Uncle Joe's Pizza and Deli - Las Vegas, NV

505 Fremont St
Las Vegas, NV 89101
(702) 385-2162
Hours: Fri. & Sat 11am-11pm, Sun.-Thu. 11am-11pm
just a block and a half past the Freemont Street Experience (between Neonopolis and El Cortez Hotel and Casino).

Styles of pizza: New York style thin-crust
Service: Counter, dine-in, carry-out, delivery

Standout tidbit: Downtown Vegas, baby!

Review: Right away we noticed that the special was 2 slices and a canned drink for $3.25. This is a pretty good deal for someone who has just taken a beating at the blackjack tables and forgot to ask for a comped buffet. The four of us sauntered in around 9pm on our way to the double-deck tables at the El Cortez. We placed our orders, selected our canned sodas out of the cooler and waited about 8-10 minutes for our slices to get reheated.

I found the atmosphere to be pretty suitable for a joint named Uncle Joe’s. It was narrow with most of the front of the place being taken up with the counter and “kitchen”. The lighting was dimmed and the walls were painted orange, which made the restaurant seem dingy. The only signs of “character” were the black and white checkered floor and a few Tiffany-style-“we’re just like Shakey’s” lights hanging from the ceiling.

My impressions of the pizza itself were mixed from start to finish. I ordered a cheese slice and a mushroom slice and they came out nice and super-thin. The plain slice looked tasty with a glossy, even mix of cheese and sauce, but I was a little put off by the obviously canned mushrooms on my second slice. Phat Pocket J-Dogg’s pepperoni slices seemed to have good coverage, but I can’t speak to the taste. Although baked on a screen, the crust had a good texture and was cooked well, but seemed flavorless. The cheese tasted nice, but might be too greasy for some. I am assuming the sauce came out of a can and I felt it relied on salt too much for seasoning.

While a couple members in our group thought this was really bad pizza, I didn’t think it was a complete failure. I walked in hungry with a slight beer buzz, and for 3 bucks and some change I walked out full and sober enough to go win $75 in the next 20 minutes at the El Cortez. I don’t recommend making any special trips to Uncle Joe’s, but if you are staying in downtown Vegas, walking around Fremont Street, and drinking either a fruity beverage out of a plastic “yard” with a shoulder strap or a cheap beer out of a clear football, Uncle Joe’s might tide you over if you have that desperate pizza craving.

- Gavin (known around Vegas as "Uncle Jimmy")

Big Bill's New York Pizza - Centennial, CO

8243 S. Holly St.
Centennial, CO
Phone: (303)741-9245

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

Standout tidbit: Avoid the free cookies as you exit. If you need sweet stuff, go for the straight-outta-Brooklyn Drakes Cakes displayed throughout the joint.

Review: After much great za lately, I was excited to try the proclaimed best NY-style pizza of 2006. Being the NY-style pizza lover that I am, and finding Big Bill's to be near my suburban office, I couldn't wait to try it out. However, I think someone over at Westword must have had the munchies when they picked this one. I don't claim to know where the best NY Style pizza in Denver is, but Big Bill's CAN NOT be the best. Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying Big Bill's is bad, per se. But to be the best - I mean, that's setting some lofty expectations.

We headed over for a lunch-time za about a week after "the best" rating came out. It's one of those typical suburban strip mall pizza joints, with a blandish interior (think plastic wood tables and chairs stolen from Shakey's) and random NYC-related sports crap.

Big Bill's large pizzas are only 16", and four of us usually split an 18-incher at Anthony's. So we warmed up with large salads ($3.25) and tasty garlic knots ($3.99 for a dozen). The knots were good, slightly salty/garlicy and the marinara sauce was delish as well. So far, so good. The menu also offers calzones, and anything that looks or sounds remotely Italian.

After a short wait, out came our piping hot fresh cheese za. We dug in eagerly. My first slice had somehow been missed by the sauce fairy as the red stuff was really sparse. (The second slice was better in that regards, and the sauce was interesting - slightly sweet - once I got some.) The crust was crunchy and cracker-like, which was probably because it had to hold its weight against the rivers of oozing grease. But almost too crunchy, in a disturbing "Am I going to chip my tooth?" way. The amount of cheese was a little on the skimpy side, with a small spattering of oregano sprinkled on and baked in to top it all off. The pizza was a little more on the "well done" side, when I prefer medium doneness (perhaps explaining the crunch?).

(Oh, and that Westword review? It lies when it says the slices are foldable. NO FOLDING HERE! Did those guys even TRY this place? Or did they just see "New York" in the restaurant name and deem them worthy?)

Overall, the pizza was fine - really more forgettable than memorable. But it was pizza, and all Zealots know that some pizza is better than no pizza at all.

Zas truly,
SupaCoo

New York Pizza and Pasta - Las Vegas, NV

2400 S Jones Blvd
# 13
Las Vegas, NV 89146
Phone: (702) 871-1159
Hours: Daily 11am-9:30pm

Styles of pizza: New York-style thin crust
Service: Wait staff dine-in, carry-out

Standout tidbit: A few miles West of the strip on the NE corner of Sahara and Jones Rd.

Review: The open kitchen is behind a black and white-tiled counter on your right when you walk in the door. It looks like NYP&P originally took up one unit in this strip mall, but recently expanded into 2 more dining areas. The entry side looks a little more cluttered and well-worn than the other two. This is where family and day-long regulars hang out with the owners and kitchen staff during slow times. The remaining two dining areas are spotless with bright white walls and a fake rose on each black, clean, institutional-style table. Framed posters of various Manhattan sights adorn the walls. The bathroom was immaculate and we all enjoyed the nice touch of an artificial tree in the corner opposite of the toilet.

After checking the menu, all four of us settled on the lunch special of a salad, cheese slice, and drink for about $5. It was about 2pm so the lunch rush was over. I guess they had to make a fresh pie (no complaints here) because we were told by the owner that it would take a little time, but it would be worth it. We devoured our plain, wet, boring iceberg salads fairly quickly. We did note that the menu listed other, non-lunch-special salads with a wide range of ingredients. We waited another 15 minutes or so after the salad bowls were taken away for the slices to show up on our table. Shawn was just about to slip over the “hungry/grumpy” edge, but, when they did arrive, all was forgiven.

The slices were a good size (although I have never known a slice to be “too big”), and were served on cool, aluminum plates instead of the standard scalloped paper type. The crust was very thin, slightly salty, foldable and was browned with some slight charring. The interior maintained a good softness while the exterior had a slight crisp to it. The ratio of cheese to sauce was just to our liking and both were very flavorful. The fresh-tasting sauce had a nice texture and was lightly herbed. The cheese provided a slight amount of grease. Shawn was heard claiming, “now, I can eat a LOT of this pizza.”

Hands down, this was the most authentic NY-style, and best pizza we had in Sin City. If you have a need for pizza in Vegas, and a method of transportation away from the strip, this is the place. I still need to try a whole pie as well as sample some toppings, so I’ll be renting a car on my next visit as well.

Gavin

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

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

Benny Blanco's Slice of the Bronx - Denver, CO

616 E 13th Avenue
Denver, CO 80203
Phone: (303) 831-1346
info@bennyblancos.com
http://www.bennyblancos.com/

Style of Pizza: New York-style thin crust (slices and whole pies)
Service: carry-out, delivery

Standout Tidbit: As they claim on the website, "The Largest, Latest Pie in Town!"

Review: This should be a short and sweet review, but that's appropriate considering a trip to Benny Blanco's can be very brief. There is no atmosphere to speak of at this tiny, Capital Hill, counter joint. All there is to Benny Blanco's is a kitchen with a small counter one step from the front door. You just walk in, place your order, and get out. If you order a whole pie during the day, you can go next door and shop for music at Wax Trax while it cooks. There is a TV mounted on the wall, but I get the feeling that is more for the benefit of the pizza makers behind the counter.

Benny Blanco's pizza tastes pretty good, but there are a couple factors that can kick the ranking a little higher. The first is that the medium sized za is 18" while their large is a whopping 20". As far as I know right now, this is the largest in town since Papa Keno's left town and took their mammoth 26" pizza with them. The second plus is that they are open and delivering till midnight Sunday and Monday, and till 3am the rest of the week.

As a good New York-style pizza should be, the crust is pretty thin and the larger slices fold nicely. The toppings seem fresh and spread evenly and in a decent quantity, while the sauce-to-cheese ratio was quite nice. Everything had a good flavor to it, although the sauce seemed to slightly edge on the salty side.

Without the benefit of any seating, whole pies must be carried out or delivered, so slight cooling is expected. A Benny Blanco's pie remains quite tasty as the heat diminishes.

In summary, this is good NY-style pizza that graduates to great when you have a craving to satisfy after that late-night concert on Colfax.

Gavin

Abo's Pizza of Centennial

7475-6 E. Arapahoe Rd.
Centennial, CO 80112
303-468-4700
303-468-4703 (fax)
Website

Styles of Pizza: New York-style thin crust
Servce: counter, carry-out, delivery

Standout Tidbits: Alarmingly bad pizza

Review: I was so excited to learn there was an Abo's Pizza near my office. There aren't many places around the office to get decent pizza that wasn't delivery-only. Also, I heard such good things about Abo's. It has received some Best of Boulder awards, there are some good reviews online for other locations, and it is supposedly authentic NY-style pizza. So, fellow founding Zealot, Eric, and I set out to give the place a shot.

Allow me to set the scene...

This Abo's location is set back in a shopping center at the corner of Arapahoe and Quebec. The location is a good size and has plenty of seating. All in all it looks fairly new, clean, and what I think is overly "fancy" for a NY-style, counter-service pizza joint. Instead of a half-full cooler with a couple Coke products and one standard brand of bottled water, there is a cooler full of fancy waters, juices, and teas, as well as another cooler on the counter with pre-packaged, individual Ben & Jerry's ice cream treats. The blackboard menu is ornately hand-painted and in the back are SIX beautiful, gleaming pizza ovens. On all of the tables are custom, artsy-fartsy, welded iron napkin and condiment holders. As I said, it is a little more than I expected. Upon taking all this in, Eric and I were feeling optimistic.

Abo's offers up NY-style pies as big as 18 inches and by the slice. The menu features many specialty pies with NY-themed names like "Manhattan", "Soho", and "The Village", a butter sauce za with chicken, spinach, garlic, tomatoes, and artichoke hearts.

We ordered and soon received our food, 2 slices of pepperoni for Eric and 2 cheese for me. I consider the cheese pie to be the foundation of a pizza joint. If you can't get this right, there is no use adding anything on top. The Abo's slices were good-sized, seemingly well cooked, and served on the fine china of a good NY-style pizza place -- the scalloped-edge, bleached-white, paper plate. Then we took our first bites...

This pizza was horrible. Tasteless. I thought I had accidentally taken a bite out of the plate. I waited a minute to see if maybe the heat of the fresh slice was overwhelming the flavor. I took another bite and decided there wasn't any flavor to be overwhelmed. Next I sampled a little chunk of just cheese on its own, then a dollop of sauce, and finally and bit of bare crust. Besides getting only a hint of tomato from the sauce there was nothing. Bland, seasoning-free, tasteless. Eric felt the same way about his slices with pepperoni. Adding tons of parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes only made the meal taste like spicy cheese from a jar.

I know we should go back a second time to make sure it wasn't a fluke, but I am scared. I sincerely hope not all of the Denver/Boulder area locations are like this, but I went back online afterwards and saw a couple customer reviews of different stores that fell inline with our opinions. I think we will have to at least go check the original Boulder location on the Hill. Wish us luck.

Gavin

Anthony's Pizza & Pasta: Denver Tech Center

6860 S. Clinton Way
Englewood, CO 80112
303-706-1281
Website

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

Standout Tidbit: Obligatory mural of Manhattan skyline with very creepy, giant-sized, ghost twin towers of the World Trade Center super-imposed over the cityscape. The Statue of Liberty holds an Anthony's pizza box.

Review: I find it quite appropriate that the first entry into the Zealots of Za blog is about a pizzeria that is first in the hearts of many a core Zealot. Although the first Anthony's opened in downtown Denver back in 1984, we did not discover it till the fall of 1995 when several of us were working together nearby. When taking a new job south of Denver near the Tech Center back in 2002, I was overjoyed to learn there was an Anthony's not too far away. Soon I had a regular group making weekly pilgrimages.

Now, about the pizza... Anthony's bills themselves as serving New York style pizza. Based on my very limited exposure to real NY pizza in the Big Apple, I think they do a pretty good job even though they aren't using a coal or wood-fired oven (what many would consider a crucial element for true NY-style). Anthony's dough is tossed high and laid out very thin. When cooked, the crust is slightly crispy on the bottom while still a bit chewy inside. The slices are large and best eaten folded to counter occasional floppiness. The application of toppings is usually generous without burying the pie. The sauce is slightly textured and flavorful with spices, but not to the point that it stands out above the other layers. The cheese is very tasty, and we have been told that it is the high butterfat content that causes the random pools of orange fluid on top of the slices. Fellow Zealot, Robin, calls it grease and tries to pat it away with a napkin, while I simply call it "dippin' sauce". The toppings are generally fresh, with the use of non-canned mushrooms being a good indicator. I should also state here that Anthony's also offers a Sicilian pizza (thick crust) and pasta, however, in my ten years of frequenting various Denver metro locations I have never sampled anything beyond the signature thin crust pizza.

The staff during the day at the DTC location is young and friendly, even during the stressful lunch crowd when the line can reach the door. During these busy times there may be the odd missed order, or a sub-par slice (re-heated too much, or not up to proper "big-as-a-plate" size), but if you mention your dissatisfaction, I have found they are more than willing to rectify the matter. This is NOT the case at all Anthony's locations, as I have heard from other Zealots who will hopefully post their findings here as well.

Based on the occasional inconsistency with slices, I have recently (the past 9 months) taken to ordering a whole pie whenever visiting the DTC location for lunch. This way, my slices are always fresh and I get the pick of the pie for size. The only requirement for me to do this is that I have at least one other person eating with me who is willing to go in on a non-meat pizza. I usually say the leftovers are going home to Robin, even though I conveniently "forget" that she isn't a big fan of the shrooms.

As far as the setting, this location is almost 2 years old (they moved from another spot in the shopping center) and it is kept rather clean. There is quite a bit of seating with about 10 booths and again as many small tables. During the warm times, there is also seating on a patio outside.

To sum up... far more often than not, the DTC Anthony's serves up great slices and outstanding whole pies. I'd rather be downtown at location #1, but this is a fantastic alternative in the meantime.

Gavin