Aug. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Johnny Utah's serves beef, bull and bling. The beef is brisket. The bull is mechanical. The bling is a $51 margarita.

Only in New York. Only in Rockefeller Center.

If you're tough enough, dumb enough or drunk enough, go ahead and ride the bull. You have to sign a waiver first. Not for the cocktail -- you can still sue over the caviar-priced drink. The ``release of liability and indemnity agreement'' is for the bull.

Here's the fine print:

``I understand that riding the Mechanical Bull can be dangerous, and that the risk of injury is significant, including the potential for permanent paralysis and death.''

My favorite line is buried in the fifth paragraph:

``I am ... not impaired by alcohol.''

Few seemed to read the waiver. Many signed it.

Many rode the bull. All were bucked by the bull.

The black beast steams and stamps in the center of the subterranean space. Air mattresses surround the violent robot. Dense crowds surround the bull pit. A raised dining area surrounds the rodeo.

It's a stadium for bona fide dinnertainment.

Dinnertainment is entertainment that justifies pricey meals.

The $51 margarita -- it's called the Vault -- is at the top of the cocktail list. All the other drinks ($11-$15) seem cheap by comparison.

The Vault mixes Herradura Suprema (a bottle is about $300 retail) with grilled-lime juice and agave syrup. It's more of a tequila daiquiri than a margarita. That's a good thing. Margaritas add orange liqueur to the mix, a surefire way to desecrate a high-end tequila.

Overwhelmed Alcohol

So how does it taste?

The Vault has caramel notes from the aged spirit and a bright, limy finish. But the fruit and agave syrup overwhelm the concoction; it's hard to taste the alcohol. And it's hard to appreciate an expensive cocktail amid the loud music and other sensory overload.

The Vault could be an outstanding cocktail, if tweaked and served at a completely different restaurant. For now it's just a way to flaunt your wealth.

Order the $15 Salute to Agave instead. It's pretty much a cheaper version of the Vault, with a clean, sharp tequila rush.

Dinnertainment can also take the focus off lackluster food. But the menu here is ambitious and pricey.

Artery Clogger

Twenty-one dollars is pricey for slices of lean, smoky brisket. Pork belly, meaty with silky fat, is a whopping $24, but the artery-clogging dish is big -- anything bigger would require a disclaimer from the Surgeon General.

Two barbecue shrimp cost $13. Pork ribs cost $22. The ribs had intense smoke rings and left clear bite marks -- the sign of well-cooked 'cue.

Expect rowdy, lively crowds. I witnessed a couple making out, a guy trying to follow a lady into a bathroom stall and a female rodeo rider who bucked on the bull with X-rated pelvic gyrations.

Our dinner for three cost $219.

Johnny Utah's is at 25 W. 51st St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues. Information: +1-212-265-8824 or http://www.johnnyutahs.com.

East Side BBQ

Southern Hospitality also qualifies as dinnnertainment.

Do you like television? There are 10 flat screens. Play arcade games? There are three of them. Listen to music? The clublike volume will make you lose your voice.

Do you love Justin Timberlake? He's an owner. That explains the music. That explains the crowds. The Upper East Side joint is packed with patrons who must have reached legal drinking age yesterday.

Southern Hospitality isn't a destination barbecue joint; it's a neighborhood dive. It evokes Brother Jimmy's, another youth barbecue spot a few blocks up.

You can watch female kickboxing on the televisions, or listen to someone complain that Bud Light isn't available by the bottle. (Only Coors Light was that night, the bartender said.)

Avoid the ghastly margarita. The $11 drink is made with respectable tequilas like Patron and Corzo, but it tastes little of the component liquor. Rose's lime juice is partly to blame.

Our corn bread was floating in a glass of milk -- apparently a traditional way of keeping the stale staple moist. Here it wasn't stale at all. The snack was sweet and milky.

Fried green tomatoes were crispy outside, juicy within.

Pulled Pork, Chicken

The competent pulled pork was tender and sauced. Pork ribs were a wet, fatty mess, with no smoke rings or flavoring. Pulled chicken was mostly dry breast meat.

The three-layer pie is cream cheese, chocolate pudding and a pecan crust served on top of one another. Eat it, then die.

The waitresses -- they were all women on recent visits -- are polite and honest.

``Our food must be coming,'' my friend exclaimed as our server laid down silverware.

``No, it's not,'' the waitress replied.

Our dinner for two -- which could have fed four -- cost $75.

Southern Hospitality is at 1460 Second Ave., near 76th Street. Information: +1-212-249-1001 or http://www.southernhospitalitybbq.com.

(Ryan Sutton is a writer for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer of this story: Ryan Sutton in New York at rsutton1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: August 14, 2007 00:06 EDT