Tony’s Slice House
New York Slice with Pepperoni
Sicilian Grandma Slice with Teardrop Tomatoes and Fresh Basil
Following the lead of Dom Demarco’s new slice shop in the Caesars’ Food Court with a celebrity chef of their own, Green Valley Ranch launched “Tony’s Slice House” to coincide with the opening of the second Pizza Rock location and although early word of mouth and better judgment certainly gave me pause I simply couldn’t help but take a taste for myself…the results far worse than I’d ever thought possible, and not at an insubstantial cost.
Purportedly featuring the works of Tony Gemignani, the eleven-time award winning pizzaiolo whose multiple ovens and unique pies have been making believers of folks visiting Downtown Las Vegas ever since the original Pizza Rock opened up shop, it was just after 1:30pm that I approached the long counter and ignored for a good five minutes as the lone employee milled about aimlessly I admittedly nearly walked away, his eventual greeting of “what can I getcha,” answered by inquiry about the freshness of several options and an order eventually settling on two slices billed at a steep $9.75.
Obviously requiring a quick trip to the oven as not a single pizza was proclaimed as less than 45 minutes old it was perhaps three minutes that I waited after paying the bill and soon porting the two paper plates as far away from nearby smokers and slot machines as possible a quick fold and first bite told all the story one should need, a slick of pepperoni grease quickly coating both plate and forearm while the flavor was not one bit superior to Sbarro, let alone any number of Manhattan haunts charging 1/4 the price.
Taking one more bite of the flimsy slice before discarding the rest in disgust it was onward to the Grandma Slice that the tasting progressed and, although nowhere near as oily, the minimal oven time left the thick square merely luke-warm as half-melted cheese of average quality melded with thankfully robust sauce and basil while teardrop tomatoes dislodged at each bite and simply fell to the table, no aspect of this Sicilian nearly as impressive as that of Cugino’s or Montesano’s regardless of branding, pedigree, or ‘major award.’
ONE STAR: Certainly not as ‘wowed’ by Pizza Rock as many others, and generally annoyed by New Yorkers who cite the ‘slice’ is some sort of landmark dish, it should go without saying that I approached Tony’s Slice House without substantial expectations and yet somehow the Celebrity Chef money grab underperformed them all, the combination of shoddy service, subpar ingredients, a smoky casino, and high prices making this place one of the worst dining experiences found in Las Vegas thus far.
RECOMMENDED: Saving your money and moving along.
AVOID: Off hours seem particularly prone to failure, the team clearly unaware that the oven time for a New York Slice and a square of Sicilian are substantially different.
TIP: Located along Green Valley’s Casual Dining Corridor, most easily accessed by entering from the main entrance facing The District and taking the escalator upstairs from the movie theater. Open 11a-11p, 7-days a week.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
http://slicehousegvr.com/
