Lissa Townsend Rodgers
Amid a year of chaos and dread, pizza remains eternal. And it’s thriving deliciously in the valley
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Is there anything more optimistic than a pizza box? Of course, it’s not the gleeful cardboard sentiments that make it our favorite comfort food. Pizza is easy to agree on, easy to pick up, easy to eat, and easy to clean up after. Las Vegas has seen a number of new pizza places and new pizza menus over the last six months, with cheesy goodness from both old friends and new faves.
: It’s hard to ignore Elizabeth Blau’s work with Delivering with Dignity, coordinating with restaurants like Graffiti Bao, Valencian Gold, and her own Honey Salt to deliver meals to thousands in need. She was also vocal in calling out the Nevada government for not doing enough to help locally owned restaurants.
, food and culture writer: There are so many: 7th & Carson partnering with nonprofits to feed the homeless; Ghost Unit Kitchen pivoting to cook for folks in need with Chefs4Vegas; Aloha Kitchen passing out bags of food to hungry families right at the beginning of the pandemic. I also want to give a shout out to my friend, food writer Kim Foster, who is a beacon of generosity. Kim started a food pantry in front of her home downtown, and most importantly, she talks to the people who pick up food, asks them what they need, and coordinates donations to meet those needs. Feeding the hungry is one of the most important food stories of 2020, and I’m in awe of the people who
: It was fascinating to see ghost kitchens like Gemma Gemma’s Square Pies, Pizza Anonymous, To Be Frank, and Underground Burgers emerge this year. We may see more of those as the economy struggles to rebound in 2021. I’m also happy to see BYOB is finally beginning to take hold in Vegas. I know Sparrow + Wolf tried it out and The Legends Oyster Bar have been encouraging it in place of a bar license. In the past, I thought of BYOB as little more than a corkage fee situation, but now I get what it’s all about. There’s something fun about stopping somewhere to pick out a bottle of wine while on the way to dinner and sharing it with friends. Not to mention, it saves a lot of money.
Las Vegas Weekly
Metro Pizza’s 86th Street square pie
Photo:
Christopher DeVargas
In a year that saw us hunkering down in our homes, the Weekly staff still managed to get in some delicious bites that didn’t come out of our kitchens.
Wrapping 2020
Metro Pizza
We’ve already touted this light, crisp Sicilian-American hybrid that notched a third-place finish for Metro pizzaiolo Chris Decker at the 2017 International Pizza Challenge. But it deserves extra acknowledgment as top-flight takeout a richly delicious pizza that gets even better on the second day. Don’t forget the cup-and-char pepperoni.
Multiple locations, metropizza.com. –BR
Where Las Vegas Food Writers Loved to Dine In and Order Takeout in 2020
Media experts share their picks for restaurant standbys
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What were your regular go-to destinations for takeout and delivery in 2020? What about dine-in service?
Diana Edelman, founder
Scott Roeben,
: On the takeout and delivery front, there are some tried-and-true favorites, including Archi’s Thai and Angara India Spice Grill in Summerlin. Dine-in favorites are Triple George Grill at Downtown Grand and Andiamo Steakhouse at The D. No list would be complete without Esther’s Kitchen downtown.
Melanie Lee, Eater Vegas: Red Rice, Jjanga, and Win Kee were the three spots I turned to most for delivery. I’ve mostly only eaten them as takeout so it felt normal to do so. Nacho Daddy and Shake Shack have been my dine-in/pick-up regulars this year; both locations felt very clean and safe, which was super important to me.