Chrome-accented counters. Red leather booths. Jukebox full of oldies. Burgers, fries, malts and shakes. Paper diner hatted employees who twirl straws and squirt smiley faces of ketchup onto a paper plate. In the years following World War II, before Korea and Vietnam darkened the can-do spirit of the United States, the American diner was a totem of good vibration that capitalism seemed to nurture. And as Eisenhower�s Interstate Highway System spread its concrete tentacles across the country, diners employed and provided sustenance to the men and women of the postwar era.
Now, of course, the �exit-ramp economy,� to borrow a phrase from the Robert E. Lang and Jennifer B. LeFurgy book Boomburbs, continues to thrive. Yesteryear�s diners have been replaced by corporate fast-food franchises, where food safety is presumably better and the taste of the food is likely more consistent. (Perhaps too consistent.) In any case, when Johnny Rockets opened a Las Vegas location in 2005, construction occurred at a time when the original California-born franchise had been acquired by the company that owns all those Six Flags theme parks. Today Johnny Rockets has taken off in countries as far away as Dubai and Australia.
So how does the Vegas location fare? Well, since it�s located on Paradise Road across from the Hard Rock hotel-casino, it�s difficult to wrench Johnny Rockets from its tourist-trap setting. But having eaten there a few times over the last few months, the taste and overall consistency of the food is lot better than what you may find elsewhere in and around the Strip. In fact, while we here at Liberty Watch still count Fatburger and In-N-Out Burger as the top two places to grab some fast food, we have no problem when someone suggests we meet them at Johnny Rockets.
The first thing we need to warn you about � or maybe tempt you with � is the fact that the burgers are so gi-normous that they can get pretty messy. Take, for instance, the Rocket Double, which consists of two patties, two slices of cheddar cheese, lettuce, ripe tomato, onion slice and some �special sauce.� It tastes great, but due to the sheer size of the thing, it ends up everywhere. Of course, for many, burger-munching is a full-contact sport, so this will appeal to plenty of diner aficionados. Also worthy of note is the open-faced �Chili Size,� served open-faced with an all-meat chili and topped with grated cheddar cheese and chopped onions. It looks a mess, and it is a mess, but it thunders righteously against the taste buds like the drum solo in the Surfaris� �Wipe Out.� (Too bad this tune doesn�t appear on the Johnny Rockets jukebox.)
If that�s not enough chili for you, then let us recommend the Chili Fries, which are topped with cheddar cheese and chopped onions. The onion rings are pretty outstanding here, or at least they had emerged right from the fryer on our most recent visit. And at first, we couldn�t tell if we�d been served a Chili Dog or a chili Italian sausage, but it turns out Johnny Rockets serves up Nathan�s Famous all-beef hot dogs. So if you like Nathan�s (we do), then this item should work for you.
In other words, Johnny Rockets is your basic American diner grill station, with plenty of tasty, artery-clogging food that will soon be illegal to consume if the government has its way soon enough. Sure, the place also offers chicken and tuna sandwiches and salads, but who comes to a diner to eat healthy? Not us. Well, at least until our health-insurance rates go up with our next cholesterol check. Until then, have at it!
Johnny Rockets is located at 4480 Paradise Road. For more info, call 702-932-2387 or visit JohnnyRockets.com.
FREE SHIPPING TO U.S.A.
anywhere else add 9 dollars.
