Pizza Rock
Margherita – 900F wood – Napoletana with San Marzano, Mozzarella, Fior di Latte, Basil, Olive Oil, Sea Salt
Cal-Italia – gas brick – Asiago, Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Fig, Prosciutto, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Balsamic
Quail Egg White Rose Potato Guanciale – 900F wood – Mozzarella, White Rose Potatoes, Chorizo, Pork Cheek, Rosemary, Fromage Blanc, Calabrese Peppers, Lavender Sea Salt
Romana III – electric brick – Prosciutto/Arugula/Parmigiano, White Cream/Chopped Garlic/Meatball/Olive Oil, Gorgonzola/Date/Pecan/Apple/Honey/Nutella
Farmer’s Market Pizza – 900F wood – Pumpkin Puree, Cinnamon, Brown Sugar, Bacon, Marshmallow
Apple Calzone – Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Caramel, Vanilla Gelato
Pecan Turnover – Light Puff Pastry, Maple Pecan, Crunch, Coffee Ice Cream
Mud Pie – Oreo Cookie Crust, Chocolate Ganache, Coffee Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Hot Fudge, Caramel, House Made Whipped Cream
Having repeatedly neglected to visit Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco in favor of places like Una Pizzeria, Pizzeria Delfina, Zero Zero, and others I was admittedly intrigued when the well awarded chef opted to set up shop in downtown Las Vegas at Pizza Rock – the swanky new digs, multiple televisions, and Guitar Hero worthy playlist a far cry from the eponymous Bay Area location even though the multiple oven and top notch sourcing concepts remained intact – and it was with all those things in mind that myself and five others descended on the restaurant for a tasting of sizeable proportions, a total of 4.5 pizzas and three desserts served over the course of just over two hours with hit-and-miss results. A surprisingly large space, literally big enough to park a truck, it was an early arrival that assured us use of the large private dining room and with excellent service from both the general manager plus an enthusiastic young waiter it would not be long before our pizzas started to arrive and brought out in three separate courses it was with the signatures that we began, the “limited” Margherita proving cool to the touch and shockingly bland despite both excellent char and chew to the crust while the Cal-Italia proved far superior with a crunchy, toothsome crust more than able to stand up to a bevy of toppings both sweet and savory, acidic and creamy. Moving next to the interesting yet overly complicated and entirely too spicy Quail Egg selection it was at last the “3-course” Romana with its cracker crisp crust and well-paired toppings that wowed me most – the central third particularly well done with the rich meatballs nicely balanced by light cream and ample garlic, though the sweet selection was certainly not lacking in contrast or flavor either. Moving last to a gifted half of the Farmer’s Market Pizza, unfortunately overloaded with cinnamon just as the Quail Egg had been with spice, and finally to a trio of desserts where only the delicate pecan turnover would prove either inspired or memorable I think it is safe to say that the key to enjoying a meal at Pizza Rock is to simply embrace the concept and realize that “everything to everyone” and “do one thing and do it well” are very different mantras; the former definitely improved by a group of good people, excellent service, and (at least in this case) fond memories of 80’s and 90’s rock ballads.
