EATING LAS VEGAS – The 50 Essential Restaurants – 32. DUE FORNI

32. DUE FORNI

Ingredients matter.

This mantra is in full force at Due Forni and it’s hard to argue with the results. Whether it’s taggiasca olives, San Daniele prosciutto; or true bufala mozzarella, the purity and inherent perfection they possess—much like one-third of the “EATING LAS VEGAS”  book — overwhelms the inferior competition to which they are often compared.

Some swoon over the cracker-crusted Roman-style, but it’s the puffy/yeasty Neapolitan pies that frame these top-shelf products best. First-timers always get the namesake pizza—topped with Nueske’s bacon, house-made sausage, and piquillo peppers—but you won’t go wrong with any of the other eight, either.

For starters, get the beet salad—a goat-cheese and basil-pesto concoction that has made a convert out of this beet-hater. Not in the mood for a pizza? Then try the mozzarella tasting or a toothsome filet of sea bass balanced on a bed of tangy arugula. They also do a Daily Lasagna that is always a cheese or béchamel lover’s dream.

As good as the pizza is here (and only Settebello is in the same class as far as we’re concerned), the place also doubles as a carnivore’s dream come true. Whether it’s the smoked pork belly appetizer, or the pork cheeks, or a slap-my-ass-and-call-me-Sally strip steak, you won’t find better-cooked or conceived meat anywhere off the Strip.

The short-but-sweet roster of wines is also a big plus, not to mention the full bar and the spaghetti westerns (or other oddball pictures) always playing on the big screens.

Max Jacobson says: Due Forni, whose name means “two ovens” in Italian, is a compelling addition to the local food scene. Creative Argentine-born Italian chef Carlos Buscaglia (pictured above) is a master of all things doughy….The pies cook in a flash — approximately 90 seconds at 900 degrees. They are only a prelude, however, to a menu of delicious Italian dishes: polpette (tiny Italian turkey meatballs); semolina gnocchi with Nueske’s bacon; peas and black truffle crema; Tuscan panaznella (bread salad); and a terrific Caesar with punchy dressing and house-made croutons. For dessert, an absurd-looking chocolate pizza will actually grow on you.

Favorite Dishes: Beet Salad; Spinach Salad; Chef’s Antipasto Platter; New York Strip Steak; Carpaccio; Polpette; Pork Belly; Pork Cheeks; Daily Lasagna; Turkey Meatballs; Branzino; Mozzarella Tasting; Semolina Gnocchi with Nueske Bacon; Tuscan Panzanella; Caesar Salad; All Pizzas (On The Neapolitan Crust); Yogurt With Honey And Pistachios.

DUE FORNI

3555 South Town Center Drive #105

702.586.6500