Beef. It's What's for Lunch

 My recent B&B adventure along the Watertown Loop found me at Bismarck's (yes, with a "ck") Main Street Bar & Grill for lunch. This is a favorite spot of mine, and one that was found quite by accident while looking for a pizza place in downtown Watertown a couple of years ago with my friend, Amy. Sometimes, these "stumble-upon" places turn out to the best, though I've certainly encountered my share of duds along the way, too.




I'm sure they have many other tasty things on the menu, but my absolute "go-to" item is their prime rib sandwich. Unlike the usual "sliced-thin-piled-high" varieties (and sometimes piled low) this place serves a single, artery-choking 8-ounce-plus slab of prime rib on a bakery hoagie bun (no "Wonder-rolls" here). The sandwich must either be cut in half, or handled with two hands, with feet and arms inside the booth at all times.

The chef cuts the slab off of a roast that has already been cooked, and quick-warms it before lowering it on to the bun, so you can order your prime rib sandwich just about to any "done-ness" that you wish, with the possible exception of rare. I get mine medium-rare, and add grilled onions (no extra charge). For an extra 50 cents, they will add cheese, and so I go for melted Swiss for the ultimate cholesterol bomb. And just in case you cannot feel your arterial plaque twitching already, the sandwich comes with -- wait for it -- onion rings on the side.

I never fail to be pleased with this sandwich, though sometimes I am in sheer awe when it arrives and I see the chef has been particularly generous with the carving knife, as he was on this particular visit. This plank-o'-prime rib was hanging over all edges of the bun, and weighed 10 ounces if it weighed a gram. The first thing I always do with this sandwich is remove the bottom bun and trim out any conspicuous fat pockets (a person must have some limits). On this particular slab, there were none. with all the delicious fat molecules dispersed throughout the beef flesh, ready for depositing onto my arterial walls. The next thing I do is cut the sandwich in half for easier handling. Thoughtfully, the restaurant supplies a serrated steak knife to accomplish both those pre-consumption tasks.

The prime rib is tender and juicy, with the grilled onions and melted Swiss providing a delectable compliment to the beef. I have my sandwich with a little A-1 on the side for "dabbing," but this is purely an optional call, as the prime rib certainly has enough flavor on its own.

Beverage options abound at the Bismarck, but they have a fine selection of beers on tap, so I usually have mine with a New Glarus "Totally Naked," or "Spotted Cow," depending on what they have.

While the prime rib sandwich is certainly a "Binge" from a purely caloric standpoint, it's hard to classify it as such from an economic one.  The sandwich, including the onion rings, is $8.50. I challenge you to find a better value for the money, when you consider that a prime rib roast will run you anywhere from $12-$15 per pound, and then you have to roast it on top of that. So I'd have to call Bismarck's a Binge AND a Bargain.

Bismarck's is on East Main Street (also Highway 19) just off the bridge that spans the Rock River. Look for the green awning. Street parking is available (parallel parking) but be prepared to park on one of the side streets if you go at the height of lunch hour. Be sure to ask the bartender to see the "secret passageway" leading to the basement. It's a hoot!

If you are not suffering from total food delirium after consuming this dinner-size portion of beef (if not full-on cardiac arrest), another nice stop in Watertown (and purely a "Binge") is the Berres Brothers Coffee Company, located on the south edge of town. A cup of high-octane brew from their coffee shop is just the ticket to rejuvenate you from the beef overload, and I will cover this in another installment of Bargains and Binges.

Watertown, by the way, is a lovely city, with the Rock River meandering through it, and a downtown that seems to be doing OK in spite of a Walmart Superstore being located on the city's edge. The downtown is a little challenging getting to, requiring navigating two roundabouts if you approach it from the south (Johnson Creek) on Highway 26. But the stop at Bismarck's alone is worth it. I'm not all that familiar with Watertown, so if anyone knows of other Bargains or Binges worthy of a visit, please leave a comment!

Cheers, and with apologies to my cardiologist,

Bruce

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