Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

APPETIZERS: Famous Dave's chain brings St. Louis-style barbecue to Las Vegas

Famous Dave's Legendary Pit Bar-B-Que offers the Feast for Two platter with spareribs, chicken, beef brisket or chopped pork, coleslaw, french fries, beans, corn on the cob and cornbread muffins. Photo by Craig L. Moran.

Famous Dave's Legendary Pit Bar-B-Que, a restaurant chain out of Eden Prairie, Minn., that prepares St. Louis-style barbecue, has opened its first Las Vegas location at 1951 N. Rainbow Blvd.

The Las Vegas restaurant is the farthest west the chain has gone. Famous Dave's owns 38 restaurants and has 57 franchises in 24 states. Three more outlets are planned for Southern Nevada, says assistant manager Dave Dworak.

Famous Dave's Rib Team regularly competes in rib competitions across the country, and has taken first place in the Southern Florida Championship Cook Off in Jupiter, Fla.; the Great American Rib Cook-off in Ohio; the Sioux Empire Rib-fest in Sioux Falls, S.D.; the Rib Fest & More in Fargo, N.D.; the Pontiac Rib America Rib Fest in Pontiac, Mich.; the Twin Cities Rockin' Rib Fest in Minneapolis; and the Rib America Indianapolis Rib Fest in Indianapolis.

St. Louis-style barbecue refers not to a type of barbecue made in that city, but to the cut of pork used. The meat is trimmed so there is little fat and no liquid smoke is used in the preparation, says assistant manager James Windley. Instead of liquid smoke, hickory wood is used in the smoker.

Famous Dave's is designed to look like a lodge made of logs and includes a bar area separate from the dining room, and such decor as antler chandeliers, canoe paddles and old fishing gear.

Famous Dave's 7,500-square-foot restaurant seats 235.

Hours are from 11 a.m. to midnight daily.

• Starters: Dave's sampler platter with barbecue ribs, chicken wings, chicken tenders, catfish fingers and onion strings ($12.99); sweetwater catfish fingers ($7.29); rib tips with fries ($5.99); chicken tenders ($6.79).

• Soups and salads: Chicken wild rice soup ($2.99 cup, $4.99 bowl); chili ($2.99 cup, $4.99 bowl); crispy chicken salad topped with fried chicken tenders, bacon, cheddar, diced tomatoes and topped with honey barbecue dressing ($8.49); and Dave's sassy barbecue salad with bacon, cheddar, diced tomatoes, honey barbecue dressing, and topped with a choice of chopped pork, beef brisket, barbecue chicken or double-smoked ham ($7.99).

• Entrees: Spareribs options include the 12-bone XXL ($16.99 a la carte; $18.99 platter with corn bread muffin, corn on the cob and choice of two sides), six-bone LG ($11.99 and $13.99), and four-bone regular ($8.99 and $10.99); Georgia chopped pork sandwich ($7.99); Texas beef brisket sandwich ($7.99); barbecue chicken sandwich ($7.59); hot link sausage sandwich ($7.29); California burger ($6.49); and platters -- featuring ribs and chicken plus several side dishes -- serving two to five people and ranging from $29.99 to $159.99, which includes a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne.

• Desserts: Bread pudding ($5.99); hot fudge Kahlua brownie ($5.99); sundae topped with hot fudge or pecan praline sauce ($3.99); and Better Than Mom's Pecan Pie ($4.99).

Appetizers is a weekly informational column about new developments on the Las Vegas dining scene. Items should not be considered reviews or recommendations and none is a paid advertisement.