Guy Fieri Invents a Restaurant!
Smack dab in the middle of a northeast neighborhood, near the intersection of Gowan and Thom, lies John Mull’s Meats — a butcher shop/game dressing operation that’s been here for decades (since 1954 to be precise).
Chuck Frommer is the fourth family owner of the store, which, until May 29th was content to process and sell fresh meats and have a catering operation called the Road Kill Grill.
Then Guy Fieri came to town.
He came, he saw an idiosyncratic operation, and said: “Let’s shoot it as a restaurant!”
Even though there was no actual restaurant in operation at the time.
The DD&D segment aired on May 28th — portraying an actual restaurant that had not existed until DD&D showed up with its cameras.
The Road Kill Grill officially opened on May 29th.
Ah, reality television.
ELV only points this out as an amusing side-note to the official opening of this fun and tasty place — now two weeks into its existence.
The food it dishes up, cafeteria-style, is barbecue, and lots of it.
Portions are huge of what we refer to as a wet-style of ‘cue: the brisket is served from a pan dripping with its juices; the pork is shredded and served in a sauce, and the house-made hot links are bathed in the stuff.
Thus is it a saucier rather than smokier sort of ‘cue, reminiscent of the first tomato-based sauces we tasted as a mere sprite, but no worse for it.
The Burger Maven pronounced it his favorite barbecue in Vegas, while ELV was more restrained with his praise. Stylistic preferences aside, it’s a hoot and a half to venture to this obscure corner of our humble burg and dig in to a mounds and mounds of meaty goodness.
The sides are killer too; the barbecue beans being worth a trip all by themselves.
So we probably need to thank Mr. Johnny Garlic’s for coaxing the RKG into existence…and if the general viewing public believes this place existed before he came to town, what’s the harm?
ELV’s lunch for two, that could’ve fed four, came to $55, including a $10 tip.
ROAD KILL GRILL
3730 Thom Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89130
702.645.1200
Restaurant reviews, quips, picks and pans-with some seriously salivating history-from the man who eats his way through Sin City every day.
June 15th, 2012 at 12:39 pm
It strikes me that the thing to do would be get take out, and bring it to the Drive-In for an al fresco evening of entertainment. Just a thought.
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=3730+Thom+Blvd.Las+Vegas,+NV+89130&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0×80c8ea12aee69ca9:0xba9dd48e4edc2076,3730+Thom+Blvd,+Las+Vegas,+NV+89130&gl=us&ei=3pzbT7n-I8ry2QX2×5X_BQ&ved=0CAwQ8gEwAA
June 15th, 2012 at 12:48 pm
Can’t wait to try when I’m there in July. Now i’m not local (even though I own 5 homes in Vegas & live in my parents basement back home) but wouldn’t this be considered Northwest.
# 1 ecgladstone – where is the nearest drive in?
June 16th, 2012 at 8:53 am
I was wondering how this place had escaped ELV’s eagle-eye, when I realized the DDD episode was brand new. (It’s so hard to tell the new ones from the old ones since the show is on about sixteen times a day.)
Thanks for the write-up. I’ll be in town for a week in mid-July and want to check out some good local spots.
June 17th, 2012 at 2:42 am
Did they build on to the current butcher shop?
They have prime meats, at good prices.
If you go north on Rancho, take Alexander and wind around to Thom – it is a low building set back from the road.