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Vegas is all about glitz and glamour, the velvet ropes and the VIPs. In this space, we couldn't care less about any of that. You won't find any discussion of wine pairings, chutney, foie gras, mango salsas, or which superstar DJ was up in the club where Britney was hanging out. There are guys with exclamation points or British accents for that kind of stuff.
Here, we'll cover the lower rungs of Vegas' social ladder, all in the name of value. No steak special will be spared. Cheap libations will be celebrated. Penny slots will be embraced. Vegas' loss leaders will be your gain.
"Shrimp is the fruit of the sea."
And where better to start than the grandfather of ’em all?
The Golden Gate brought the 50-cent shrimp cocktail to Vegas in 1959, and nearly 50 years later, you can still get one for 99 cents in the hotel’s San Francisco Shrimp Bar & Deli. Another version, listed as “The BIG Shrimp” cocktail, is $1.99.
However, for the sake of ambiance (and someplace the kiddo was allowed by law to eat), we splurged, and opted for counter seating in the Bay City Diner.
You pay a premium for such luxuries, with the cocktails doubling in price. But at $1.99 and $2.99, respectively, they’re still a bargain.
Each comes in a tall sundae glass with the Golden Gate’s “secret” cocktail sauce on the side. There’s no filler here, backing up the Gate’s claim of serving a ton of shrimp a week. The regular cocktail had miniscule salad-sized shrimp, approximately 42,383 of them, or at least more than I could count. The “BIG shrimp” had 18 good-sized suckers in there, a pretty sweet deal.
For you, The Reader, I even attempted the combo cocktail ($2.99), six of the BIG shrimp on top of a glassful of imitation crab, the kind usually spelled with a K. It was an abomination, tasting more like a buttered dinner roll than anything from the seas. Skip it and load up on the good stuff.
Otherwise, the diner was hoppin’, serving up traditional fare to a varied mix of young and old. The staff seemed awfully happy, with the cooks sending out bowlfuls of spaghetti and hail-sized meatballs with a smile.
Jack, our waiter, also recommended we come back to try another old Vegas favorite, prime rib. Their eight-ounce cut will set you back $6.95. The menu boasted a couple of other standout values, including a half-chicken with mashed potatoes and vegetables ($4.99, available 11 a.m. to midnight) and a graveyard special of a giant ham steak and eggs ($3.99, from midnight-6 a.m.).
Surely anything coming in at around $4 with the word “giant” in it is worth a return trip.
Dave Wilson is a designer at the Las Vegas Sun.
I fully agree --- and I don't even like shrimp! The Golden Gate is a classic joint and well worth a visit by anyone. The hotdogs are good, too, as are the fresh deli sandwiches. The great photos around the place are a treat for any history buff.
The Golden Gate is wonderful
The Hotel prior to being The Golden Gate was The Sal SageV Las Vegas spelled backward
designer/cultural writer?
Love the name of the blog.
The Golden Gate takes you back in time (the prices are extremely reasonable - dare I use the word honest to describe a Las Vegas casino?) At this place, and downtown for that matter, you get a feel for gambling's history (something being imploded on a yearly basis on the Strip). In between lunges at my shrimp cocktail, I wonder about how many legendary poker champs have sat in the same seat thinking about the hands that got away.
Good shrimp cocktail,hot dogs a very good place to grab a light lunch or late night bite. A casino with lots of History .One of my fisrt places I visit when I go to Las Vegas
I have a question. Why did the Herbst family get rid of shrimp cocktails at Whiskey Pete's. I stopped there New Years weekend looking forward to one and no more.