The Absolute Best Prime Rib in New York

What makes this painstakingly prepared, theatrically presented dish our choice for the absolute best prime rib in this fabled beef-eating town? Let’s begin with the preparation, which involves dry rubbing the exterior not once, but twice, with a peppery Montreal-style rub, slow roasting the beef on a spit for several hours, then finishing it at high heat to seal in that fatty, crunchy crust. Instead of languishing in a steam tray, the way your grandfather’s country-club prime rib used to do, this version is then perambulated directly to the table, where you can have it thin-cut, in the English style, or carved in a single tender New York–size slab. The drippings-laced jus is prepared separately, from the simmered remains of fatty brisket beef, and so is the rib bone, which is muffled in its own dry Kansas City–style barbecue spice rub, and presented with proper ceremony on a gold-rimmed plate. Add the impressive selection of possible trimmings — cottage fries or marrow-laced grits, perhaps, along with pots of horseradish cream and Dijon mustard on the side — and the storied, cathedral-size venue, and you have a prime rib that’s fit (and at $72, priced) for a king.

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