Speedway - Grand Forks

I am a roast beast fan.

There’s nothing quite like tearing though a huge hunk of red meat on a cold winters day to satisfy the primal urge of hunger.

That’s why when my stomach started churning in the middle of class, I was delighted to get a text message from my friend, B.

B: “Hey lets go to speedway later.”

I’ve only gone to speedway for drinks and snacks late at night, never giving it the full respect it needs for a thorough review. I’ve sampled their BBQ in the past and found it to be delicious and a unique gem in the Grand Forks food circle.

Needless to say, I was hungry.

Menus in Grand Forks

For some reason, the menus in most Grand Forks eateries are huge. In almost every restaurant, menus often stretch to over 30 items. Speedway was no exception, and the huge laminated plastic menus required some time to chew though.

…Then I saw it.

Prime rib.

I’m no stranger to the roast beast. In fact, in an earlier entry, I described how I cooked a traditional English dinner for my family, using the prime rib method “X” (http://ndfoodblog.wordpress.com/2012/01/02/roast-beast/)

For sure, I said to myself, this huge hunk of cow would satisfy my craving.

Starters:

The dinner came with choice of two sides, I ordered tomato soup and a baked potato.

Bread service came with the meal. It was some kind of whole-grain type of loaf, served warmish, along with soft butter.

I started with home style tomato soup. Creamy, chunky and smooth, this soup was a good start. It wasn’t as creamy as some of the other tomato soups I’ve had in this region before, but still satisfying nonetheless.

Prime rib ($15):

My first reaction was: “god, they overcooked it.”

It’s a mortal sin to order a cut of any standing rib roast over medium. Lucky for me, the cooks either: a) browned the meat for a little bit on the flat top to heat the meat up, or, b) the meat stood under a heat lamp for a while.

…Not the beautiful red color I wanted.

On a related note, it’s not blood that makes red meat “bloody,” it’s actually the myoglobin, an iron-rich protein that oxidizes to make the meat look red.

Here’s a closer look at the cut of meat I was served:

While the roast was technically correct, it lacked several key components every good roast should have.

1) It needed a crust. While some seasoning existed, it just didn’t come though. I tasted minimal herbage on the outer layers of meat

2) it needed to be warm. A good, well rested meat isn’t screaming hot, but it certainly isn’t lukewarm like mine was

3) It needed to be cooked slower. The meat was tough in places and tender in others. The connective tissue in the meat will dissolve if treated with care. Blast a roast in a hot oven and you’ll get chewy meat.

The verdict:

The roast itself left much to be desired. I don’t think I’ll order it again.

The other components, however, were on par for a typical restaurant in Grand Forks. Service was quick and friendly and portions were fantastic. $15 for a cut of prime rib is a decent price.

Still, if this cut of meat isn’t properly handled with the respect it deserves, it shouldn’t be on the menu.