Salmon? Yes, but It’s Still Lawry’s

Walking into the new Lawry’s the Prime Rib, barely two weeks out of the space it occupied for years on La Cienega Boulevard, is like walking onto a movie-set version of the old Lawry’s: It’s the same . . . sort of.

First your eyes have to adjust to the light--this Lawry’s, with its modernistic exterior (and wider, multi-lane carport), is brighter and whiter both inside and out.

You relax as you see the walls adorned with the familiar huge paintings of grouchy old English dudes. As you step down into the dining room, you hear Lawry’s signature warning: “Watch your step, please.”

But then, just as you settle into your super-high-backed padded chair and take a few nibbles of sourdough bread, you hear a word that doesn’t compute: “Our fish special this evening. . . .” Fish?

At Lawry’s, where your dinner choices have been whittled down for maximum efficiency to prime rib or prime rib? The cheerful waitress goes on to describe a lovely sounding fresh salmon with asparagus, but the beef eaters at the table won’t be denied.

First comes the spinning salad ballet (if you heard the news reports about contaminated salad during Lawry’s first week at its new location, you should know that whatever went wrong seems to have been fixed). Then comes the comforting sight of Lawry’s famous stainless-steel beef carts. You admire the streamlined beauty of the cart itself and the way the domed-lid lighting casts a rosy glow onto the beef. You choose your cut, your potato topping, your vegetable (deviating from the creamed-spinach norm for the sake of change leads only to disappointment--peas are peas). You accept your portion of Yorkshire pudding, Americanized like most things at Lawry’s to be lighter, “better” than the original, and a dab of both whipped horseradish cream and a jolt of the real thing. You eat the meal that has barely changed since you were a kid and sigh with relief.

* Lawry’s the Prime Rib, 100 N. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills, (310) 652-2827. Dinner for two, food only, $36-$65.