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Eat This Now: The Kirby Puckett

The Kirby Puckett
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith

at Blue Ox Tavern

5825 W. Sahara Ave., 702-871-2536, blueoxtavern.com

Blue Ox is a Minnesota joint, and you can taste the Minnesota in this sandwich: the sturdy rectitude of the roast beef; the homey, calorie-rich comfort of the cream cheese; the modesty of the cole slaw, all piled Bunyan-high on a white roll. The Kirby Puckett (named after the old Twins star) could only be more Minnesotan if it was sliced directly from Babe’s flank and marinated in 10,000 lakes. As it is, these unflashy ingredients work together to create a grubbin’ gem. Hearty, heartfelt, unpretentious. (The Kirby Puckett does not beg to be Instagrammed.) Sure, eating this slugger is probably like detonating a caloric dirty bomb in your bloodstream — “Would you like a side of defib, hon?” — but c’mon. Minnesota up.

Scott Dickensheets is a Las Vegas writer and editor whose trenchant observations about local culture have graced the pages of publications nationwide.