Chef Spotlight
Prime Time
“The test of a restaurant is how often the owner eats
there,” says Buzz BeLer as he cuts into a lunchtime
steak. Coming from a restaurateur who eats nearly
every meal at the Washington, D.C., location of The
Prime Rib, it appears that BeLer’s establishment is
doing something right.
BeLer and his late brother, Nick, conceptualized
the restaurant while wandering around New York City
in the 1960s. The siblings opened the first Prime Rib
in 1965 in their hometown of Baltimore after seeing a
“golden opportunity” in creating an eatery aimed to
evoke the elegant supper clubs of 1940s Manhattan.
More than 40 years later, the restaurant continues to
thrive, drawing first-timers and frequent diners alike.
BeLer credits the success of “the civilized steakhouse”
(as dubbed by one reviewer) to its ambience, live jazz,
pampering service and consistent, high-quality dishes
of “prime meats, fresh seafood and thick chops.”
To walk into The Prime Rib is to travel back in
time. A leopard-print carpet complements dark
leather chairs. Artwork ranges from a black-and-
white portrait of Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart
to an Icart painting of a nude woman seductively
embracing a swan.
Similar characteristics lend an air of regality to
each of The Prime Rib’s three locations (a second
restaurant opened on D.C.’s K Street in 1976 and a
third in Philadelphia’s Warwick Hotel in 1997). Cus-
tomers enjoy perks like complimentary parking, and
tuxedoed waiters lead diners to tables adorned with
fresh flowers.
When it comes to the main draw, BeLer agrees
with a customer who flies to D.C. regularly from
Dallas, claiming this eatery serves “the best prime
rib you’ll ever eat.”
“We spend our money on the product,” BeLer
says, “not celebrity chefs.”
Other entrees range from steak au poivre and
rack of lamb to chicken piccata. Though the chefs
will cook meat however it’s been requested, the
restaurant doesn’t assume responsibility for cuts
ordered medium well or well done.
“There’s a science and once you get to medium
well, it becomes a fine line,” BeLer explains.
Vegetarians find an array of salads and seafood
items like Chilean sea bass and fresh Maine lobster.
And then, of course, there are the Maryland staples
such as the crab cakes and imperial crabs.
With The Prime Rib often having been selected by
the Zagat Survey as the top steakhouse in Baltimore,
D.C. and Philadelphia, BeLer finds reassurance in
earning accolades from such respected reviewers.
“There’s comfort in numbers,” he says, noncha-
lantly digging his knife into another juicy slice of
steak—just as he’s done countless times before.
The Prime Rib
1101 N. Calvert St.• Baltimore
410-539-1804
1701 Locust St. • Philadelphia
215-772-1701
2020 K St. N. W. • Washington, D.C.
202-466-8811
