I like ribeye steaks. They have a lot of fat and a lot of flavor, and cooking individual steaks means that there’s a higher ratio of well-seasoned, nicely browned meat. But sometimes I want a nice slice of prime rib. It’s one of those things that people think of as fancy. My parents used to take us out to dinner on Friday night once a month, and quite often everyone got a slice of prime rib, either queen or king cut, depending on how hungry you were. It’s also something that pops up as a carving station on a lot of old school brunch buffets and at weddings. It’s usually accompanied by au jus or, if we’re being fancy, horseradish sauce.

But here’s where I have issue with the prime rib: It is inherently a large hunk of unseasoned meat. Sure, the outside may have been really well seasoned, but the other 90% of you meat has had nothing added to it. Not even salt. You’re relying on your customers to season their meat at the table with iodized salt and pre-ground pepper (if you even have shakers on the tables at all).

How can we move beyond that? Maybe prime rib doesn’t fit into what you’re doing at your restaurant, but if it does, are you seasoning sliced pieces? I’d be interested to hear what anyone is doing.