While most restaurants are closed Christmas Day, Rustler's Roost keeps on roostin' with an attractive fixed menu featuring several notable dishes. Be sure to call ahead for reservations and make sure to confirm the morning of (they mixed up our time with our party size).
We arrived about 20 minutes before our 7pm reservation and hung out on the upper level near the bar. From there, you can look down at the stage, dance floor and tons of families eating with kids having fun taking turns going down the slide adjacent to the stairs. Even some young-at-heart adults were using it. Once seated, we admired our fairly scenic view from atop the Arizona Grand.
The menu that night displayed several sizes of prime rib, a New York steak, several seafood options and a turkey dinner. Three of us opted for the New York steak and my future mother-in-law had the turkey. I enjoyed the flavor of the medium rare cut, albeit chewier than I like. A dab of A1 sauce was a nice complement, or even the sauce from the Cowboy beans given to us to share. The turkey plate was the most attractive of all incorporating your usual Thanksgiving fare.
Though I'm used to a Christmas dinner hosted at home, Rustler's Roost was a highly suitable alternative that could become a family tradition.