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With its long history on the Fort Wayne restaurant
scene, The Rib Room has always sort of just been there - the tasteful
blue neon sign out front, the dark wood paneling, the low-ceilinged
dining room, and the cozy bar area. For a lot of people, judging by the lunchtime
patrons who all seemed to know each other, The Rib Room satisfies a
lot of people's craving for familiarity. Rib Room's fare a time warp worth experiencing, but eat there a couple of times and you begin to understand why they got familiar in the first place. Ben: A time warp
you can eat. That's what I think of every time I come in here. The awning
out front says The Rib Room was established in 1957, and the years seem
to have stopped piling up right then and there. The decor, the food,
the lighting, the mood: It all fairly screams red meat, Caddies with
big fins and clear martinis with a Marlboro chaser. I kept expecting
to see Joe McCarthy sitting over there in the shadows, nursing a drink
or five. But if The Rib Room is a step back in time in feel and fare,
it is a sure step. The ribs we split as an appetizer were meaty and
tender and doused with a fine red sauce heavy on the vinegar, so no
worries there. The Calypso salad I ordered was big and fresh, and the
diced beets, the salad's distinctive feature, were piled on with a liberal
hand. My entree - a hefty chunk of broiled salmon - came no-frills-or-frou-frou-sauces-attached.
It was just a succulent, flaky piece of fish, with moist and flavorful
rice pilaf. Nothin' fancy. Nothin' to raise the eyebrows or the taste
buds. Just simple fare, simply and well prepared. Julie:Hey sweets, martinis taste like lighter fluid to me, but I do love a good steak. For dinner, I chose the 12-ounce sirloin strip steak cooked rare. The Rib Room isn't much on presentation, but who cares? My steak arrived unadorned, but it was perfectly cooked, tender, juicy and flavorful. The accompanying rice pilaf was excellent - firm rice studded with tomatoes and peppers. For dessert, we split a piece of terrifically rich chocolate peanut butter pie. The name pretty much says it all. A word about the service. Ben: Something occurred
to me as I took a bite from the bleu-cheese burger I ordered for lunch.
I could actually taste the food. The few times we went to The Rib Room
when we lived down the street were pre-smoking ordinance, and don't
let the tobacco addicts and Smoke-Free-Or-Die dopes tell you those were
the days. They weren't. You could have cut the cigarette smoke in The
Rib Room with a machete in those days, and you walked out smelling like
you'd just put out a three-alarm blaze. Veeeery elegant. Plus, you spent
the rest of the evening wondering what you'd ordered, because you couldn't
taste it. But on this visit, I could taste the bleu cheese burger, and
I have to say this: I've had better. The meat was a good cut of burger
but a bit on the bland side, and ditto the splatter of bleu cheese on
it. Somebody could have tried harder on this one. Still, I'd come back
again. Even if Joe McCarthy over there would have my Commie butt for
it. So how about that Sputnik, anyway? Julie: How 'bout
it . . . For lunch I chose the fried cod and roasted potato lunch special.
I got three pieces of gently breaded fried cod served with roasted potatoes
and parsley. Very simple and well prepared. But then I tasted the Greek
green beans - made with tomatoes, onions and oregano, and all that simplicity
gave way. I eat green beans because they're good for me, and my kids
eat them. They're OK, but not really in my vegetable pantheon. But add
a little oregano and wow! Surprised by a bean. That really should happen
more often. Restaurant: The Rib Room |
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