So 3 stars is an "A-OK" grade... but for me, not enough to justify returning to a very pricey establishment (unless someone insists on buying me dinner there, of course). I was among two couples who tried it out for Restaurant Week, which may have been the key to what was a slightly mediocre experience. The prix fixed menu seemed like an excellent deal, and a perfect incentive to try this place for the first time, and perhaps add it to our list of special occasion spots. But, the Restaurant Week curse... average appetizers (tomato soup that could have been campbells, chopped iceberg lettuce salad), smaller portions, unspectacular presentation (a very small, but tasty, filet in the middle of the plate, accompanied by a tuft of indentifiable, definitely inedible, grassy garnish) and a hint of disinterest from our server. The nice part, he brought a piece of cake with a candle to celebrate an anniversary, and all of the desserts were tasty (though not memorably so). As for decor, I'm okay with old school upscale! Just wish it was an old school lesson in upscale dining. In the end, we still ended up spending several hundred dollars on what we thought was the point of the Restaurant Week incentive -- a bit of a "deal" to get us in the door, and give us a great experience that we'd be happy to return for on a regular week. Instead, I think we left feeling like we could have spent a little more and had an immensely better experience... maybe it's Restaurant Week that isn't all it's cracked up to be, but in the end, the Baltimore Prime Rib won't be one of my go-to spots for a special meal. read more

Every time we come to Baltimore we eat here. As always good conversations and fantastic food

Excellent Steakhouse. I would recommend this restaurant. The foods and drinks was delicious. Our waiter and bus boy was on point and was there tending to our needs. Especially with 2 young children. The signature cut is highly recommended. I will definitely come back when I go back to Baltimore. read more

Just pile this on top of all the other stellar reviews. Never, ever a disappointment. Travis our waiter is a compliment to an outstanding team. read more

Although this mainstay of the finest dining in town hardly needs another review, I am moved to do so because of a perfect evening there last night. I was thanking a woman friend of 50 years and my husband, both, for their support while I was recently down with a flu. My own appetitie was still a bit off, so rather than my favorite, the signature prime rib dinner, I opted for something I'd never tried, their rack of lamb. I also had fried artichoke hearts, new to me there. Outstanding, both cooked perfectly, both not able to be improved upon. But what made the evening best was the stunning quality of service by a young man with an instinct for timing and warmth. He soon saw that we were looking for a relaxed evening and laid way back on rushing us to order, simply getting our excellent drinks and then subtly watching while we ignored our menus. He paced our dinner perfectly and anticipated what we'd need to match some of my odd requests, such as letting my dining mates have some of my classic Caesar salad, turning up with small plates and tongs for me to use for just that. He was absolutely genuine, no artifice, but as elegant as this restaurant's servers have always been, only warmer, by nature. This is a special man (with a special backstory for loving his job, in that it allows him to do steeplechase horsemanship by day), Matthew, should be your choice if you have a choice. Don't forget to save room for their hot fudge sundae, three spoons, enough for all. Btw, the pianist was wonderful, a truly terrific musician with a huge repertoire and his own bits of jazz interpretation to make the standards special. Worth paying close attention to. I am so glad that we chose this spot for a thank you dinner. read more

Prime Rib is one of the best dinning experiences I've ever had. The ambiance made you feel as if you were in the roaring 20's or something. The black furniture makes the place seem so elegant. The food was to die for. The place is expensive but you should know that going in. If you take a date here, you're assured a 2nd one... not sure how you'd top it though. That's setting a huge standard LOL read more

My boyfriend and I just went there for our 3 yr anniversary. First impression was that the place was classy and the ambiance was nice; especially the live music (piano). We waited 5 minutes to get seated (not a problem at all) but I have to admit that the host wasn't as welcoming and warm as I imagined one would be for this type of restaurant. The waiter was nice and did a pretty good job. As for the food... well... let's just say that this is pretty much an outback steakhouse dressed up in a tuxedo. The food was somewhere between mediocre and bad, without even taking the prices into account. For those of you that believe this is the best food around, god bless your poor souls. We had a lobster bisque that was more of a heavy chowder than anything else, a jumbo lump crabcake that was as blend as they come, a rack of lamb (good quality of meat) that was served with some sweet green jello "sauce" (that's right, i said Jello), grilled rockfish, a baked idaho potato and a trio of mushrooms. All of this was served with sides of sweet butter and sour cream (even tho i asked/paid for bearnaise). There was basically no culinary skilll involved in anything that we ate. I still have hope to find a halfway decent restaurant to have a nice anniversary dinner with my boyfriend in the future, but this is not it. Damage: $240 (including tip) Lesson: never again. read more

We live in Mt. Vernon and always try to do a new place in walking distance during restaurant weeks. We hadn't been to The Prime Rib, LOVE steak, so decided to go to THE steakhouse in Baltimore. I had read really good reviews and we went here based on those. I even googled "best steak in Baltimore" and The Prime Rib was a top hit, so what was there to lose? We started with tomato soup which was okay, but a little bland. The bread they served was to die for, they had to bring us seconds! He ordered the filet mignon, I ordered the Prime Rib for $4 extra (when at The Prime Rib...). Both were okay, but nothing to write home about. I can cook a better filet than they did, and while my prime rib was juicy, I still felt it was mising something. The sides (spinach and mashed potatoes) were also just ok. Dessert was amazing - mousse pie - but all in all the best parts of the meal were the bread and the dessert - not the steak! We're not too disappointed because we went there during restaurant week so got a steep discount, but to go there and pay regular prices would NOT be worth it! The filet costs $47 normally and was dry and flavorless while the prime rib goes for close to that and was also nothing special. If you're looking for steak, good ambience, and decent regular prices for a special night out, go to The Brewer's Art for the top sirloin steak frites. Best steak I've had in Mt. Vernon! read more

We dined here for our 40th wedding anniversary. What a great meal! Obviously, since it was our first time, we had to try the prime rib. It was a smaller serving than plate size, because it was the special Sunday night 3 course meal. I don't think both of us could have polished off one of the regular prime rib. There was a young Japanese couple a few tables away. They were of very small stature. The husband ordered the regular cut and when it came his wife couldn't stop giggling and he looked like he was going to faint. Retro doesn't begin to describe this place, with the leopard carpeting and the live piano trio. That, however, is what makes this place such a great experience. They played all our romantic favorites, the service was impeccable and the entire experience was just a hoot, but at the same time, absolutely stellar. read more

Never have eaten here but I have drank at the bar. So classy and old school. Bartender was great. I hear the prime rib is fantastic.

5 stars. Impeccable service. Our waiter was great attentive but not overbearing. Outstanding drinks, best Sidecar ever! Creamed spinach was overrated as other reviewers stated, I like my own version better. Hubby had the prime rib steak it was ginormous! Almost grossly so but I'm not much of a red meat eater ( I love my seafood). so you'll probably want to just ignore that comment. I didn't feel like stuffing myself (our reservations were pretty late), so I got the hearts of lettuce salad and the crabcake appetizer. The crabcake was a substantial size. The hearts of lettuce salad had phenomenal blue cheese dressing. And get this. Normally on a salad, any salad really, the tomatoes are freezing cold. Tomatoes chill faster than lettuce so the result is a bit of an uncomfortable chill on your teeth. Not here. The tomatoes were ROOM TEMPERATURE. I dont' know if that was purposeful but I'll go with it. What a stunning surprise. Anyhoo. The five is because they have leopard carpet. How awesomely retro. It matched my hairdo. The retro style I mean. I don't have leopard print hair. We....won't be back. Sadly, we live in Ohio and were only in Baltimore for a wedding. Those friends are actually moving to Ohio also. The Prime Rib, join the party! Its the best steakhouse I've been to and I'd gladly eat myself broke if it were here in Columbus. read more

We celebrated 2 anniversaries for 2 couples that evening and the server (Travis) was outstanding. His choices for drinks, appetizers & entrees were point on and the meals were excellent. Knowing that this was a pricey venue, didn't deter the fact that everyone was completely satisfied walking out the door and would not rule out a return trip in the very near future. Now I know why this place has been around for so long and keeps getting better! read more

This has been our go to restaurant in Baltimore city for special occasions, out of town guests and business associates for the past 20 years. Prior to Sunday we have never been disappointed with either the Food or the service. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. Of the four people in our party three of our meals arrived well done when they had been ordered medium to medium rare. The only reason the fourth entree was not over cooked was because it was ordered well done. our waiter required three tries to get the bill correct, had no idea which wine to recommend and was certainly not up to previous standards. In addition, the restaurant itself seems to be showing a lack of upkeep. The gold trim around the plates is mostly worn off and there were several chipped tiles on the floor in the restroom. While I wouldn't say that any of these Issues would necessarily keep us from returning, I will think twice about going to the prime rib in the future, especially at $125 per person. read more

The BEST restaurant in Baltimore city. Classy, properly formal and the food is tremendous.

I had high expectations when going to the Prime Rib to celebrate my boyfriend's graduate school graduation on 12/12. We made a reservation on Opentable and they called to confirm the day before and noted we'd be celebrating a special occasion. My boyfriend had already dined at Prime Rib and assured me it was going to be an amazing experience. Unfortunately our waiter made our dining experience very lackluster. He greeted us and didn't introduce himself. Overall, he wasn't friendly or helpful with our meal. Several times during the meal it would have been nice to have been "checked on" to see if our drinks/meal/appetizer was to our liking. He did not. Our prime ribs were thankfully amazing however, our broccoli rabe was overcooked and cold. We were happy with the meat so didn't complain, although our waiter wasn't available to even talk to. He came out with a complementary dessert for my boyfriend's graduation, but it felt like an afterthought. He didn't tell us what the dessert was or offer us the dessert menu to browse. We finished the dessert, which was amazing, and were handed our handwritten check. The credit card machines were down, which we both understood, and he explained that. At that point, we weren't interested in asking for the dessert menu because we felt rushed out. I am happy with the food experience but very disappointed in the service we received for a special occasion we had been looking forward to for months. I am not sure we will be back to the Prime Rib anytime soon. Hopefully their wait staff can improve their customer service. read more

The Prime Rib is where my wife and I have celebrated more anniversaries than any other place. This is our annual "fancy night out." Sure, it's ridiculously expensive (we've ranged from $100 - 150 for dinner for 2), but absolutely everything we've ever eaten there has been beyond delicious. Salad dressing: amazing! Seafood: awesome! Filet: melt-in-mouth dreamy. The staff are highly trained and professional. Greeted like VIP's with "Happy Anniversary!" They'll arrange flowers or champagne at your request. We've tried other fancy places for a change, but none are as consistent and wonderful as The Prime Rib. read more

Over-rated. maybe 2.5 stars but it seems quite easy to do so much better in this town full of neat restaurant choices. The ambiance is snooty and while nice, not overly inviting. Service was ok and friendly enough but for a place that charges what they do and portrays 5 stars, you shouldn't have to wait around for drinks, bread, basic services and, seriously, put a cracked pepper grinder on the table instead of those cheeseball tasteless pepper shakers. The signature prime rib comes with nothing (and is apparently not seasoned either), so bump your price point up if you want any veggie. We ordered mashed potato and spinach. The mashed was good enough but the spinach was watery and tasteless, blah. I could have used my chainsaw to cut through my expensive prime rib although I will say my colleague was able to slice with his fork so perhaps it's a quality control issue....still unacceptable. And please, ask before you pour my beer from four feet up and ruin it. Go someplace else. We hit fork and wrench the next night and should have made that the choice for both our dinners! read more

We came here on one of our stops with a dish crawl event. Since we were with a large group they sat us in our own section. They served us tender roast beef sliders, asparagus, potato skins, and crab cake balls. Everything was very good. Our server suggested the perfect cabernet. We were only there a short time but if you wanted to take someone to a special place for a special dinner, I would definitely recommend this place for the atmosphere and the food. My only hesitation in giving this 5 stars is was very pricey. read more

For 40 years this has been one of Baltimores best, Start off with the skins then a great salad and a prime rib you will never finish, Always a special treat read more

This is honestly one of my favorite places to go! Their menu is similar to Ruth's Chris but what separates them is the remarkable service. Although the prices are very high the quality of food can't get much better. I had the filet, mashed potatoes, and corn. Absolutely delicious. The atmosphere is calm and elegant. They even have a live piano player! This is a wonderful place to go! read more

Amazing meal and service for our party of eight. The atmosphere is elegant and there is a special room which has glass walls encasing row after row of wine bottles - 680 of them! It was beautiful and completely unique. read more

I will add an update to this review...The manager did call my husband the following day and offered a profound apology for our experience, and he emphasized how unusual this event was. I do understand that 'things happen,' and I am impressed with the attempt to make things 'right.' Maybe we will consider a second chance... read more

From business dinners to special occasion family dinners, we love coming to this place. Yes, it is "old school," but we love the ambiance, the personalized service, the drinks and the food. The pineapple infused vodka is spectacular. read more

We had dinner there this past New Year's Eve. Everything was excellent the service, the food, the music. My husband ordered the filet, I had the Chilean Sea Bass. Both entrees melted in your mouth. Zach was our waiter and he was great. In fact, when we left we made reservations for Valentine's Day. I think this is our new spot for special occasions - but I also want to go to their bar one night and maybe get a drink and an appetizer. It's just an awesome place! read more

We went here for restaurant week, and could not have had a better meal. It was a Sunday night, so wine was half price a definite plus. We decided to spend a little more on the wine and received an excellent recommendation from our waiter. The service on the whole was impeccable. The restaurant week menu offered an appetizer. entrees paired with mashed potatoes and a spinach, and a desert for $30 ($5 more for the prime rib). We decided that wasn't enough food so we got escargot as an appetizer which I'm glad we did because they were divine, rich and buttery with a velvet texture. We both had salads which were good but my boyfriend said the ceaser he had was missing the anchovies that the salad used to be prepared with there. I had the filet and he had the queen cut prime rib (about 1/2 the size of the regular cut but the regular is $55 a la carte). The meat was perfectly prepared to our specifications. For desert, I had the chocolate mousse cake which was rich, moist, with layered tastes pleasing the palate. My boyfriend got the creme brûlée which was good but less inspired. The decor is decidedly oldschool, a throwback to a different era. Add in the piano playing and the random acapella serenade at the table in our area and it was a totally unique and wonderful experience. The tab was $200 which was reasonable considering the same meal non-restaurant week was at least $300. A special place to be enjoyed on a special occasion. read more

It has been some time since my last visit, but always excellent food and service. I personally am pleased with the dress code and believe some other restaurants should follow. read more

It has been some years since I've been to this restaurant (I've been to the DC location about 2 years ago), and I need to be coming back more regularly. This place just gets it right all around. Everything is very classy from the moment you drop your car off with the valet, the greeting and farewell received by the maître d', the impeccable service from the wait staff, and the absolutely fantastic meat. We dined here before a performance at the Lyric opera house and had the Caesar salads (the best rendition I've had since the dressing isn't too heavy), a large and small cut of the prime rib prepared rare and medium rare respectively, and the potato skins and corn that went great with the meat. The wine list is excellent and not outrageously priced (thank you). As for the prime rib itself, I'd have to say that texturally it is about perfect...no sinewy meat that sometimes rears its ugly head at other prime places, and just a little bit of aged flavor (some places like Gallagher's in NYC might have a bit more aged flavor, but do not this perfect texture). Next time I want to try the prime rib steak that I saw other diners order, though I think my desire for the prime rib might still eclipse that. read more

Went to celebrate my birthday and it just so happened to be restaurant week. I was really excited as this place has great reviews. Turned out to be a BIG let down!! Reservations were for 4:30 and we were seated right away. I was expecting to hear someone playing the piano. Not sure why there wasn't. We started with the escargot and they were very small. The shells could have held 3 to 5 each. They were FLOATING in garlic butter. We decided to order off the restaurant week menu and figured why not?? no brainer.. right? So they bring out the house SPECIAL salad's. Not sure what made it special. It was tasteLESS and appeared to be out of a bag. I have high blood pressure so I avoid salt but the only thing I can say is that perhaps salt would have given the salad some flavor. Mind you the salads were plated as we were finishing the six tiny butter soaked escargot. Typically restaurants allow at least a few minutes between courses. Again not sure what happened. The dinners followed equally as quickly. We had decided to order the filet and the prime rib and intended to share as to enjoy what we thought would be PRIME cuts of beef. The filet was cooked as ordered.. med. rare. However they served both steaks with a steak knife which put me off considering most steakhouses are sure of the products they are selling and only provide you a butter knife. Once I started to cut the filet, I knew why. It was tough!!! I ordered a side of Bearnaise and drizzled a bit onto the first TOUGH piece and the Bearnaise was so salty it was unbearable. ( I am sure they meant to put some of that salt onto the salads ) LOL. That bite was so tough! I chewed and chewed, just to get it down. The prime rib was over cooked and did not have a bit of fat on it. Not a good thing considering the fat is what makes prime rib so wonderful. And did I mention that our waiter never came back ONCE to check on us. Our drinks were empty for at least a 1/2 hour and after sitting there for that while waiting for him to come back so I could let him know that the steaks were not edible, I decided I would speak with the manager. I told him that it was my birthday and that we had heard most wonderful reviews about this restaurant and given it was restaurant week had decided to take advantage and come in. I explained my disappointments and all he said to me was, and I quote!!! " HOLY COW ". I would also like to add that the two small bowls of what appeared to be creamed spinach and mashed potatoes of which were not even warm, also seemed to be something that even Bob Evans could have made better. So we passed on the dessert and left. Not a happy birthday :( I am not sure what all the hype is about this place but I can say that had we ordered off of their dinner menu and paid almost $ 50.00 for a steak I am not sure I would have been able to control my unhappiness. read more

Took my parents here for a special occasion. Service was great the food was good but just not outstanding. This place is also really really dark and very tight, which I didn't mind too much. We went on Preakness weekend and noticed the place really filled up fast after the race. They have an extensive wine list and we're very accommodative to our needs. I just feel as if something is missing from this place, especially for the 400+ price that we paid. I got the 8oz fillet which was cooked perfectly, however I feel I could have done the same thing at home as the flavor was nothing special. My parents got the soft crabs which were delicious my wife got the rockfish which was also very good. The bread pudding I think was the highlight of the meal! The key lime pie was good also. So where does that leave us? If you want an old school 60+ crowd and an old school feel steakhouse this may be the place for you. I however will look elsewhere next time. read more

This review is for Restaurant Week, which unfortunately was a disappointment. The salad was overdressed, sad-looking and wilted, seemingly having been prepared an hour before--I've had crisper salad from take-out pizza joints. The Prime Rib, their "special cut" (i.e. a smaller cut of their "small" portion) was of inconsistent quality (some pieces on our table were moist whereas others were dry with no fat) and my piece was strangely bland and under-seasoned (and I'm fairly sensitive to salt). The cheesecake dessert wasn't terrible, but wasn't particularly great either, I would have struggled to differentiate it from one bought from a grocery store. The one saving grace of the meal was their whipped potatoes and creamed spinach, both of which were done very well, which is the main reason for the 2 star review instead of 1 star. Overall, both the quantity and quality of food served was poor and generally memorable for the wrong reasons. Hopefully the quality of food is normally better when it's not Restaurant week--I will not be coming back to find out though. read more