AL'S GARAGE AND JOHN CUTTER BY VEGAS FOOD NERD Looking for some community in Sin City is a tough one. Our town is so transient. You make a friend, and then that friend moves away a few years later. In a corner spot next to a local Albertson’s grocery store are two eateries that foster a feel-good feeling whenever you visit. Both cater to locals and not tourists. On weekends they are bustling with pandemic weary guests longing to get back to a sense of normalcy. They are sister restaurants with high-quality food and service. I visited each of them several times in the last decade that I have been in my current home, and the food, service, and flavors are always on point. Al’s boasts that they are home to the best late-night happy hour where you get ½ off of your tab every day from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. every day. Cutter’s also has $7 appetizers and drink specials at their place every day from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. Both offer patio seating when the weather is perfect, hot waitresses, and cool vibes inside each establishment.
On our last visit, we went to Al’s Garage. Al’s has a friendly, inviting atmosphere with screens for sports viewing, gaming at the bar, and cozy booths to sink in and get some sustenance. We ordered their tri-tip sliders. Meltingly tender meat, house marinated and shredded topped off with artichoke, tomato, and oil pan drippings. A week later, I went back to order the same thing; that’s how tempting these three little sandwiches can be. You can pick different sides for your sliders. We opted for their salad, an incredible mix of greens, artichokes, roasted tomatoes, goat cheese, craisens, toasted almonds, and topped with their sherry vinaigrette. It’s incredible. With our sliders, we also got an order of their fried zucchini sticks. They are also made in-house and served with their own jalapeno cheddar ranch dressing. They were the best-fried zucchini I’d had in a long time. We also had to re-order them on our second visit back.
It was a quiet weekend morning when we visited, and a lot of friends and families were milling about on both restaurants’ respective patios. There was laughter, lots of mimosas (both offer bottomless ones for only $18), lots of bloody marys (same offer applies), and happy gatherings. It’s nice to have not one but two neighborhood joints that serve such high-quality food and service for locals. I’m hoping that by writing this, the tourists don’t overrun a couple of my favorite hang spots.