Dining Pick of the Week: Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que

Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que

The District at Green Valley Ranch, 2245 Village Walk Drive, 702-257-7427

Red Rock Resort, 11011 W. Charleston Blvd., 702-220-7427

“True bar-b-que cain’t use no trickery. Jus’ slow sweet smoke from apple & hickory,” reads a quote attributed to Ann Nonnie Moss painted on the side of the giant smoker inside Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que. If you see a waitress stocking it with wood, she may even ask you if you would like a peek. Inside, you may see beef brisket, baby back, St. Louis or beef ribs, chicken and tri-tip, maybe even salmon. Restaurant namesake Lucille Buchanan learned the barbecue business from her grandmother, who ran a lunch shack outside of Greenville, S.C. When Buchanan followed her husband to the pre-Word War II shipyards in Long Beach, Calif., she couldn’t find food as good as grandma’s, so she opened a place of her own. While barbecue is the star, the fresh biscuits and sides make an impression, too. It’s hard to choose between garlic mashed potatoes, sweet potato fries, creamy cheese grits, Southern braised greens, honey-roasted peanut slaw and more. Lunch specials run around $14.49 for barbecue items or $9.49 for sandwiches. Dinner plates range from $13.99 for smoked chicken pasta to $30.99 for a platter packed with half a chicken, ribs and tri-tip. Families may want to try the Backyard Family Feast, designed to feed four or more for $114.99, or Lucille’s Super Feast, billed to feed more than 10 for $234.99. Other than the Garden Burger and the grilled portabello burger, vegetarian options are limited, with even the salads topped with meat. No matter what your order, skip the silverware, get your hands dirty, and clean up with hot towels. Lucille’s is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.