Prime rib is a cut of beef often associated with special occasions and holidays, especially Christmas and New Years. But once you get a taste for the best quality and preparation of prime rib, you start looking for it on all menus.

There’s a certain pomp and circumstance associated with prime rib, starting with the cut itself, often an inch or more thick, pink-hued, covering most of the plate and accompanied by bowls of au jus and horseradish (freshly prepared, if possible).

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There are even restaurants dedicated solely to prime rib, including two of my favorites: House of Prime Rib in San Francisco and Lawry’s the Prime Rib in Los Angeles. At both locations, prime rib is cut and served table-side from domed, stainless-steel carts designed in Art Deco style and warmed with pans of coals below the cutting area.

Among California meat aficionados, the........

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