Because there's such a variety of rib roasts available in Washington area markets, we took advantage of Bourbon Steak's oven capacity and cooked up three: from Costco in Pentagon City, Wegmans in Fairfax and Wagshal's Market in Northwest Washington's Spring Valley neighborhood. Executive chef Joe Palma trimmed the roasts off the bone and used his mustard paste and slow-roast, high-heat-finish method.
Wagshal's is among the few places that sell the grade of beef known as prime. (The "prime rib roast" label you might find most likely does not indicate grade but rather the common term "prime rib.") That top 3 percent of true prime beef produced in this country is usually snapped up by big steakhouses such as Ruth's Chris, Peter Lugar and Morton's. For this taste test, the five-rib-bone 14-pounder had a gorgeous amount of marbling. Palma figured about $30 of its $386 price tag was bone and fat. It cooked up beautifully, a showstopper on the platter, with much of its fat intact. It was the chef's favorite.
The Wegmans roast (labeled "semi-boneless," which means the rib bones are trimmed short, 7.5 pounds, $82; dry-aged prime-grade rib roasts are available for Christmas at $27.99 per pound) had nice, even marbling. The meat was meltingly tender, making it my No. 1 pick.
The Costco roast was nicely trimmed, the chef noted, with decent marbling and the brightest color of the three (bone-in, just shy of 8 pounds, $86). It felt a bit firmer under the knife than the Wegmans roast and was a touch chewier, as well.
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