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TASTE The second Vegas location is at Red Rock. LEFT: The Southern Pride smoker at Lucille's adds to the authenticity. BELOW: You can't get more Southern than a mint julep. continued from page 58 beef brisket that's slowsmoked for hours until it's perfectly tender, then handcarved and served with the mop sauce (a thinner sauce usually used to baste meats). The original Lucille's menu has been expanded to include Southern staples like fried chicken and New Orleans cuisine such as jambalaya and gumbo. The barbecued meats, however, remain the stars. In true Southern style, Lucille's welcomes diners to the table with a basket of homemade biscuits, accompanied by addictive apple butter. Cornmeal-crusted fried green tomatoes and spicy fried dill pickles are popular picks for starters. And of course, Hofman adds, "Southerners are passionate about their sides." With selections like creamy cheese grits and macaroni and cheese, as well as honeyroasted peanut slaw and fresh watermelon, there's something for everyone (and with dinner you get to choose two). Although the portions are generous, be sure to save room for decadent desserts like bread pudding made with sourdough bread, sweet custard, peaches, and pecans, all drizzled with warm bourbon sauce. Wash it down with mason jars of sweet tea or strawberry lemonade. Because authenticity is the number-one priority at Lucille's, there is a Southern Pride smoker in the heart of the dining room, and customers can watch as it's loaded with wood. A chalkboard hanging nearby records how long each piece of meat has been cooking. "Low and slow" cooking— at a low temperature for a long time—renders the meat meltingly tender and imparts the distinct smokiness of true barbecue. "We smoke with hickory wood, which gives the smoky flavor," Hofman says. "It's a great way to eat meat." The smoker also entertains children, who get a kick out of ringing the cowbell hanging above it as food is being loaded inside. All of these little touches add to the restaurant's warm, homey feeling. "The food had to be great," Hofman says, "but I wanted to give it a really good ambience as well." The décor is a mix of Americana and objects chosen for their Southern flair, with some commissioned original pieces from Southern artists. While blues music is piped through the restaurant's speakers during the week, blues musicians perform in the bar—affectionately named the Flying Pig Lounge—on Saturday nights. The familiar look and feel of Lucille's will be maintained in the Summerlin location. "Barbecue is real American food," Hofman says. "We didn't borrow it from someone else." So it fits right in in a city that could have been imagined only in America. 2245 Village Walk Dr., 702-257-7427, and 11011 W. Charleston Blvd., 702-288-7427; lucillesbbq.com V 60 THE SMOKEHOUSE COMES TO SUMMERLIN Summerlin was the original target for the first Lucille's Smokehouse Bar-B-Que, but a real estate deal couldn't be worked out. This summer, however, the smokehouse is taking up residence at Red Rock Resort, at last giving the popular restaurant a West Side presence. For Oliver Wharton, vice president of hospitality development at Station Casinos, Lucille's was a natural choice to fill the spot vacated by Cabo Mexican Restaurant. "It's the best in class in terms of barbecue and has a cultlike following," he says. "We are a luxury property, so we had to find the best, and no one does it better than Lucille's." CHEAT DAY Bread pudding drizzled with warm bourbon sauce. Lucille's may serve barbecue variants from across the country, but for the true Lucille's experience, remember that "everything is bigger in Texas." Hofman suggests the Back Porch platter— half a smoked chicken, barbecue tri-tips, and baby back, St. Louis–style, or beef ribs—noting that tri-tips are hard to find, "so it's a great cut to try." Sides he leaves to personal taste but adds that the meal should be finished with banana or bread pudding. "Have a big calorie night out," he says. Then retire to the lounge to relax while sipping a mint julep and listening to blues. VEGASMAGAZINE.COM 058-060_V_SC_Taste_Opener_Sum13.indd 60 6/17/13 2:06 PM