Ever since Bing Crosby’s closed in 2011, former customers have been approaching restaurant owner Jeff Dudum and asking him to bring a new high-end restaurant to Walnut Creek.
He thinks he’s done that with Prime Rib at The Garden, which opened at the end of 2024 and has been booked solid ever since, Dudum said.
“There’s a ‘wow factor’ here,” Dudum said. “You walk in and it’s an old, wooden, speakeasy door. It’s really nice. And it’s probably a hotter concept for the guests because you can get a smash burger anywhere, but there aren’t a lot of places where you can get prime rib.”
Dudum, who also operates Bourbon Highway, The Cooperage WC and the recently-opened Gibson’s Irish Pub, said prime rib has always been popular in Walnut Creek, dating back to when he used to run a “Prime Rib Night” at the former Scott’s Seafood.
At Prime Rib at The Garden, they’re serving up a simple menu: prime rib, seafood, sides and salads, alongside an extensive cocktail and wine list.
There’s a house cut of prime rib ($68), a presidential cut ($73), diablo cut ($63), seasonal fish ($56) and a seafood tower (market price) featuring lobster, oysters, muscles and shrimp. Sides are creamed spinach, potato gratin or garlic mashed potatoes.
“This place is exactly what people wanted,” Dudum said.
Details: Open at 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, at 1719 Bonanza St. in Walnut Creek; primeribwc.com.