How did a California-based celebrity chef duo change baseball in Las Vegas forever?
James Beard Award winners Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, operators of the beloved Border Grill at Mandalay Bay for nearly 25 years, expanded their BBQ Mexicana concept with a concession at the brand-new Las Vegas Ballpark at Downtown Summerlin in 2019. That prompted a serious sports-food question: Why are we eating hot dogs when we could be eating burnt-end brisket burritos?
“When we started at the baseball stadium, the difference was that it was all local, and people were very responsive to it,” says Feniger. “That gave us the confidence to try this as a drive-thru casual concept and really see how we do off the Strip and not in a stadium, but it was also because we had built somewhat of a following at the stadium.”
Feniger and Milliken originally launched BBQ Mexicana in collaboration with longtime former Border Grill executive chef Mike Minor with a grab-and-go spot at Mandalay Bay. Then came concessions at the ballpark,Allegiant Stadium and T-Mobile Arena. Besides that irresistible burrito—slow smoked brisket wrapped up with crispy potatoes, cheese, red rice, coleslaw, barbecue sauce and chipotle mayo—there are tacos, bowls and salads; kid-friendly fare like chicken tenders and quesadillas; and fun sides that go beyond chips and salsa to form a completely satisfying take-home meal, stuff like chili-lime broccolini and chipotle mac and cheese.
Now all those expanded menu offerings are ready and waiting at the BBQ Mexicana that opened this month at Sunset and Durango.
“We have fallen in love with Vegas and we always tried to push ourselves to stay connected with the local community—that was a big priority from the very beginning at Border Grill,” Feniger says. “With this concept, we always felt like there was a market for families and just anybody to be able to go somewhere and get high-quality food but not have to go sit down and have a big check, or if you just want to pick up something quick and take it home.”
A drive-thru eatery serving organic rice and beans and meats that have been smoked for 14 hours is an uncommon practice, she says. And if you’ve eaten that burrito at the ballpark or anywhere else, you’ve tasted the difference.
“We’ve added more tacos for people who might not want to have a big burrito. They’re filling,” Feniger adds. “We’re also doing beer and wine and a margarita, and there are plenty of seats inside so you can come in and have a marg and bring the kids for a fried chicken taco or mac and cheese. We want to make it fill a need for everyone.”
BBQ MEXICANA SUNSET 8480 W. Sunset Road #200, 702-552-0111, bbqmexicana.com. Daily, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Click HERE to subscribe for free to the Weekly Fix, the digital edition of Las Vegas Weekly! Stay up to date with the latest on Las Vegas concerts, shows, restaurants, bars and more, sent directly to your inbox!
