Back in the winter of 2013-14, the Nugget (then John Ascuaga’s Nugget) announced that it was going to shut down Trader Dick’s after a 56-year run.
Then for a few weeks, it was next to impossible to get a reservation there, because everyone was suddenly really into the faux-Polynesian atmosphere. (Literally the only time I set foot in Trader Dick’s was in its final month, so I’m part of the problem here, too.)
The former Trader Dick’s location was transformed into Gilley’s Saloon, Dance Hall & Bar-B-Que, which lasted about three years…