Mystery Diner: Diners can ‘hear the sizzle’ at Prime Quarter in Princeton

I have been craving a tasty steak from Prime Quarter Steak House in Princeton for more than a year since the global pandemic broke out in March 2020.

It’s been a place for many family celebrations over the years, enjoyable meals and get-togethers. We made it back recently, and my taste buds have thanked me over and over.

The Prime Quarter reopened with some concessions to the pandemic. Reservations now are required to better help the staff provide social distancing in the dining area.

One of the most appealing features of the Prime Quarter is the “grill your own” option at one of the two big fire pits. Because of the guidelines currently in place, that option is off the table for now.

They have a crew of master chefs ready to grill your steak of choice to your liking. Though we were unable to grill our steaks this time, we sat right next to the grill and could hear the steaks sizzle.

The steaks are now on display the moment you walk in the front door, serving to whet your appetite even more quickly. Hearty eaters may accept the challenge to take on The Beefeater in the display case. That monster portion of beef is way out of my league, though I have witnessed past diners attempt it.

I ordered the top sirloin ($19.95), which normally I would split but got all to myself this time. There was way too much steak for me to eat at one sitting, so it proved to be just as enjoyable the second time around for lunch during the week.

The other four members of my party chose to split two 18-ounce rib-eyes ($32.95 each) between them, one for each pair. There is an additional charge of $10.95 for the “Split a Steak” option.

One of the rib-eyes came with sauteed mushrooms ($4.95) that were more than enough to share among the five of us.

The Prime Quarter now offers appetizers, including jalapeño poppers, Brew City onion rings, chicken strip basket and cheese curds. We went with the fried mushrooms ($6.95).

We requested an order of Texas-style toast, golden off the grill with a spread of butter and garlic salt, before our meal. We had a second round of the Texas toast with our meal, which made it twice as nice.

Of course, nothing starts the Prime Quarter meal better than a trip to the salad bar. It remains open as normal, with sanitizing stations on hand to provide for safe handling of serving utensils. I loaded my plate up, trying to save room for my favorite item, potato salad, even if I had to pile it on top.

Arriving soon were our steaks, filling up our plates, accompanied by a baked potato as a side dish. I take mine medium well.

Needless to say, none of us left hungry. We could only laugh when our server asked if anyone wanted dessert.

Barring any future pandemics, we’ll be back much sooner next time.

• The Mystery Diner is an employee at Shaw Media. The diner’s identity is not revealed to the restaurant staff before or during the meal. The Mystery Diner visits a restaurant and then reports on the experience. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a story.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Prime Quarter Steak House

WHERE: 250 Backbone Road East, Princeton

PHONE: 815-872-3500

INFORMATION: www.primequarter.com or Facebook at shawurl.com/3ef4