A couple of things. I’m not a big beef guy. Hardly ever cook it at home, order it out even less and then mostly in burger form. But every once in awhile, I want a big hunk of rare, top-quality beef cooked by someone who knows what they’re doing.

So I went back to the House of Prime Rib in San Francisco recently, mostly out of nostalgia for the days when I watched Congressman Phil Burton there night after night. It was his unofficial headquarters as he gerrymandered the heck out of California on the back of a starched white napkin, while waving a Flintstones-size prime rib bone as he reassured nervous elected officials that they were “in your father’s arms.”

The look of the HOPR has changed a lot. The dark British men’s club ambience has given way to a more couple-friendly light atmosphere that doesn’t quite match the food. Because the food hasn’t changed at all.

Waitresses still spin the salad and it’s still cold and excellent despite the hokey presentation. They still include beets whether you want them or not. The main course is still prime slow-cooked standing ribs of beef, wheeled to your table in a Goodyear blimp cart and carved to your specifications by a guy in a toque. Small, medium and large on the bone are the choices.

There are, incredibly, complimentary seconds on the beef. Yorkshire pudding on the side, with au jus. You can replace the standard mashed potatoes with an enormous baked version with butter/sour cream/chives if you’re afraid you haven’t quite hit calorie overload. Add a couple of martinis or Jack Daniel’s on the rocks, skip the creamed spinach and mundane desserts and you’ve had a perfect old-time beef experience.

And the weird part is it’s still great. So bring the Lipitor and take the seconds.

House of Prime Rib is located at 1906 Van Ness Ave., in San Francisco. Phone number is (415) 885-4605. Web site is http://www.Houseofprimerib.net

By Jim Tabilio

When it comes to Cantonese seafood restaurants, it’s a very good sign when you get to interview each course before dinner. As you enter Sea Empress in Gardena, you feel like you’re walking through the Monterey Aquarium. Except things don’t turn out quite as well for the fish.

Sea Empress is a classic Cantonese fish house. You inspect the cod, crab, shrimp and lobster as they swim freely in enormous tanks. The manager stops as he shows to your table, asking about your preferences. He pulls out a lobster for closer inspection. You nod. You meet the crustacean again 20 minutes later under different circumstances. The tail and claw meat start off the meal in a black bean sauce, with the more interesting lobster bits adhering to large chunks of the shell served with congee (Cantonese rice porridge) as the final course. In between there is steamed whole cod with ginger and scallions, enormous wok-sautéed whole prawns in XO sauce and asparagus with flat rice noodles.

The reputation of Cantonese food has dimmed a little over the past few decades as Californians have had increased access to excellent examples of Szechuan, Hakka, Hunan and other regional Chinese cooking styles. But Cantonese seafood can be a life-changing experience and Sea Empress in Gardena offers one of the best opportunities for that experience in California. The restaurant also serves great dim sum daily, with the selection on weekends particularly rivaling the diverse offerings of the great teahouses in the San Gabriel Valley.

The Sea Empress is located at 1636 W. Redondo Beach Blvd. in Gardena. The web site is www.Gardenaseaempress.com. Phone number is (310) 538-6868.

Sea Empress is recommended on the restaurant web site atLarrys.com by both Jim Tabilio and Lenn Grabiner. Jim’s recommendation is above. You can read Lenn’s at http://www.atLarrys.com