TOP CUT

THE TEE-OFF forever shines for Prime Rib

Sure, they serve lamb and fish and chicken at the Tee off. There’s shrimp scampi and crab cakes and crab legs as long as your forearm. But the Tee off is really about Prime Rib. It’s their specialty. USdA Prime Rib roasts are lovingly slow-roasted, carefully cut to order, and served any number of ways. A Par Cut is ten ounces and the cuts only get bigger from there. eagle Cut is a single bone-in rib. double eagle is double your pleasure and is a big as the plate – a carnivore’s dream come true. The names come from the Tee off’s beginnings as the unofficial clubhouse for the nearby municipal golf course (golfers are notoriously fanatical about Prime Rib). The Birdie Cut is less traditional. A ten ounce cut is seasoned with garlic, butter and a secret blend of herbs, then grilled. The surface is crispy, salty, and hints of basil, thyme, oregano, pepper, and something else… something really good! There’s a blackened Ace Cut, with zesty Cajun seasonings. A Prime Rib sandwich comes open faced on garlic bread paired with the Tee off’s close-to-perfection fries. The Prime Rib Pot Pie is popular at the bar, and is served in a hollowed-out sourdough round, topped with mashed potatoes and melted cheese. It goes great with a beer and a game on the big screen TV. Then there’s Wednesday nights. That’s when all those bones from the Par Cuts are grilled up and slathered with barbecue sauce for a little bit of heaven called “Prime Rib Bones Night.” Now, that’s a hole-in-one! — Julia McHugh

Tee Off Restaurant and Lounge

3627 State Street 805-687-1616; www.teeoffsb.com

Louie’s Luscious

Lamb

“Everyone looks good in our lighting,” says Anne Rizzoli with a laugh. She certainly does; the soft illumination in Louie’s dining room makes her face glow and her jewelry glitter. But I only have eyes for the dish before me. New Zealand rack of lamb is perched atop creamy mashed potatoes, surrounded by grilled vegetable including onions, asparagus, beans, and peppers. Mandarin oranges are scattered around. It’s a lovely sight, colorful yet seductive. You won’t find it on the printed menu, but Louie’s grilled lamb has a permanent place among the Nightly Specials at this eatery located in the Upham Hotel “It started as a Special about five years ago,” recalls Rizzoli. “People kept coming back and asking for it. So now, we have it every night, and just change the sauces and the sides.” Tonight’s sauce is a delightful blend of orange and rosemary, which mingles nicely with the lamb au jus. On other nights, there may be balsamic mint sauce or a cabernet mint reduction. The lamb is marinated overnight in Herbes de Provence, garlic, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. It is seared on the grill and then finished in the oven. The meat has a lovely crust, packed with the flavors of the herbs and the char of the grill. It is savory, draped with the velvety sauce. The potatoes elicit a quiet moan and Rizzoli laughs again. “You taste the butter and cream, right?” We had hoped to eat outside on the porch, but a windstorm had moved us into the dining room. The porch, which faces West Sola Street, is festooned with twinkle lights and has candles on the tables. Soft music plays. A row of two-tops line the railing. Along the sidewalk, a man walks his white poodle. “It feels like a neighborhood restaurant,” remarks Rizzoli, who began as a server here 15 years ago. When the owners moved to Florida eight years ago, Rizzoli and another longtime server Trey Brooks, bought the place. Chef Tony Manzaneras celebrates 24 years at Louie’s this year. Louie’s is still looking – and tasting – great--

By Julia McHugh

Louie’s is located at1404 De la Vina Street, in the Upham Hotel, 963-7003, www.louiessb.com