Hope the server was misrepresenting the sous-vide method of cooking, which is used in many upscale restaurants. From my reading about it, it doesn't seem the method I would choose for prime rib, but I don't know a lot about it yet. It would seem that the lack of "crust" would be a problem with prime rib.
The process involves a water bath, but the food is placed in an air-tight bag for cooking. The water bath is set to the temperature the food is desired to be and the bag is placed in the bath. When used for steaks and other food traditionally grilled, the food is removed when it has reached the proper temp and placed on the grill to produce the grill marks and color the surface.
The advantage of this method is that you can keep food at the proper temperature for a long time without overcooking it. One article described preparing a steak meal for 100 at an outdoor reception. The steaks were placed individually in vacuum bags in the water bath hours before serving was planned. They were removed from the bath at a rare temperature and placed on a grill to finish them including bringing them to the level desired, i.e. medium-rare, medium, etc.
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