By: Bob Gourley
 
There I was in Beatty after a full day of golf in Death Valley. Yes, not only is there a golf course in the national park but it is a full-length 18-hole affair with lots of grass, trees and water hazards.
 
Since I didn’t want to trek back to Vegas I decided to stay in the gateway town. The big question was where to eat dinner?
There was Denny’s at the Stagecoach Inn where I was staying but I wanted something else.
  
A couple of restaurants were closed permanently but after checking Yelp there was a lot of buzz about Smokin’ J’s Barbecue on Main Street. So, I headed there and as I entered the place the aroma of smoke filled my lungs and foretold of a tasty meal.

By Bob Barnes

A new arrival to the Las Vegas craft beer scene is Red Dwarf. The tiki/craft beer/pizza bar situated at 1305 Vegas Valley Dr. just east of Maryland Pkwy. opened in late December and is owned and operated by Russell Gardner.
 
A Las Vegas native, Russell’s been in the beer biz his whole adult life, working as a professional brewer, in distributing, running bars and most recently bartending at Astronomy Aleworks. Many will also remember him for his big beard and trademark handlebar moustache.
 
Russell says he chose the name because he’s always liked two-word bar names and it’s also a nod to a Detroit legendary devil and annual parade by the same name that is held to drive out the devil and bad omens. As for the design of the bar, Russell said, “If I was a bar, this is how I would look—punk, rock and roll, divey, but nice.”