The bar? You mean like there's only one? There are several of them -- and we write about them all the time in the Las Vegas Advisor -- but we're pretty sure you're looking for Jackson's Bar & Grill, a non-casino place located at 6020 W. Flamingo (702-362-2116). From Caesars Palace, Jackson's is about three miles up Flamingo, so it's relatively close to the Strip, and its steak specials are good enough that we've written about them in the LVA four times in the past 13 months, a frequency almost unheard of for us. It's not that they're the best in Vegas -- Jackson's has never been in our Top Ten and we wouldn't choose it over something like the steak special at Ellis Island -- it's just a good place to get a bargain on a steak dinner around the clock without having to go to a casino.
There are two 24-hour specials: a 9-ounce sirloin for $7.99 and a 16-ounce ribeye for $12.99. Both come with a vegetable and baked potato. That's it. You can add a big side salad for $1 more, but you probably won't need it given the size of the steaks. This isn't prime beef and the quality of the cuts varies for sure, but they're always big.
Of the two, we prefer the bigger ribeye, but even better is the Monday-only $10.95 prime rib special. It's advertised as 16 ounces, but the first time we went it was bigger than that. A lot bigger -- the best for the price in town, in fact. Favorable circumstances? Could have been. It was after 9 p.m. and the waitress said there was nothing left but the end cut. Maybe the cook was tired and just dropped what was left on the plate, but that monster had people in the bar walking over and looking. On subsequent trips the results were mixed -- sometimes terrific, others less impressive -- but each time the cut was huge, so even if the quality is off a bit, it's hard to complain with the slab of meat you get for the price. Also, the roasts are prepared individually as needed, which means you're likely to get it cooked the way you want it. Ask for the hot horseradish and you're there. The deal begins at 5 p.m.
To say this place isn't for everyone would be an understatement. It's kind of grubby. So if you like white-table-cloth joints, do not proceed. For the rest of you -- good place!
