Dougie J’s Cafe serves up charm, potential

Dougie J's Cafe is named for co-owner Suny Chabrow's son, Spc. Douglas J. Green, killed in action in Afghanistan, and the restaurant is a sort of tribute to members of the military. There's a large wooden flag with Green's name on it, military uniforms in shadowboxes and small American flags on each table.

And Dougie J's, which is in a part of downtown where such spots aren't plentiful, also happens to be a good place to get lunch.

Or breakfast, for that matter: There are huevos rancheros and french toast and an option through which you can build your own wrap, sandwich or scramble. We were there for lunch, though, so we were more interested in the build-your-own-burger ($9).

We started with the basic beef, with chicken and polenta as other options. We chose the pretzel bun; other options were brioche, ciabatta, marble rye, white and wheat. We went with Swiss, and with Dougie Sauce, which seemed to be a cross between fry sauce and aioli. And we kept it simple with lettuce, tomato and onion; other choices, at additional charge, include egg, chili, bacon or shaved pastrami.

Our server had asked how we wanted the meat, and we said medium rare, which she repeated. But Dougie J's must have one of those chefs who just can't bring himself to serve it that way because there was nary a touch of pink in sight. It was a really good burger, but it would've been better if the meat had been juicy, as we ordered it.

On the side: garlic fries (regular, sweet potato and chips were other options), which were hot and crisp and rustic, although no vampires were in danger here.

There's a pretty long list of sandwiches, some of them really creative — some to the we-guess-we'd-have-to-try-it stage, like the Garlic Interpreter, bacon macaroni and cheese with cheddar crackers. We played it safer with The Bubba ($13), which was a winner. This one, built on a really good marble rye, was stacked with thinly cut hot pastrami, cole slaw and Dougie Sauce, for a variety of flavors and textures that was very appealing. With this one, we had house-made chips, a plateful that were thick and crisp.

Service was good; our order got mixed up in the kitchen with that of a later-arriving party, for which our server seemed sincerely sorry. She underlined that with of a couple of cookies, complimentary because of the wait.

As a tribute to a fallen son, Dougie J's Cafe is touching and thought-provoking. As a restaurant, it wasn't quite perfect, but with so much charm and potential, we found ourselves hoping it someday will be.

— Las Vegas Review-Journal restaurant reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense. Email Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Find more of her stories at reviewjournal.com and bestoflasvegas.com, and follow @HKRinella on Twitter.