old-school throwback. we were in the area, looking for a place for dinner. after doing a few searches, the pub offered what we were looking for (cow) and it was close where we were staying. getting to the restaurant is a bit tricky as the location is visible due to their huge sign but not easily accessed. upon arrival around 7p on a saturday night, the parking lot was very full which is always a good sign of a popular restaurant.
upon entering, the lighting is a bit dark but that is part of the theme of this restaurant - dim lights and heavy, dark wood beams creating a pub atmosphere. there were several other large parties waiting which gave concern that we'd wait for quite a while for seating. when we a table for 6, we heard 15-20 minutes which was shorter than expected.
after 15 minutes, we were summoned and seated in the vast dining room. the decor was more like an old-english banquet hall than a pub with high ceilings, more dark wood timbers and several medieval weapons displayed on the walls. the front of the diningroomhad 2 salad bars on either side framing a partially open kitchen with several open ovens.
initial service was quick with bread/butter arriving as we were seated. our server took a few minutes to arrive and initially took drink orders while we reviewed the menu. once nicety is that the table had 2 pitchers of ice-water which allowed us to refill our own water glasses instead of waiting for a passing server. the menu is very extensive although it was apparent that the specialties involved prime rib and steaks.
there are 3 different prime rib cuts - manager's cut (small), prime rib (medium) and cattleman's cut (large) - i opted for the prime rib cooked medium with a baked potato. the salad bar is included with all meals so we headed in that direction. the lettuce leaves were huge which was surprising. the toppings were a bit limited but there were an interesting variety of "salads" - rice salad, potato salad, pasta salad and cottage cheese with pineapple.
overall, the salad was good but not outstanding - then again, this is a steak house, salad is secondary. we finished our salads and waited 15-20 minutes for our entrees. fortunately we weren't in a rush so the delay allowed us to enjoy our salads with time to let it settle.
the prime rib arrived properly cooked (medium) with a pop-over and a baked potato. there was also a plastic container with what looked to be sour-cream - the waitress warned us this was horseradish cream but not before another diner started filling her baked potato with it. separately, the waitress delivered additional butter and sour cream for the baked potatoes.
the prime rib was excellent, served with the bone. it was tender and juicy although more au jus and real horseradish (not a sour-cream sauce) would have been appreciated. the pop-over was ok but with an enormous prime rib and a baked potato, the pop-over isn't necessary.
be forewarned that the portion size for the beef dishes is enormous - even the manager's cut is large enough to require a take-away box. this isn't necessarily a bad thing, just something to know beforehand.
when i'm in the area again, i'll certainly keep this restaurant in mind for a visit.