East Side Pizza
Slice of Pepperoni
Garlic Knots
Eggplant Rollatini – Thinly Sliced Eggplant, Fried Golden, Stuffed with Housemade Ricotta and Mozzarella over Marinara
Red Velvet Cake
Half-Order of Bombolini
As authentic as many New York slice shops despite its Westside location in Summerlin’s Boca Park, East Side Pizza had been earmarked for a visit for some time when I entered its doors on Saturday night and with football playing on two screens as fairly steady stream of foot traffic arrived for takeout the experience was as good as expected – no more and no less.
Clearly a locals-only sort of spot, despite ownership proudly declaring Big Apple roots, a visit to East Side Pizza begins at the end of a long counter where single slices are there to temp and with ordering available up front or seated at tables to the right I found myself a four-top where the Italian-American menu expanded well beyond the giant rings of dough being hand tossed by a duo of young men standing before ovens glowing electric orange.
Obviously there for the pizza, but also willing to sample a few appetizers along with, it was with recommendations from a friendly female server that my order was made and with little delay the meal began with the aforementioned slice, a classic pepperoni concoction with a bit of char, plenty of crunch, and a stream of grease pooling on the plate when folded to take a bite. Less successful, a followup of ‘garlic knots’ had none of the expected crunch and although reasonably laced with garlic butter the dinner-roll texture left me luke-warm, a sidecar of classic marinara improving the flavors only a smidge.
At this point experiencing a bit of delay due to several take-out orders occurring at once it was after perhaps twenty minutes of watching Oregon State and ASU that the $10 Eggplant Rollatini arrived and although meager in portion with only three thin slices of eggplant on a bed of marinara with a veil of cheese both the flavors and textures shined, a similar kind word offered to the rich cocoa tones of limited-edition Red Velvet Cake but completely inappropriate for thimble-sized ‘bombolini’ that lacked any semblance of yeasty nuance, instead presenting nothing but oily fried dough.
TWO AND A HALF STARS: Friendly service, save for an older woman jokingly spouting semi-racist epithets to the men spinning dough, and fairly good red sauce classics are the name of the game at East Side Pizza and although never particularly sold on the idea that New York Style is a pie worth seeking out the version here is pretty close to the real deal while other options vary in quality and quantity compared to price paid.
RECOMMENDED: Pizza, Red Velvet Cake.
AVOID: Garlic Knots, Bombolini.
TIP: Offering several lunch specials, 4-course $9.99 dinner, and Groupons those looking for a deal can easily exit East Side Pizza for less than $10 per person while still hitting the menu highlights.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
https://www.facebook.com/pages/East-Side-Pizza/125890504097374
