The Las Vegas version has the potential to be just as influential, owing in part to its location directly across the street from the Hard Rock Hotel and partly to its faithful recreation of the original.

The main dining room is an almost identical replica of the LA establishment, with a series of dark booths around a small collection of tables, a big fireplace, and lots of rock and roll memorabilia. Adjacent is a large bar/lounge area with lots of comfy low-slung furnishings that can be reconfigured to open up a performance stage. Beyond that is a VIP dining room and out front is a big outdoor patio.

The whole thing has that Hard Rock vibe to it, complete with the aforementioned memorabilia (guitars, etc.), tons of pictures of famous faces, motorcycles mounted on the walls, and chandeliers made out of drum kits. It's dark and cozy, perfect for a late night assignation or a rocking good time with the guys and gals.

But it was the "Grill" part of the title that brought us out to the Rainbow, so how is the food? I'm happy to report that if part of the successful formula of rock and roll includes relatively low-cost, hearty, and well-prepared grub then it will truly never die as long as this place is around.

Breakfasts are served from 4pm until dawn (things are not usually open that late in LA and when you've been out partying until 5am you need somewhere to go!). You have your choice of three eggs served with bacon, sausage, ham steak, or real steak with toast and has browns; a breakfast burrito; three-egg omelets of all varieties, pancakes with fresh whipped cream and plenty of egg and breakfast meat accompaniments; waffles; and even fried chicken and waffles done "Roscoe Style." Unless you go for the steak and eggs or load up on the sides, there's nothing here over $10.

One of my table mates sampled the ham and cheese omelet and not only was it a huge heaping plateful of cholesterol goodness it came with an equally huge helping of really terrific hash browns, cooked crispy brown yet tender on the underside just the way they should be.

But if you're not in the mood for breakfast, there are plenty of other choices. A few appetizers include shrimp cocktail and Buffalo wings; salads offer Caesar and Caprese among others; sandwiches come with fries, onion rings, or side salad and feature chicken or veal parmigiana, meatball or sausage, and club varieties; burgers; pastas; and their pizzas which are somewhat of a local LA legend.

Not enough? Okay, keep going into the entrée section with steaks, veal dishes, chicken, seafood, and more.

We sampled the club sandwich and the traditional Rainbow cheese burger and were not disappointed with our choices. The burger was thick and juicy, cooked exactly the way I ordered it, and served with a plateful of giant onion rings. The club had all of the things you usually find on a club, prepared and presented well with a big pile of fries.

Prices for breakfast and sandwich type offerings were mostly under $10 except for the large 18" pizzas and when you start adding grilled chicken or shrimp to your salads and or pastas. Entrees start at around $13 and go all the way up to $40 for the 12 ounce filet mignon with lobster tail, although most are well under $20.

Was there anything here that you couldn't find the exact same of elsewhere, probably done just as well? No, of course not. In fact, most of the 24 hour cafés in the casinos have menus that look a lot like this. But when you throw in the fun environment, the friendly service, and the relatively low prices at the Rainbow it starts to make a lot more sense than eating in one of those bland cafeteria style places with slot machines blaring a few feet away.

So if you're in the mood to find the true spirit of Rock and Roll, skip the Hard Rock and go across the street to the Rainbow Bar and Grill.