Naked City Pizza chef and proprietor Chris Palmeri recently closed his original kitchen inside Moon Doggies Bar on Arville Street, but his flagship store on Paradise Road and his Naked City Express at Blue Diamond Saloon are still going strong through the pandemic. And in late September, the Paradise eatery began serving something new.
Queen City BBQ is the result of Palmeri’s obsession with smoked meat. Fans and followers of Naked City know the chef loves to play with different specials and menu items beyond pizza, wings and sandwiches; after all, this is the guy that once gave Las Vegas the terrific Mexican food of Desnudo Tacos.
“There are a lot of barbecue places [in Las Vegas], but it’s not widely available in every neighborhood, and it’s always interested me,” he says. After dabbling a bit, he started researching barbecue and experimenting with different methods and flavors before reading Aaron Franklin’s Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto, which Palmeri considers an encyclopedia of deliciousness.
Queen City BBQ’s offerings are only available Fridays and Saturdays, but that could expand soon. Squad up and order the complete combo ($36) to sample all the in-house smoked meats with three side dishes. Smaller combos ($16-$21) and sandwiches ($11) are also available, but go big to try Palmeri twists like smoked turkey breast instead of chicken, beef ribs cut Korean-style and house-made cheddar-jalapeño or Polish sausages. Pulled pork and brisket round out the meaty mains with three types of sauces to choose from, and savory sides include Cajun fries, cheddar grits, pickled onions and mac and cheese.
“I always want to incorporate stuff the restaurants can use in different ways, and we were going through a lot of turkey for sandwiches,” he says. “So now we’re not buying deli turkeys, and that smoked turkey breast is not something you find in most places. I’m buying a bigger smoker, and I want to try some more cool stuff, maybe smoked porchetta, things you don’t necessarily associate with barbecue.”
QUEEN CITY BBQ At Naked City Pizza Shop, 4608 Paradise Road, 702-476-4248. Friday & Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m.
