Metro Pizza on Sky Pointe Drive
Iced Tea
House Bread
Torta Rustica alla Florence – 5-day fermented Butter based Crust, Nutmeg roasted Spinach, Egg, Ricotta, Tuscan Salami, Fennel Sausage, Ham
Sicilian Style – 4-day fermented Butter Crust, Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Cup & Char Pepperoni
Grilled Pizza – Zucchini, Oven Roasted Tomatoes, Basil Pesto, Capers, Ricotta
Calabrian Deep Dish – 4-day fermented Lard based Crust, Dandelion Sausage, Peccorino, Hand Crushed Tomatoes
Chicago Style Deep Dish – 4-day fermented Butter Crust, Tomato Sauce, Sausage, Mozzarella
Sweet Cream Biscuit Shortcake – Buttermilk, Whipped Cream, Strawberries, Cherries, Peaches
Humble to a degree practically unprecedented in the culinary community, many modern Chefs going well out of their way to self-promote and “brand,” John Arena is a rare name less-known locally than on an international scale, the man behind Metro Pizza carrying the banner for a movement that has continued to grow, now placing the city of Las Vegas on a list of America’s greatest pizza cities.
Having now had the opportunity to eat at a couple of Chef Arena’s venues, while also joining the walking Encyclopedia at the tables of other Chefs, it was on the man’s invitation that six of us sat down at the Sky Pointe Drive mothership on Saturday evening for a “lesson,” John and his protégée Chris Decker putting on a clinic themed on the evolution of the Deep Dish with a few additional novelties mixed in.
Admittedly not the “traditional” Metro Pizza experience, though previous visits both at Sky Pointe and Decatur indicate that the menu options are delicious as well, it was with greetings from Mr. Arena that the order of events was described for the evening, and with soft-drinks in hand it would not be long before we knew it would be best advised to beware the temptation offered by the restaurant’s soft and yeasty Bread.
Taking a regional approach to the evening, in addition to a timeline based sort of assessment, it was no more than ten minutes after seating that the first of six offerings was brought forth to the table, a Torta Rustica from Florence described by the Pizza Legend as a means for the rich to skirt dietary laws by incorporating several flavors into just one dish, the soft crunch of a long fermented Butter Crust encasing a tomatoless sort of Omelet comprised of Tuscan Salami, Fennel Sausage and Ham in an eggy base with the smoothness of melted Ricotta lent levity by tender leaves of Spinach tinged in Nutmeg.
Acknowledging that the aforementioned Pie is pre-baked and served warm, much like a Spanish Torta or Quiche, two added items were offered to span the time between the Rustica and additional Deep Dish variants, the four-day fermented Sicilian that made my personal top-10 Las Vegas dishes of 2015 now even better as it has found its way onto the menu with Cup & Char Pepperoni while Chef Decker’s grilled pie was a perfect bite of summer with the thin crust fully imbued in smoke beneath thinly-laid Zucchini, Oven Roasted Tomatoes, Basil Pesto, Capers and Ricotta Cheese.
Next offering two interpretations of the ‘modern’ Deep Dish, a style many rightfully associate with Chicago despite an obvious historical predecessor in Italy, Chef Arena proposed two different crusts each with their own region-specific ingredients, the Lard-based Calabrian complete with spicy Dandelion Sausage, hard Peccorino and Hand Crushed Tomatoes baking up gold and crisp with a distinctly different feel from the lighter and more open-crumb of a fermented Butter Crust on the Chicago Style flooded with crumbled Sausage, pools of Mozzarella and seasoned Tomato Sauce.
Allowing Chris to bring the night home, his recently recognized @everythingbutanchovies Instagram feed yielding yet another fanciful creation, Chef Decker did a fine job of paying tribute to his roots by way of a Sweet Cream Biscuit Shortcake that he attributes to his mother, the buttermilk wedges textured not unlike a British Scone with Whipped Cream, Strawberries, Rehydrated Cherries and Peaches all sharing the spotlight as a subtle reminder that the his work at both Metro and Lulu’s remains critically underrated.
N/A STARS: Unable to critically assess such an experience, though the Sicilian offered on the Metro Pizza menu is hands-down the best I’ve ever seen, those interested in the history of pizza are encouraged to pay close attention to what John Arena is doing, both here in Las Vegas and in the international scene.
TIP: Rumor has it that John has big plans upcoming, including a concept that may allow more frequent chances to explore regional variants of pizza from history and around the globe.
http://metropizza.com/
