By George Christopher Thomas, Travel Writer
LAS VEGAS, NV – Two of the greatest things in America are Las Vegas and BBQ. When you combine the two, magical sparks of deliciousness engulf the palette and a person can find themselves quite content and even happy. I had the chance to experience this phenomenon with my two sons on our latest trip out to “Sin City”.
In Las Vegas there are spots where the energy and vibe are happening. Virgil’s Real Barbecue on the world famous Las Vegas Strip is one of those places. It might be that you are in party mode and in Las Vegas, or it could be the delicious BBQ where the smell alone is beyond enticing, but just strolling into Virgil’s Real Barbecue near the LINQ Ferris Wheel will put you in a better mood, if that is possible.
It was me and my boys, and I was pushing them to the point of starvation as I wanted to brunch instead of eating super early. Plus most people don’t have a full rack of pork ribs for breakfast, and I didn’t want to be judged by people I don’t know and will never see again.
The restaurant is perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner and has a wide variety of items for everyone in the group. Since we were there before the sun was high in the sky, all of us had breakfast. I wanted steak or some form of smoked meat along with my eggs, which is normal when you are at a BBQ restaurant.
I ordered the “Brisket Breakfast Sandwich” which was sliced brisket with eggs and BBQ sauce on a sesame bun. If you were hungover, this would be the cure for that, plus there are craft beers on tap, so you could wash it down with some suds. The sandwich was amazing, but the best bits were the end brisket bites with the fat and char and a bit of BBQ sauce. That was heavenly and worth the drive out to Las Vegas alone. My sandwich came with home fries, which are perfect for trying out all the BBQ sauces at the table. There was a mango jalapeno sauce that had the ideal amount of kick, and a spicy BBQ sauce that was so good it felt like my birthday. As a fan of sauce, and someone who is affectionately known as “Sauce Man” amongst the people with the same last name as me, having access to many types of BBQ sauce just sitting on the table is a dream come true.
The boys were feeling like breakfast, as children do in the morning when on vacation. The debate over what breakfast food the kids should have commenced and since I was planning on eating some of theirs, I had strong feelings on the matter. The older one loves fried chicken, so to wrap up his vote on the “Fried Chicken and Waffles” was a leisurely task. The younger one wanted pancakes, and so long as they had chocolate chips in them, I was fine with that too.
What happens is there is usually too much food being ordered, and the leftovers become lunch. So I was fine with munching on chocolate chip pancakes and fried chicken a few hours later, plus I was having a brisket and egg sandwich with the perfect amount of char to give it that burnt BBQ taste.
Everything on that menu sounded amazing. Virgil’s Real Barbecue has a light and airy feel with sports on throughout the restaurant. The smell wafting through the establishment was something that they should make into a cologne or perfume. What are you wearing tonight, love? Oh that is pork baby back ribs with spicy BBQ sauce.
I plan on visiting again, and already know what I want to order. Reading a menu can be a delightful activity, and looking forward to a dinner ten weeks away can keep you trucking through the work week, no problem. I’ll start off with some fried sweet pickles with a remoulade dipping sauce. Also an order of crispy hush puppies with bourbon maple syrup butter, and some catfish bites. That should kick off the appetizers portion of the feast.
For the main course, the pit-master platter which is a combination of several meats is Virgil’s Real Barbecue’s house specialty. How many animals can I eat in one sitting? The pulled bbq chicken sandwich also looks great, and they smoke their meats for up to 14 hours.
The next time you are in Las Vegas, dining at Virgil’s Real Barbecue will need to be on your list of things to do. (For more information, please visit https://www.virgilsbbq.com/)
Editor’s Note: Promotional considerations were accepted and professional courtesy was extended to help facilitate the writing of this article.