Guess where I had the most amazing beef on a kaiser? It was at a suburban mini mall in Scarborough called Agincourt Mall more than twenty years ago. Gosh, I am THAT old! At the time there were no places to eat except in this cafeteria-style restaurant. You know the ones where you pick up a tray, pick a salad from the cold food section, order your hot food from the person behind the counter and slide your tray at the end of the line to pay for your meal.
My mom would take my older brother and I to this mini mall to shop and eat. We went back frequently along with my younger brother even after we moved out of the neighbourhood just to eat their beef on a kaiser. Some time later they sold their business to another owner and converted the cafeteria-style restaurant into a full-fledged restaurant. Unfortunately, we tried ordering the beef on a kaiser and it wasn’t the same in either taste or experience.
Even though this joint is like a relic by today’s standards, I loved the whole experience of eating there. I especially enjoyed watching the man behind the counter assembling our sandwiches. Not only was he fast but there was a grace to it. I wish I could show you a video of him preparing the sandwich because my descriptions don’t do it justice. First, he cut the kaiser bun in half. Then he pierced the top half of the bun with his carving fork and dipped it quickly into the au jus without soaking up the bun. Then he cut thick pieces of beef on the what I believe was a prime rib roast on the bone and lay the meat on the bottom half of the kaiser. At last he took the top half of the bun and dipped it quickly into the au jus, put it on top of the beef and cut our sandwich in half. He made our sandwiches so perfectly and quickly that you’d think it was to be served at a fancy restaurant.
When this Memorable Dish was triggered my mind, I thought to myself, “How am I going to make this?!?!” I didn’t even know what cut of beef or spices the restaurant used! I tried recreating it based on recipes I found online. I think the restaurant used prime rib beef because they always gave my mom the rib bone with her sandwich. (They only gave the rib bone to their favourite customers, at least we liked to think so 😉
I’m satisfied with the results of this recreated sandwich. Both my mom and younger brother agree that it’s pretty close to what we had at the restaurant. I am so happy that we got to recollect this Memorable Dish together and can’t wait to make it next time for my older brother 🙂
Ingredients
- 1 Prime Rib Roast (approximately 4 pounds)
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
- 6 Kaiser Rolls
- For Au Jus
- 1 small diced Onion
- 2 minced Garlic
- 2 tsp of Olive Oil
- 3 cups of Beef Broth
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Rub roast with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder and place on rack in a shallow roasting pan.
- Bake uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until thermometer reads 130°F.
- Rest the roast for approximately 20-30 minutes by placing it in another dish and cover with foil while you make the au jus.
- Skim off excess fat from the roasting pan.
- Heat roasting pan with 1 cup of beef broth and scrape the bits from the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
- Heat small pot with olive oil.
- Sauté onions until softened, then add garlic.
- Add beef broth from the roasting pan and the remaining 2 cups of beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Bring it to a boil and set aside.
- Carve beef.
- Cut the kaiser bun in half and lightly dip the inside of the top and bottom bun.
- Make a sandwich by placing the sliced beef in the bun.
Notes
Note #1: Make sure you take the roast out of the refrigerator and leave to sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
Note #2: You can have the au jus as a dipping sauce on the side if desired.
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