What's Your Beef, Rumson, NJ

Design: I've been coming to What's Your Beef since I was a little girl (Rumson is where I grew up), when I'd call it What's Your Barf. True story. I didn't like meat then. My appetite for beef has surely changed, yet the restaurant's design hasn't really at all since it opened in 1970. Beyond the houselike exterior is a casual pubby interior marked by brick, Tiffany-style pendant lamps, and stained-glass windows. It's not high design, but it's definitely cozy, and one of my favorite haunts to visit when I'm in the area.

The exterior.

Brick, stained glass, and old books in the dining room.

Dish: Obviously, the draw here is the meat, and boy is it a draw. The chalkboard menu lists NY sirloin and filet mignon, both ordered by the ounce, as well as prime rib, which is a family favorite (there're also tasty chicken and fish options, but we always wonder who on earth would order either at a place with beef in its name). There's waitress/waiter service, but you put in your dinner order yourself, at large a window that allows glimpses of the succulent cuts. Just as delicious as the meat is the salad bar. It's old-school format—sneeze guard, iceberg lettuce, and all—but it's immaculate and fresh and just plain awesome. Over the years, the owners have updated the selection to include more trendy items like mesclun and spinach leaves, roasted red peppers, and Kalamata olives, but they've retained the oldy-but-goody stuff too, like the chunky blue-cheese dressing you pour on with a ladle. Before returning to your table to eat your salad and get served your dinner, locals know to stop at the bread drawer: Heated and stocked with loaves of marble rye, French, and pumpernickel, it's heavenly.

The salad bar.

The heated bread drawer.

The prime rib.