The country-star namesake of Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill is rumored to make twice-yearly surprise visits to his 11 restaurants. While surely he’s picked up a few regulars who hope to look up from their fried bologna sandwiches and see the singer working the room, he’s definitely providing diners from Foxboro, Mass., to Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., with their first taste of Southern comfort food. Often that comfort comes in a big size that suits the wide-open spaces of the Oklahoma native’s upbringing.

The atmosphere itself is spacious and social, divided between the guitar-shaped bar with adjoining dance floor and dining area with wooden tables and roomy booths. Arrive around 8 p.m., and by the time dinner is near completion, a top-notch live band takes to the stage delivering country hits and classic rock.

Signature drinks are served in 32-ounce moonshine-style jars, with assurances that take-along cups are available so there is no pressure to drain the jars before the check arrives. Georgia Peach was mixed with Skyy vodka, Hiram Walker peach schnapps and Sierra Mist, providing a light accompaniment to the goodness on the way. Be Somebody (Jack Daniels, Sauza tequila and Captain Morgan), which tastes like a more-robust version of a traditional Long Island Iced Tea, packs a more powerful punch.

Start the meal proper with fried mac and cheese balls, which seem large enough to block out the sun in comparison with average appetizer offerings, and fried pickles that eschew medallion shapes for stern-to-stem-length spears that any fried-pickle aficionado would regret skipping. Both are served with a Southwest ranch dipping sauce. The savory broth and hearty chopped vegetables in the country-style chicken dumpling soup really does justice to the delicious dumplings.

Entrée selections headlined by Americana classics such as cowboy prime top sirloin steak and baby back ribs, and Southern favorites including chicken fried steak and homemade meatloaf will make your decision difficult, but you can’t go wrong with the surf-and-turf deal-breaker barbecue rib-and-shrimp combo or the shrimp BLT po’boy. The sight of your main courses is sure to ignite your appetite. The po’boy is a triumph, with each bite a flavorful reveal. Blackened shrimp mingled with fried-green tomatoes, bacon and Cajun remoulade on a hoagie just sizable enough to hold it all together, and fries on the side are crisp and perfectly seasoned. The ribs showcase Keith’s “world-famous BBQ sauce” while the shrimp accompaniment provides a beer-battered yin to the rib meat’s yang.

And a finale featuring bread pudding topped with bourbon ice cream and the establishment’s trademark fried Twinkies will make you glad you didn’t skip dessert.

Harrah’s, 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Sun.-Thurs., 11:30 a.m.-midnight Fri.-Sat.; bar Sun.-Thurs. till 2 a.m., Fri.-Sat. till 3 a.m. 702.693.6111