Sin City is home to a lot of restaurants and bars, but there are tons of hidden gems that the majority of Las Vegans aren't unearthing. To help guide us to these potential discoveries, we've enlisted some of our city's food players to share their recommendations for Dining Confidential. This week, we asked chefs to talk about their favorite pizza joints for Pizza Week. Know a chef who wants to share some top dining spots? The tipline is open.
Daniel Ontiveros [Photo: Edison Graff/Stardust Fallout Media]
Comme Ça's Daniel Ontiveros worked his way up from executive sous chef to chef de cuisine in the two years since he joined David Myers' restaurant at Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The 28-year-old has worked at Thomas Keller's Bouchon at the Venetian and Joël Robuchon at the MGM Grand as well during his career. Here, he talks about why he enjoys some of the local pizzas, what he would want if he was stuck on a deserted island and his 1-year-old's new fascination with pizza.
Where do you like to go for pizza when you're not working?
Settebello, Rocco's and Mi Casa (aka my house).
What pizzas are most memorable?
Some people like the crust, others like the sauce. Personally I'm a guy who likes balance, and Settebello always manages a balanced sauce-to-crust ratio. They also use quality ingredients, which I really respect since that's stressed at Comme Ça.
Rocco's is the closest to thing real New York-style pizza. My fiancé and I ate a gluttonous amount of pizza during my first amazing trip to New York City. It's the pepperoni and sausage that they use! I generally find that it's difficult to get a great tasting pizza that has more toppings on it, but Rocco's succeeds across the board. That's why they made my list.
Red Baron at home is my secret guilty pleasure. It's easy, fast, cheap and always available. You can't get bad service with "The Baron." It goes great with 1989 Chateau Margot, just ask local food writer Jim Begley (he's joined me for an occasional bite with "The Baron")!
Why do you enjoy going there?
Honestly, I try to eat clean most of the time, but if I just can't resist a slice, I like to order it with a salad. Pizza and salad should really be best friends. Settebello has an awesome arugula salad that's wrapped with prosciutto love and topped with goat cheese. I guess that's not exactly clean either, but it's outstanding!
Anything else?
My 12-month-old daughter has just enough teeth to get through pizza now, so we can enjoy a slice on occasion. But it seems like most of it still ends up in her hair.
Also, I'll never forget what my fiancé asked me on our first date: "If you were stuck on an island and could only pick one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?" My answer, of course, was, "PIZZA!"
· All Coverage of Comme Ca [~ELV~]
· All Dining Confidentials [~ELV~]
· All Pizza Week 2014 Coverage [~ELV~]
