Thunder Road Steakhouse & Cantina

Above, Thunder Road's main dining area. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

What seems to be becoming a "tradition" of whenever I come into Albuquerque is now apparent.

For the second time since I moved to New Mexico, I had some business to attend to in the city and I stayed overnight at the Route 66 Casino RV Resort (which is about 10 miles west of Albuquerque).

Above, more of the dining area and part of the bar. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

And, while at the RV resort, I had dinner at the casino's Thunder Road Steakhouse & Cantina. (I was one of the first customers to enter when it opened at 4:00.) Again, it was prime rib. Excellent, by the way!

Since I ate at Thunder Road two months ago, I learned that there was a movie of the same name starring Robert Mitchum.

Above, the bar from the front. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

According to Wikipedia:

Thunder Road is a black and white 1958 drama–crime film about running moonshine in the mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee in the late 1950s. It was directed by Arthur Ripley and starred Robert Mitchum, who also produced the film, co-wrote the screenplay, and is rumored to have directed much of the film himself. He also co-wrote (with Don Raye) the theme song, "The Ballad of Thunder Road". 

The film became a cult classic and continued to play at drive-in movie theaters in some southeastern states through the 1970s and 1980s.

Above, the bar with the police car at top. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Part of the decor of Thunder Road Steakhouse & Cantina are early-1950s Ford sedans (my dad had one of this vintage) in the mid-1960s.

The take-home menu/newspaper for the restaurant gives no mention of the movie, but focuses instead on the cowboy history of the region.

Regardless, the prime rib was great!