these pans, they look pretty special. - They have to be special because they hold meat and rock salt and fit in the oven. - Is this a custom pan or? - Yes, a personalized frying pan. - Wow.

I'm excited to get into the opening. - No, you don't because you're going sideways. - Yeah. I wouldn't come here and try to cut this meat in half, would I? - No no. - Simply breaking the sides. It's a revelation. So that's done, right? - I'll do the heavy lifting. (both laugh) - Thanks Joe. It's such an interesting concept. Like there's not really a lot going on right now, right? It's a bit the opposite of a different style

restaurant

where an order arrives and you're cooking on the spot. - It's all prep work. - I imagine that's why you can make so much volume.

You said you had 600

people

to serve tonight, right? - But from that moment on, you also continue to supply. - Thanks for inviting me. - Yes, and I would like to hire you, but I can't allow it. - (laughs) You can pay me in food. - Now everything is in the heating. Francisco? - Oh, our man, the chef. - And we take it out right now and cut it out. From there it goes in the car. - Nice to meet you, Chef Francisco. - You know, sometimes it's a little scary to carve because you have to be careful with your fingers. - (laughs) Do you still have all your fingers? - Yes a bit. - A bit? (laughs) So what are we doing here?

Basically just remove the fat? - Trim the fat, yes. - You have already done, how many do you think in your life? - I'll say a million. - At least, right? - Yeah. (laughs) - I mean, you're cutting this so precisely. You are on an operating table. - You see how, how quickly you can do it. - So what are you looking for here? Silver skin? - Yes. - Just exposing that kind of rosy color... - Yes. - Beautiful Whatever, the salt really didn't touch it, perfect. It is perfectly rested throughout the rib. - Then they stay upright. - Yes. - Then you have to cut right there. - Iconic.

It's my first time using a knife, so I hope so. It's true. Doing it correctly, yes, exactly. We'll see. - The way he explained it to me, how to cook it. Believe me, she knows what she's doing. - What do you think, Chef Francisco? Just the fat right? - Yes very good. - It's not a bad training curve, two days. Get her in touch, friends. - We're talking about 50 a night and on vacation around 90. - I mean, it's a really amazing idea for the concept, because you take one thing, right? And you focus all the energy and intention, do it well, and then build around it. - As I always said, you know, we do one thing but we do it very well. - Yes. - Right now it's stopped - Exciting, entertainment and dinner. - Yes, that's part of it. - I love it.

Let's do it. Is this cart ready to go to the table? - Mmm-hmm, it's ready to go to the table. - It's good, awesome. - And we need more ribs there to be able to carve it. Because right now, for example, if you were to carve it, it would wobble too much. - Oh yeah. - Then you really need another one there. Plus, when you cut, you don't want to go back and forth. - Yes. - Because you will break the meat. You have to cut it into slices. So when you see that the knife has to be sharp, ribs, we will come back.

We'll go look for more of your friends. So we're going to stock this with ribs and then slice it, right? - Let's put two more ribs in there. - Two more. - Two more and then we do it. Let's do it. - Then let's start loading the cars. - Okay, yes, José, let's do it. So the sauce goes in the back? - Yes. - So the only thing really missing is the meat, right? - Yes, we have to go get the meat. - We have to get the meat. We are building around the rib. It is a classic dining establishment.

And it's not just about the dining experience, but I imagine there's plenty of tableside entertainment as well. - It's a show. - So the cart is complete. The gentlemen have helped set this up. And now the next step is to actually bring this to the table side, right? - Okay, next to the table, and then the show continues. - Let's do it. Get your rib here. Rib. You get a rib, you get a rib, you get a rib, you get a rib! (A triumphant fanfare plays) Voila. Welcome, welcome to House of Prime Rib. Thank you for coming to my restaurant.

And for your ribs tonight. - I want medium cooked. - Medium raw, excellent. - Whatever you recommend. - Yes sir. We have our famous carver here. The best in the game, Mr. José. We will have a medium rare and a medium with all sides. So here we have our house cut with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. Beautiful thanks. Enjoy. - Enjoy. (upbeat instrumental music) Oh my God. Incredible. Is 600 guests a normal night for you? - During the week, yes. Weekends are busy. - Six hundred are not busy. (laughs) - We are very spoiled. - 600 guests tonight, and that amount of volume but attention to detail and flavor, it's not sacrificed, right?

Everything continues with integrity and value for the guests. I mean, it's phenomenal. - When you want to come in, you'll want to be entertained. I always say it's al

most

like a movie. We celebrate the difference here and

people

come again and again. And that is the secret of our place. It's not us, it's the client who makes us. - It's a beautiful relationship, right? You are offering a moment of respite and nourishment. It's really beautiful. - Thank you. - Yes, thanks. - Is anyone willing to help us eat? - (laughs) Please? (funky instrumental music)