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")

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

PizzaExpress: London Bridge

4 Borough High Street
London Bridge
London SE1 9QQ
Telephone: 020 7407 2995
Hours: Mon-Sun 11:30am to Midnight
Website

Styles of Pizza: Indivudual thin-crust
Service: Table service, carry-out (I assume)

Standout Tidbits: Ummm,... it's in London (that's a high point for us Yanks). Actually, the stylish décor stood out to us.

Review: With a name like "PizzaExpress" you would totally expect a fast-food or delivery joint. Maybe so in the US. Across the pond in the UK, PizzaExpress is a chain of pseudo-fancy pizza restaurants you will see ALL over London. Seriously, they are about as prevalent as McDonald's is over here.

All of the PizzaExpress locations we saw were different in their layout and size. Some were small and intimate, while others were a little more open with two stories of seating. There is even one location in SoHo that doubles as a jazz club. All of the locations are similar in that they all have a subtle, simple elegance. The décor is made up of light colors on the walls, dark woods, large windows, and contemporary art sprinkled throughout. Most of the tables were small, for two, but could be easily rearranged for more. There were fresh flowers, clean wine glasses, and white cloth napkins (a good indicator by my mother's standards) on the tables. It seems that all had full bars with prominent displays for their wine selections.

After an afternoon spent in the Tate Modern broadening our artistic horizons, Robin and I walked along the South Bank of the Thames and popped into the PizzaExpress London Bridge location for a late lunch. The crowd was very light at 15.30 (3:30pm) till several groups of teenagers, adolescents, and a few parents arrived to create two large tables of 12 apiece. We thought it interesting that so many youngsters were attracted to what we thought was a more "grown-up" establishment.

The menu boasts many "named" thin-crust pies and I didn't see any information for customers to build their own. All of the pizzas are personal-sized at 12" and are served uncut, with a steak knife on the side. Robin ordered the Bufalita, a pesto sauce pizza with buffalo mozzarella, beef tomatoes, garlic, basil, and rocket (arugula). Sticking to my simple tastes, I got the Mushroom pizza with their "special red sauce". All of the ingredients on both of our pizzas were very fresh.

Robin enjoyed hers quite a bit and found it to be somewhat flavorful. I agreed that hers had much more character, although there really was a LOT of rocket on top. Frankly, I found the sauce on mine to be a little bland. The cheese was fair, the mushrooms were subtly tasty, and black pepper had been ground and sprinkled on top, which added a nice touch. When I finally got his attention, I did ask the waiter for a little salt to enhance the second half of my pie. The slightly-flavored crust was thin, but not overly so. Although it was slightly browned around the edges, the dough seemed a little undercooked, and, as a result, our self-cut slices were a little limp.

Robin kinda liked her "fancy" pizza and would give it "good" marks, while I felt that my basic red sauce pie was a little lacking in flavor and only deserves a "forgettable, but it'll do in a pinch" ranking. Many of the other pizzas on the menu boasted obviously spicier, and more flavorful, toppings than the ones we ordered. We had no carnivores with us to sample any of the pies with meat or anchovies.

As I have mentioned before, I feel the foundation of a pizza is the crust, sauce, and cheese and if I can't rely on those three to combine and create a tasty za, then there's really no need to sample other ingredients. Hmmmm, perhaps I should clarify that statement: I feel safe occasionally ordering mushrooms on a new pizza, since I have never known them to overpower the taste of the aforementioned "foundation."

Overall, we both enjoyed the vibe of the restaurant and we were also surprised by the nice presentation and freshness of the food coming from such a widespread franchise. After all of this, however, I left feeling completely unimpressed with the pizza while Robin was only lukewarm about it... and isn't the pizza what this is all about?

Gavin

Carl's Italian Restaurant

3800 W 38th Ave
Denver, CO 80211-1906
Phone: 303-477-1694
Hours: 11am - Midnight Daily

Styles of Pizza : "American" Traditional
Service: dine-in table service, carry-out

Standout Tidbits: Carl’s has been ladling sauce since 1953 and is the home of a giant Italian sandwich dubbed the “Little Immigrant." A carb-packed basket of various crackers comes with all the salads.

A neighborhood institution in Denver’s North Highlands, Carl’s Pizzeria hides out in a humble brick building that parallels a busy 38th Avenue. Note the plate glass bullet holes and faded red carpet as you enter the establishment, and you’ll know you’re in “old school” territory. Ancient red vinyl booths and vine-and-column murals line the walls as the hostess leads Gavin and me back into Carl’s humble depths and leaves us with lunch menus. We find the service a little slow this busy Saturday, but our young, tatooed waitress is friendly and efficient.

We settle in and order a large (14") pie with green peppers, black olives and mushrooms (the menu also offers other Italian fare, such as pasta, calzones and sandwiches). While waiting for our main course, we munch on crunchy iceberg salads and breathe in the “ambiance.” Our fellow diners range from a fledgling family on a road trip to chain-smoking regulars in the next room. Everyone seems to be noisily enjoying their food, and somehow we, too, must find the kitschy surroundings and lack of pretense comforting, since we seem to find ourselves here at least once a month. Maybe the pound of sugar in my chocolate Pepsi is affecting my sound judgment, but I do feel “at home” in this no-frills setting.

Our pizza arrives piping hot and is fairly tasty with a nicely-seasoned but texture-free sauce (not too sweet or salty), and a generous amount of what appear to be fresh toppings and cheese. The mushrooms are happily un-rubber-ish, and the ratio of sauce to cheese is commendable. As for the crust…well…it’s just okay. A little crunchy, perhaps, and not much to it. Frankly, we’ve tried craning our necks to see if they have boxes of Jiffy Crust populating the kitchen area, but no dice.

Nevertheless, we manage to put away our slices without complaint – plus, we’ve found it’s best to eat as much as possible on the premises, since Carl’s pizza doesn’t re-heat very well – even in the oven, the cheese turns translucent and the crust becomes a bit soggy. Sigh. This Saturday, however, we can’t seem to eat an entire pizza pie. We leave with full stomachs and about four slices to spare, still knowing we’ll be back once that odd, old school urge resurfaces next month.

-robin %:-)