Of Ribs and Germans

Here in Vegas, I only know two German speakers, which explains why one of my native languages is getting a bit rusty. Luckily, every week, my friend Ulf and I head to the gym, oftentimes followed by lunch (preferably healthy), all the while chatting away in German.

We were on our way to Sushi Avenue (one of my new favorites now that my beloved Sushi Fever seems to be subpar in terms of service), but Adam's Ribs next door caught my eye. We remembered that our friend (and my former colleague), food critic Max Jacobson, had given the place the thumbs up. We mostly agree with Max's food verdicts, so in we went.

As we were catching up in German, a friendly waiter asked me where we were from, which is always a long story for me, so I said "Germany, sort of" referring to Ulf. The savy waiter picked up very quickly that I didn't sound that German, so I had to "confess" to being Austrian. We thought he might have been stationed in Germany at some point and learned a few phrases of German (yawn), but turns out Thomas has a German father and a Colombian mother. Reminds me of my own background (I grew up in Mexico City), so we chatted away about our languages.

Ah, the food: it's good. I tried the classic pulled pork sandwich, and even though I'd just gotten out of the gym, the golden crunchy fries were worth it. Ulf's brisket sandwich with the cole slaw was tasty as well. The spicy barbecue sauce (not to be confused with ketchup, as it comes in a red bottle) had just the right amount of heat for me.

The prices for lunch were very reasonable, with my sandwich at $6.99 and Ulf's at $7.99. We'd been asked which side we wanted, and figured it would be included. Apparently it was not, as our bill was $23 (and no, we did not drink beer at lunch).

The place is friendly and laid-back, with the ribs-and-beer atmosphere that you would expect from a barbecue joint. It has a relatively small dine-in area with large plasma TVs and comfy benches to wait for your take-out to be ready. Smells of great food emanate from the open kitchen as soon as you walk in. Speaking of open: Adam's Ribs is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, which is a huge plus for the people among us who crave ribs as early as lunch. In the spirit of post-gym, we went with the smaller sandwiches, but next time, I am coming for dinner and I will devour those famous ribs.

Adam's Ribs
4145 S. Grand Canyon Center, Suite 102 (Flamingo/215)
Las Vegas, NV 89147
(702) 221-8227

--By Judy Jenner