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Would it be blasphemous to bleat that D.O.C.G. might be as good or better than Scarpetta, its sister restaurant next door? It’s certainly less formal, noisier, and simpler in focus and form. The menu breaks down into short sections — from salumeria to secondi (main) courses — and none of them overwhelm you with anything other than how friggin’ good everything tastes.
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John Mariani’s new book: How Italian Food Conquered the World (2011 Palgrave MacMillan) is an essential read for anyone (and everyone) who loves Italian food, Italian restaurants, Italy (or IT-ly as my dear, departed dad called it) or any and all things Italian…which is to say, pretty much all of us. It chronicles the success story of this immigrant cuisine — from the 19th Century splash the Del-Monico brothers made among New York society to the mystique of Rao’s to the world-wide rise of Super Tuscan wines out of the ashes of Dago red — and is so fascinating, we hardly wanted to finish it.
Continue reading “A Good Book Needs a Good Calzone and Downtown Needs a SETTEBELLO”
No name, no address, no signage, and some seriously nice slices.
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We at ELV thought we’d ease in to telling you all about the fabolous restaurants sitting cheek to jowl on The Cosmopolitan’s Gourmet Food Court From Heaven by first focusing on the most modest (and least expensive and toughest to find) eatery on the third floor of this soon-to-be-world-famous-place.
It has no name, nor does it have any signage. To find it, look for a long hallway in between Jaleo and Blue Ribbon where you find the walls lined with cheesy old album covers. (Jerry Vale anyone? Anyone?) At the end of the hall, an old (and functioning) pinball machine will get your attention. As will a cool, lifesize b/w street photo/graphic on one wall, and a classic Galaga video game (straight from 1981) on the other. To your right will be a wall with three employees, four pizza ovens and five or six of the best pies in town…all begging for you to try a slice.
We only had one — the white, all-cheese pizza — but it was a marvel. Thin (but not too thin) crispy crust, charred and blistered just so, topped by good ingredients in proper proportion. Like all New York-style pies, it folded in half perfectly and made for a tasty treat on the go. (“On the go” is this sense meant as we were going out the door after having had lunch at Comme Ça and dinner at D.O.C.G.)
Pizzaiolo Nico seemed to have enough pizza enthusiasm for a whole chain of Domino’s, and his partner in pizza making, while shyer, was no less seriously into his work.
We were so taken with this place we think NNPK makes for a mandatory stop by any galloping gourmand, whether coming to or from one of the eight superstar restaurants here.
Slices are priced between $3-$5. Ours was so good we forgot how much we paid.
NNPK (No Name Pizza Kitchen)
In The Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino
3708 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
No Phone
No website
No Signage
Nice Slices