The sign inside the hotel says: “Prime Steak & Wine.” But this is not hotel food. No way.
“We serve many different kinds of people,” says Chef Tim Twiford, “but most of our customers, our travelers, request a great steak. That’s what they want.”
So this tall, poised, Berks-bred, CIA-trained chef made a decision when the restaurant re-opened about a year ago—to buy only prime cuts of beef. These babies are housed in a special cooler in a vast, super-clean kitchen.
“Look at this—and this!” he smiles broadly, showing off the high-grade cuts, individually encased. “Beautiful!” Then, confessing, “The bone-end ribeye is my favorite,” he says. He places the meats carefully on their shelves.
Once you order this 22-ounce beauty, expect to see it arrive on a large, square white plate, shamelessly posing in all its meaty, well-seasoned glory against mashed potatoes as inviting as a pile of soft white blankets, while crisp asparagus spears provide angular contrast.
The first slice of ribeye meets mouth, and then it’s all over: Let the melting begin. Bite after bite. (And the next day, too…it’s so large a take-home box is a must.)
The filet mignon is an even match. Though it doesn’t have the heft of its cousin, it is delicately tendered and cooked to precise doneness. An Apothic Red 2009 in a tall goblet pairs well with this particular cut, perhaps because both steak and wine are full, round, and deep in flavor, yet quietly robust. Even as the tongue savors the browned roof of this steak, it welcomes the soft, fibrous interior underneath. Slow sip of wine, dab of dinner napkin, and back to the fork.
Fish, chicken, lamb, veal and pork entrees are equally gourmet. The signature salmon comes grilled and fat and colorful, happily topped with mango chutney and decorated with the reds and yellows of a roasted corn salsa scattered over a landscape of herbed wild rice. The tines gently pull away their first morsel of moist fish, drop it between tongue and palate, and then, bursting out, the caramel-y flavor of this elegant salmon is swimming one last time—this time, downstream. Superb flavor, superb combinations of gentle sweetness and aromatic satisfaction. Followed by a sip of light Chardonnay, this is a heart-savvy choice any time.
SOUP-ER BEGINNINGS, PERFECT ENDINGS
Before these gustatory pleasures even slide onto the table, appetizers range from a super-creamy, blue-cheesy artichoke dip with Parmesan crostini (buttery bread crisps) to plump jumbo shrimp.
Then there’s the X-treme appetizer that Crowne Plaza’s adventurous General Manager Craig Poole loves to offer from time to time: the Game Platter. “It’s earthy. It’s got a woodsy life feeling to it—a memory food,” he says enthusiastically. “Try it. You’ve got to try it.”
On it are crunchy pita cuts, sesame flatbread, and garlic rounds; a deep red wild turkey cranberry compote, tangy-sweet; coarsely ground Dijon; and three sausage varieties. The alligator sausage packs a spicy bite; the venison (deer) sausage is indeed “woodsy”; and the pheasant sausage is French-inspired in its light herbal tones.
Soups include a French onion, which, when you part back the cheese and delve inside, yields an aroma of fine beef wafting up from even proportions of onions and broth. Once those multiple textures and liquids start registering in the brain, the feeling is…well, it’s like sitting at a roaring fir
eplace in a lodge somewhere, cozy while the whole world drops out of sight. This soup demands attention, so don’t fret if conversation stops altogether when spoons dig into this charmer.
Prime’s turtle soup is richly sherried and amber, with magical spices that repeatedly tantalize and sate. The mushroom soup is incomparable (aka “killer good”). Creamy, teasing out the mushroom’s innately fine tones, it’s blended with an under-carriage of…sage, perhaps? It’s so completely comfortable as a culinary creation, if it could talk it would say, “Come on back tomorrow and try me again. You know you want to…”
The freshest of salads here hit traditional and trendy palates alike. Each could be a magazine cover. This stellar presentation speaks volumes for an establishment where the focus could easily be on prime beef. Tantalizers include a grilled watermelon salad and a kiwi-mango-watercress-shrimp salad, as well as a signature chopped salad with champagne vinaigrette dressing.
Finishing the feast are numerous Sweet Street desserts, a nod to the local village, plus some of Prime’s own goodies.
The chocolate-raspberry dome with whipped cream and its mousse filling makes it a home run—a perfect ending to a perfectly Prime time.
A MEMORABLE WEDDING DESTINATION
The Crowne Plaza has 265 rooms; a gathering there can involve 700 people. “Of course, we love doing weddings,” says General Manager Craig Poole. “We especially love putting together a sit-down dinner—because it’s memorable.”
Memorable, it turns out, is one of the hotelier’s favorite words. He’s the kind of man who, after 47 years in hotels, and happily married, lives by the belief that details and people matter.
“Would I have my wedding here? Absolutely!” one 20-something said over dinner. “Wedding food is important.”
Prime Steak & Wine Restaurant Crowne Plaza Reading | 1741 Papermill Rd., Wyomissing | Readingcrowne.com | 610.376.3811
by Marian Wolbers | photos by Heidi Reuter
