The Pizza Place at the Wynn -- Las Vegas, NV

Seating area at the Pizza Place

While staying at the Wynn Las Vegas (I know, it's way too fancy for me) I came across a place called, simply, "The Pizza Place." It's on the first floor of the hotel, in a wing called the "Esplanade" boasting several top designer shops, and has a patio overlooking a ginormous fountain. But all that cool stuff aside, it has really GOOD FRICKIN' PIZZA.

You know how there's that dorky little video that greets you when you turn on the TV in your room? Well, this one had Steve Wynn showing off about his little hotel. And when the time came for him to talk about the Pizza Place, he said something along the lines of this: "For some reason, everyone knows that -- inexplicably -- the best pizza in the country is in New York. Well, at the Pizza Place, we challenge that." (I did listen to it about four times, but can remember only some of it, so these aren't his exact words. But the gist is that his Vegas hotel restaurant is trying to emulate NY pizza.)

Cheese pizza slice at the Pizza Place (sorry for shadow!)

Well, did they do it? I'm going to say yes! I can hardly believe it myself. But the pizza looks exactly like a New York slice. The sauce and cheese are in perfect proportion not only to one another, but also to its crust, which is paper-thin, yet crispy and chewy in all the right places.

At first, I thought maybe the taste was a little different. Not enough oregano, maybe, or parmesan? But then I closed my eyes and really thought about all the New York slices I've had. (This took awhile.) And, yes, somewhere in New York there is a slice that tastes almost exactly like the one at the Pizza Place.

Gelato showcase at the Pizza Place

This place also has homemade gelato -- not too shabby. But that's enough about the non-pizza food items. Except to say that they also serve breakfast, and I'm writing this from the restaurant (where they happen to have free wireless internet, a plus for guests) where I just finished a delicious bowl of steel-cut oats with dried cranberries, almonds, and golden raisins. (So yes, I did break rule #3 this time by talking about other food. Sorry to my followers -- all two of you!)

Capriccio II -- Croton-on-Hudson, NY

Chicken Marsala Pie from Capriccio II

The last time I visited my family in New York, we went -- as we always do -- to Capriccio II (Capriccio I is literally half a block away from its "sister" pizzeria. Ha ha!).

I know I said I wasn't going to review anything besides pizza, and I won't; however; just going to mention that I get main dishes/soups/salads here half the time because they are delicious. (The chicken Parmesan platter is my favorite.)

Eggplant pizza

But onto the pizza. They have several different pies to choose from, which tease you from the display cases by the register. There's the bruschetta pie, the chicken marsala pie, the eggplant pie, the white pie. And then there's the original -- and, in my mind -- the best!

Capriccio's crust is perfectly crisp without being burnt. It's the type of pizza that will probably stand out straight if you lift it, rather than sagging downward. You don't necessarily have to fold this pizza in half when you eat it ... but then you'd better use two hands. (Or, if you're feeling dignified -- use a fork and knife!)

White pizza

Some of the best pizza in NY is hidden away in this small town in Westchester! No need to go into the city for a great slice.

Danny Boys Pizza -- Rocky River, OH

The in-laws visited on Sunday, and we ordered from Danny Boys Pizza. Everyone else got sandwiches -- why?! I ordered a pizza called the "Clevelander," and I just had to share the description from their online menu. It made me crack up:

This one's a little upside down, built a little backwards, and kinda right in the middle of New York and Chicago.We take a New York crust, layer with pizza cheese, extra pepperoni, fresh garlic and fresh basil, all topped Chicago style with zesty pizza sauce and parmesan cheese. The best pizza in the world is right here in Cleveland! (dannyboyspizza.com)

The Clevelander Slice from Danny Boys.
(Note: many of the slices had much more sauce than this. But I ate 'em.)

I did, in fact, enjoy this pizza very much because it had some of the best elements of New York and Chicago styles. If given the choice, there's no way I'd go with Chicago style over New York, but I do appreciate the extra sauce and parmesan sprinkled on top of the mozzarella. I had a 12" pie, and it was all I could do to not finish the entire thing. It was delicious, and the sauce was zesty. In addition, there was a distinct garlicky taste that was not overwhelming, but still very present in this pizza.

Next-day test: Not even close to as good as on day one. That's unfortunate. After the reheat, it dried up quite a bit and just didn't taste the same. Sadness.

Eddie's Pizzeria Cerino -- Seven Hills, OH

Eddie's Margherita pizza, reheated

I've been to Eddie's once before (see my yelp review), but this is the first time I've tried their pizza in-house. (My husband had brought home some of their salumi pizza for his leftovers, but never have I ordered pizza at Eddie's before yesterday.)

I went with a basic margherita pizza (one of my favorites). These pies came in either 9", 13", or 17". Because it was only lunchtime, and because I was also getting a salad, I opted for the 9".

This was a pretty good pie. The mozzarella tasted fresh, the sauce wasn't too heavy, and the basil was sliced thin and scattered pretty evenly throughout. (I'm still undecided about whether I enjoy my basil left as a whole leaf, or chopped, on pizza. Both have their merits.) The one thing that, ironically, turned me off a bit was the crust.

Why is that ironic? Well, because their bread is so damn good. I love it. It's just that the crust, when baked into a pizza, wasn't that crispy. But it wasn't soft either ...or chewy. The only word I can use to describe it, unfortunately, is "tough." Don't get me wrong -- Eddie's pizza was very good. It just didn't have the magic crust I was looking for.

The next-day test: Eddie's pizza did very well today when reheated (see photo). I actually think I might have enjoyed it more today than fresh out of their own oven. Weird, I know.

Slice of Life

Hello!

For those who already know me, and for those who "know" me from my other blog, you know that I love pizza. Actually, that's inaccurate. I am obsessed with pizza.

It's not an uncommon food to be crazy over, but I think my obsession really began when I got yanked out of my comfort zone -- aka, New York City -- where I had always taken my slices for granted. (I guess it's true that people always want what they can't have.)

I spent a year in Madison, Wisconsin and now I'm going on two years in Cleveland, Ohio, and during this time I made it a mission of mine to find the best slices and weed out the nasties. I'll review my slices as I go (in between bites, of course), and you can decide for yourself which you might want to try. Most of my reviews will be on pizza in Cleveland, but if and when I travel and find something, I'll write about that too.

I've come up with a few "rules" for myself in the creation of this pizza blog:

1. I will only write about pizza that I myself have tasted, not just pizza I've heard about.
2. I will include only original photos of all the pizza I review. This means a) no grabbed photos from restaurant websites and b) no photos from sites like flickr or photobucket. This, in turn, means that c) I will either have to wait to review most pizzerias until I can return to take a photo, or I'll have to write the review and add a photo later.
3. Unlike my yelp reviews (which you can also read by clicking on the widget to the right), I won't be reviewing the restaurant or establishment as a whole, nor will I review other food at this place. Just the pizza. I do, however, reserve the right to take certain excerpts or phraseology from yelp reviews I've already written.

I think that sounds pretty doable, right?

Also -- if there's anyone actually reading this -- if you are a pizza lover/snob/guru/addict or all of the above, and you'd like to submit a review of a local pizza place in your area (even if it's not in Cleveland), let me know by leaving me a comment!

Now, let's get our slice on!