Dining at Lawry’s The Prime Rib is a real show stopper. I actually thought our servers may break into a rendition of “Be Our Guest” from the Broadway musical “Beauty and the Beast”, as we enjoyed the dinner show performed with aplomb by the seasoned wait staff.

Gleaming silver serving carts are wheeled to your table, where thick cuts of perfectly roasted prime rib are sliced and served. (photo by Jill Weinlein)

Inside the elegantly designed art-deco interior, waitresses seem more like chorus girls dressed in costume with their 1930 style cinnamon-brown uniform, starched white collars and white dollies fastened on their heads.

They perform the spinning salad number with precision and pizzazz. The meat carvers (all male) flash their glinting knives next to their gleaming silver serving carts while cutting prime rib beef at your table.

Throughout the evening, the cast gathered at various tables to sing “Happy Birthday” to celebrating guests.

This is a place to enjoy an old-fashioned prime rib dinner and be entertained with all the action that surrounds your table – elegant, but not intimidating.

Our waitress, Miss Akda, has been at Lawry’s for 16 years. Many of the servers have been here for quite some time. “You are probably here for the prime rib, however we do have salmon and trout,” Miss Akda proudly announced.

My husband ordered the surf ‘n’ turf and I ordered the salmon. Both include the original spinning salad bowl with crisp romaine and iceberg lettuce, baby spinach, shredded beets, chopped eggs and housemade croutons with a vintage sherry French dressing. “Our salad is an unlikely mix of items that work well and have been enjoyed by our guests from over 70 years,” Miss Akda said.

We first started with an old fashion shrimp cocktail with six jumbo chilled meaty shrimp and a traditional red cocktail sauce.

Our waitress wheeled the salad cart over to our table. She spun the bowl a few times and stood on her tiptoes to pour the dressing into the spinning silver bowl. Diners are encouraged to shake a few dashes of Lawry’s seasoning pepper, made especially for the salad, on top of the greens. On our table was also Lawry’s seasoned salt, which made Lawry’s a household name and helped it grow into a multi-million dollar business. Created inside the home kitchen of one of the founders, Lawrence L. Frank, it’s a blend of salt, spices and herbs.

A lobster tail was brought to our table just before the silver carving cart was rolled over to cut a huge slice of rare prime rib for my husband’s plate. A strong horseradish sauce that can clear your sinuses, and a creamier slightly mild horseradish sauce made with whipped cream and grated fresh horseradish accompanies the meat.

Lighter appetites might enjoy the California cut or the English cut with three thin slices of beef. The Lawry cut is the most traditional and popular cut. All include a skillet of puffed up golden brown Yorkshire pudding made from flour, milk and egg, ideal for dipping right into the prime rib juice. Creamed spinach, corn and mashed potatoes are included too.

For those with larger appetites, the Diamond Jim Brady cut is an extra thick portion that includes the rib bone, aptly named after a man who could eat enough food for 10 people at one sitting, so the story goes.

The largest portion is the Beef Bowl with a double size cut and rib bone. This is  served to every Rose Bowl team before their big championship game.

My salmon had a light and creamy sorrel sauce. The perennial garden herb is mixed with a little butter, flour, light cream, stock and Lawry’s Seasoned Pepper, to give it a decadent flavor.

Some of the traditional desserts on the menu include a dark chocolate fantasy cake with Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream, apple pie, crème brulée with fresh berries and a super sweet coconut, banana cream pie loaded with ripe bananas poured into a toasted coconut butter crust.

Lawry’s has three fun events coming up this summer. One is their Vodka tasting on July 20 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sample domestic and imported vodkas to learn about the different aromas, textures, and distinctive flavors. Executive Chef Walter Eckstein will be preparing bite size pieces of lemony shrimp, mini turkey sliders, smoked salmon lollipops, potato pancakes with caviar and crème fraiche, and olives stuffed with blue cheese as hors d’oeuvres. The cost is $36 per person.

The following week on July 27, Lawry’s will be hosting a Murder Mystery dinner party for guests. A three-course menu includes the famous spinning salad, roasted prime rib of beef or salmon, vegetables and flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sauce. To learn more about these events (310)360-6281, ext. 4.