Boston Pizza - Las Vegas, NV

1507 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89104
Phone: (702) 385-2595
Fax: (702) 386-6921
Hours: Daily 10am - 4am

Styles of pizza: Traditional thin crust
Service: Counter dine-in, carry-out, delivery, catering

Review: Boston Pizza is located on Las Vegas Blvd, a couple blocks north of the Stratosphere. It is a low, white, stucco building with “Boston Pizza” painted directly on the outside walls in bright blue lettering. Next door, across the parking lot, sits Olympic Gardens, the famous Vegas strip club. Apparently “Papa Pete” owns Boston Pizza, the “OG”, and pretty much the rest of the block. There is even a mural on a wall inside with a cartoon depiction of Pete’s journey to Vegas from the East coast to start his little “empire”.

There are only two windows on the building, and the first time I saw BP from the outside, I thought two things. #1) it looks closed. #2) it looks like the kind of place you would go to find old replacement hubcaps for your vintage Oldsmobile. The inside of the joint reminded us of a snack bar in an old-school roller rink or bowling alley. The carpet was old and looked like it was acquired at a casino carpet remnant sale. The bathrooms got forceful “thumbs down” from all Zealots in attendance. Like the other independent, away-from-the-strip, pizzerias we visited, Boston Pizza was pretty smoky, even though there was only one other occupied table at 2:30 in the afternoon. We did not notice any posted non-smoking section.

The pizza menu is fairly standard with small, medium, and large (16”) pies are available with all the usual toppings. They do not appear to do offer individual slices. The prices are decent and a 16” large za with one topping goes for just over $12. Maybe it is the proximity to another strip club but BP, like Daddy’s reviewed earlier, had a menu with offerings far away from just pizza. At Boston Pizza you can order beef or cheese steak sandwiches, grinders/subs, pastas and calzones, gyros, burgers, fish, wings, soups, and much more. For me, this is usually a sign that I won’t be able to count on this place for high quality pizza as they are concentrating on reaching a much wider market. This wasn’t going to sway us though, and Boston Pizza didn’t disappoint… my theory at least.

When we stepped up to the window/counter to order our cheese pie, I got the impression we were intruding on the staff’s slow afternoon, as they seemed frustrated to take the order. Maybe they are just anti-tourists – it could be that I was a little snap-happy with my camera.

Although being incredibly hot at first, the pie seemed undercooked on top. The sauce tasted OK, but not overly fresh and we guess that it was probably canned (we are not positive, though). The cheese had a decent flavor and a nice amount of moisture to it without being overly greasy. The problem was sheer amount of cheese, which dwarfed the normally sufficient amount of sauce. Our thought that it wasn’t quite done being cooked came from the fact that the cheese was extremely gooey, almost to the point of being liquid. The crust had an odd texture to it for pizza. It was very soft reminded us more of a biscuit or dense pancake. This theory was supported by a peek at the underside of a slice, which reveals how even the caramel-like coloring is, just like a well-cooked flapjack on a griddle.

We all considered this to be fairly mediocre za. Several locals we asked claimed Boston Pizza as their favorite and they were sure we tried it on a bad day. We agree that it could have earned better marks with slightly less cheese and another minute or two in the oven, but I’m not sure what could be done about that funky, biscuit crust.

Gavin

La Mamma Restaurant & Pizzeria

Juan Griego
Isla Margarita
Nueva Esparta, Venezuela

Style of Pizza: One crust fits all - thin and tasty.
Service: Dine-in (or rather, on the beach) only.

Standout Tidbit: Some things just seem to go together. Peanut butter and jelly. Milk and cookies. Venezuela and pizza.

Review: Our most recent vacation took us to a place where baseball trumps soccer, corrupt politicians run the land, and traffic laws are more like suggestions. No, not D.C. This was beautiful Isla Margarita, Venezuela.

A list of things NOT to try in Isla Margarita:

• the water
• driving
  
• Speedos
  
• the beach without sunscreen

You'll notice pizza missing from this list. Because pizza, my friend, at Mamma's Restaurant in beautiful Juan Griego, is NOT to be missed.

We ate at Mamma's on one of our last days of the trip, after we'd learned important lessons like ordering drinks with no hielo (ice) and that the margaritas on the island are flavored with something akin to ethanol. We had low expectations going in, knowing the kind of American food we'd had so far had not been the best. To be sure, Mamma's is not just a pizza place. Their menu sported offerings of many other specialties with poultry, seafood, pizza and salads each taking up a full page of the menu. With so many items, how could anything rate outstanding?

After enjoying our lush surroundings right on the beach and catching up with the neighboring table (who, oddly, had been on our same flight from Denver), we gestured and pointed our way through the menu. We ordered a small Hawaiian pizza and a small cheese and were prepared for any number of things. (How small is small? Are we talking ittybitty personal-size? Is Hawaiian the same thing here as it is at home? What do these people know about pizza, anyway?) We sipped pina coladas and daquiris (with fresh fruit! Bueno!) as we waited in the open-air restaurant. Toasty, buttery, garlicy bread was brought out as an appetizer which we gobbled down.

And then - behold - the pizzas! The toppings on the Haiwiian were perfect, with cheese bubbling all the way to the edge of the pan. The cheese za was a little more sparse, with sauce sightings through the top layer of cheese, but still quite tasty. The sauce itself was equal parts sweet and equal parts tangy and equal parts delicious. After seeing All. Those. Toppings!, I was worried about the durability of the crust. Pretty, yes, but functional? Thankfully, the crust had some secret sog-proof ingredient that held up well. We found it firm but not a tooth-chipper while still being soft and avoiding the under-cooked doughy results you often get with a plethora of toppings.

To sum up the experience, the dough was tasty, not bland, the sauce tasted as though they'd just plucked the tomatoes off the vine that day (and maybe they had) and the toppings were glorious in their infinite quanities. For the grease to goodness ratio, I'd also rank it favorably.

Although not the world's best pizza, I would venture to say it has the market cornered on the island. A vacation to Isla Margarita will give you beautiful beaches, glorious scenery, and, if you head to La Mamma's, a nice slice of home.

Livin' la pizza loco,
SupaCoo

Anthony's Pizza and Pasta: Colorado Blvd.

700 Colorado Blvd
Denver, CO 80206
Phone: (303) 316-8651
Website

Styles of Pizza: New York style thin crust, Sicilian thick crust
Service: dine-in counter service, delivery, carry-out

Standout Tidbit: Can't find it? Can't blame ya. Anthony's is tucked away in some sort of odd mall at 7th and Colorado near the CU Hospital. Park in the back, off of 7th Ave, and waltz right in.

Review: I have a problem with pizza.

In the past three months, I have eaten pizza on three continents. I have eaten a myriad of odd toppings. Thousands of calories consumed. And each time I eat pizza I say "Sure Gavin, I'll write a review." But the astute reader will notice that this is my first review.

Yes people, I have been eating pizza and NOT reviewing it. Until, that is, I went to Anthony's Pizza on Colorado Blvd. in Denver this week. Now, my song has changed. The pizza I enjoyed was too good to not review.

Anthony's has a slew of locations throughout Denver, including the Denver Tech Center, where I often (too often by the looks of it) lunch. However, each location is independently owned, and service (and taste) vary from location to location.

Anthony's za is fairly typical of "real" New York style pizza. A large pizza features eight flop-over-your-plate sized slices. The cheese pizza we had this visit was darn near perfect. The crust is thin and tasty (although I thought the butt of the crust was a wee bit dry for my liking). I found the sauce not too sweet, not too bland, and most importantly not too chunky. They top the pizza just right - not weighted down, but definitely not skimpy - an evenly-layered temptation of treats for your tongue.

But alas, nothing's perfect. The bottom of the pizza was so floury (is that a word?) that I had flour all over myself. (I wasn't the only one who thought that.) It's a no-frills joint - the paper plates soak up the grease nicely, but otherwise seem cheap. You order, take a number, fill your own drink, and sit in bright, garish booths to wait. But with this price and a taste that is tough to beat, I'd say they're putting enough effort into the things that matter.

In spite of its chain status, Anthony's serves up a piping hot, grease-laden, delicious pie time after time. For a consistently good pizza, I'd recommend it is one of the better options in the Denver area.

Viva la za!
SupaCoo

Daddy’s Pizza - Las Vegas, NV

2103 Western Ave.
Suite A
Las Vegas, NV 89102
(702)-388-0006
Fax: (702)-386-0047
Hours: Mon-Sat 24 hours, Closed Sunday

Style of Pizza: Traditional thin crust
Service: Counter service dine-in, carry-out, delivery

Review: We were exploring some non-tourist areas of Las Vegas, trying to find decent North-South travel routes that didn’t involve the strip or the freeway, when we spotted Daddy’s Pizza, or at least the sign that said “Open 24 Hours,” “Special! Slice and a drink $1.99.” It wasn’t on our list of places to hit, but we figured with a special like that we’d have to give it a try.

We were curious what could keep a Daddy’s open all night in a clearly industrial neighborhood – till we looked across the street. It turns out that Daddy’s Pizza is right across the street from Cheetah’s, a strip club that is also open 24 hours. Now we know…

Upon entering Daddy’s, we were welcomed by bright fluorescent lights, a loud TV, a plastic tree in the corner, and a huge cloud of cigarette smoke. My brother was convinced we had interrupted a local Bulgarian mafia “sit-down, ” as the only patrons in the joint were a table full of chain-smoking, Eastern European men who halted their discussion when we walked in. It seemed like they decided to leave when they realized we were dining in.

Although the menu was packed with Italian fare, Greek dishes, burgers, ribs, subs, chicken, and more (not to mention the white board with a separate menu in Russian), we couldn’t be dissuaded from our mission. We wanted our $1.99 slice and drink. DENIED! It was a daytime-only special clearly meant for local workers. At night they take advantage of the alcohol-soaked strip club patrons by removing the special and not doing slices. They did give us the carry-out discount on a 16” pizza for $5.99. Twenty minutes later we got our piping hot cheese pie, but had to wait a few minutes longer for it to cool down to safe temperatures.

This pizza was a pretty bad gut bomb. Although it clearly looked to be well baked, the almost flavorless “pellet” cheese was overly gooey. There wasn’t nearly enough of the canned sauce and the crust was mediocre. This instantly reminded me of snack bar or discount chain delivery pizza. I haven’t eaten a Domino’s pizza in years, but this was pretty much what I remembered.

Gavin

Sister's Pizza and Mussels - Denver, CO

2255 Sheridan
Unit D
Edgewater, CO 80214
(303) 233-3132

Style of Pizza: New York thin crust?
Service: Dine-in, carry-out, delivery

Review: Sister's is a fairly new restaurant opened in Denver's Edgewater neighborhood, and overlooks Sloan's Lake from across Sheridan Blvd. I believe it is the newest member of the Naples Group family, along with Heidi's Brooklyn Deli, Soup-n-Juice, and Sushi Hai. We actually didn't go to the location, but rather ordered a 16" cheese pie for delivery at the end of a hectic Friday afternoon.

It took about 50 minutes from order to delivery. During the wait, Robin was heard to say, "this pizza better be good! Although I will probably still eat it if it isn't." That's my girl!!

By the time we got it on the table, the cheese had cooled and congealed into an elastic skin covering the pie. A brief reheat in the oven softened it up nicely and we found the flavor of the cheese to be OK – not awesome, but not all that bad either. It clearly was a slightly better cheese than many discount delivery joints use. The pie was light on the tomato sauce, which had a weird, tapenade-like texture to it. It almost seemed like a course paste, but it didn't taste very tomato-y either – somewhat salty without many herbs or sweetness. The crust was quite thin with a small lip, was foldable, and nicely charred on the bottom, although it was very lacking in flavor.

I didn't have a menu and I can't find a web site, so I don't know how they classify their pizza, but at first glance I would say it could fall into NY-style thin crust. I also know (based on a coupon) that the pies at least go up to 18". For the sake of a complete review, I will stop by the joint someday and sample some za in-house (just don't expect me to sample the mussels). I don't think we will be ordering delivery from Sister's again.

Gavin

Metro Pizza - Las Vegas, NV

1395 East Tropicana Avenue
Las Vegas, Nevada 89119
(Tropicana & Maryland Parkway)
Phone: (702) 736-1955
Website

Styles of Pizza: New York-style thin crust, stuffed pizzas, thick "Metro Crust
Service: table service dine-in, carry out

Standout Tidbit: The "Pizza Hall of Fame", a series of displays featuring the history of pizza around the walls of the restaurant.

Review: Before heading out to Las Vegas for a long weekend with “the guys,” I did a little research to find some good “off-strip” pizza places to sample. Numerous responses on a few Vegas-related message boards mentioned Metro Pizza as a favorite. I checked their web site and it seems that Metro Pizza has received many “Best of...” awards since they opened their first location in 1980. I quickly put a trip to Metro at the top of the list of places to try. It helps that it is quite easy to get to from the airport. Just take Paradise Road to Tropicana Road and head East for a mile or so to Maryland Parkway.

Walking in the door I was surprised by what greeted me. I guess I was expecting more of an “old-school” type pizza parlor - maybe kind of dark, maybe a little dingy, maybe a little attitude. Instead, I felt like I had walked into a modified California Pizza Kitchen. The restaurant felt new and was spacious, clean, bustling, family friendly, and a slightly upscale. The happy wait staff was wearing black pants, white shirts, and ties and welcomed us with fresh bread after showing us to our seats. The tables were covered with white butcher paper (with the obligatory crayons, of course). The open kitchen with the Pizzaiolos and their ovens was along a back wall, for all to see. Another wall featured a full bar with a bright, stylized cityscape mural.

The lunch special featured a personal pizza, salad, and drink, so all four us decided to go that route. When the za arrived, the pies were well cooked. The mildly-flavored crust was pretty thin and had some nice bubbling and charring. The sauce had a good, fresh taste, and a nice texture to it that wasn’t too smooth. The cheese was a little saltier than I like, but overall, the first slice was a pleasant one. The issue we all had with Metro’s pizza was the fact that it was REALLY greasy. Normally, I am one who enjoys the little orange drippings, which can be a sign of a high butter fat content in the cheese. This was a little too much though. When the pizzas arrived the crusts were nice and crisp on the outside. In a few minutes they were quite soggy from the pool underneath. The worst was my brother’s pizza. He had ordered pepperoni and couldn’t eat more than 3 small slices due to the overpowering grease factor. I think I got through one more than he, before the film on the roof of my mouth was too much to continue.

We were concerned that this was what many consider to be the Best Pizza in Las Vegas. The restaurant certainly was crowded with both business lunchers and family-types. Perhaps I will stop in again on my next trip and try something other than the special. They apparently cook a a variety of pizza styles. I guess it is possibly that they don't offer up lunchtime discounts on their best offerings. For this trip, however, we were SO done with Metro. I really needed to go brush my tongue.

Gavin

Joe’s New York Pizza - Las Vegas, NV

4480 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 792-9001

Style of Pizza: New York-style thin crust
Service: counter service dine-in, carry-out, delivery

Standout Tidbit: "10 Varieties Available by the Slice Daily!" Other locations back East in New Hampshire.

Review: Joe’s was the first pizza place we hit after landing in Vegas. It was easy to find as it is across from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Paradise Road. We arrived a little after 11am and this counter-style establishment was clean (including the bathrooms), the staff was friendly, and the glass display case on the counter was packed with a good variety of seemingly fresh pies for slices. They claim to offer “10 different pizza slices available each day” for their “No Delay Lunch.” The menu also offers salads, “monster calzones”, and more than a dozen “specialty” pies, including 2 white pizzas and no less than 5 pizzas with chicken. The sizes of pies range from 12” up to 19”.

Even though we were pretty hungry, we only ordered one slice each. We knew we would be going to another restaurant after picking up another member of the group at the airport an hour and a half later. After ordering, our slices were placed on screens and slipped into the rotating carousel pizza oven for re-heating.

Joe’s slices are quite thin and foldable, although not as large as I usually expect from a NY-style counter joint. We found the cheese to be tasty, not-too-salty, and only slightly greasy, which is fine by me. The veggie toppings were fresh (mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic), and my brother seemed to like his ham and pineapple slice quite a bit. The take-out menu states their sauce and dough are made fresh every day. The sauce was flavorful with nice herbs that don’t overpower the tomatoes. The subtly–flavored crust seemed nicely-browned, crispy outside, and soft and chewy inside with some decent bubble holes within.

We left Joe’s on our first morning in Vegas feeling we had just eaten some pretty good pizza. If that had been our lunch, instead of a pre-lunch snack, we might have been a little grumpy about the size. But, for now, we were good.

We stopped by Joe’s again on our way to the airport 3 days later. It was about 3:30 in the afternoon and we found the choices quite a bit scarcer as far as slices went. There were nowhere near 10 options available. We also thought they seemed a little dryer, which would make sense if they had been sitting out for a bit. This visit, we were troubled by the fact that some of the slices had a HUGE lip that would encroach up to 2 inches into the pie. I half wondered if they had run out of ingredients and made a 12” za on a 19” crust.

Our overall impression after two visits was that the pizza was tasty, but a little inconsistent as far as the execution goes.

Gavin