Bob Taylor
BOB TAYLOR Bob Taylor, founder of “Ranch House Supper Club,” in North Las Vegas, passed away Sunday, March 14, 2010, one day short of his 88th birthday. Bob was a World War II veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corps, as an airplane armored gunner and mechanic, keeping our airplanes in the air. Bob built the Ranch House Supper Club in 1955. He brought in aged beef from Chicago Stockyard Packing. He cut up all of his own steaks and personally cooked them over a mesquite coal fire. An evening at the Ranch House meant you took a trip “way out of town” back in those days, but the effort was well worth it, as this was the premier steak house of that era. This practice was continued until he sold the Ranch House in September 1980. Bob said he served three generations over the 25 years.
Though Bob has been absent there for the past 30 years, the steak house still carries his name today. Bob had a love for shooting clay targets and constructed trap and skeet fields on his property. Elvis Presley and Ann Margret were filmed there shooting skeet in the movie “Viva Las Vegas.” When Ann was filmed shooting, it was actually Bob breaking the targets just out of sight of the camera. In the 70’s, Bob added 20 more trap and skeet fields to the property and hosted some of the most popular trapshooting tournaments in the country, awarding dozens of automobiles and some of the largest cash purses in history. His innovative NFL Pro-Am Tournament in 1977 featured a representative from each of the 26 professional football teams.
When Bob turned 85, a party was held for him at the Elks Club. Mayor Oscar Goodman stopped by to personally deliver birthday wishes. The Elks Club is also where Bob’s wife, Dotti, will have his memorial at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 28, at 4100 W. Charleston Blvd. A celebration of his life will follow. Bob was an Elks member for 57 years. Donations can be made in Bob’s memory to Nathan Adelson Hospice.
(ELV note: By the time we discovered Bob Taylor’s Ranch House in the fall of 1981, he was no longer associated with the place. But it remained dear to our hearts for many reasons over the years, because, among other things: 1) It was the last meal Food Gal #1 had (when she was like 9 1/2 months pregnant) the night before The Official Number Two Son Of ELV was born; 2) It was the first place we ever tasted mesquite grilled anything; and 3) We once sat right next to Tony “The Ant” Spilotro, enjoying a similar New York strip with a side of mediocre pasta, less than a year before he was found beaten to death in an Indiana cornfield. Ah, the memories…)
ELV….many good memories at Bob Taylor’s…. with you…including Tony the Ant…..
Well, for that, congratulation for you.