I get the Summerlin Review Journal a few times a week and find restaurants featured inside. If they peak my interest, my family and I will plan a day to dress the part and dine with the intention of writing a review. Our favorites are usually best kept secrets that have shabby exteriors, but amazing eats. This restaurant is just that, but not one we found in SRJ. We stumbled upon New York Pizza & Pasta by accident so I had to write about the experience.
I was on my way to pick up my boyfriend while his Jeep needed some maintenance done. We met at a nearby gas station I could easily find, but my son was getting squirrely and needed to be breastfed so we looked for a place within walking distance. We turned the corner of the 7-11 on East Sahara and “Oh!” I said, “There!”. The only sitting place within the shabby strip mall was New York Pizza & Pasta. Walking in the door with my son and boyfriend I gasped, “It smells SO good in here”. “Thank you” replied a man sitting at a table, taking credit. We learned that he was Jimmy, the owner and a character we were amused by for the rest of the day, imitating his thick Italian accent and personality. “Have a piece-a-pizza!”, the suggestion along with the enticing aroma of cooked dough was enough to abandon any other plans being made.
We were seated by a waiter, given easy to navigate menus and a high chair for my son without even asking. Ordering was a cinch, something that never is with me. We both ordered a slice of whatever we wanted (2.70 per slice and.50 for each topping), a basket of buffalo wings with french fries and ranch (8.75), a beer and two waters. As we waited for our meal we looked at the space and imagined all the things it could be. The paint wasn’t much, and the decore was minimal and obviously personal to the owner and staff. Our waiter forgot our marinara and returned with the wrong toppings on my slice, but the friendliness of service and deliciousness of the food was enough to forgive. My pizza tasted fresh, homemade and was exactly what I wanted because I was able to personalize it to my liking (sausage and mushrooms). The wings were saucy and not fatty like cheap bar wings. The french fries and ranch tasted like past favorite restaurants from Minnesota. It all came out hot, enhancing all of it’s flavors. Stresses from the day fell away, we were so pleasantly surprised by the treasure we’d found at this place. I’m not sure we can put our thumb exactly on why it was so phenomenal, we just had a great time in whatever vibe this place had facilitated.
My parents met us and had a few slices before we left. Jimmy and his staff made more conversation and I checked out the bathroom, “a must” when reviewing a restaurant my mom taught me. Just like the rest of the restaurant, the unisex bathroom wasn’t much to look at, but was extremely clean.
The restaurant set the tone for the rest of the day, fun. We all left smiling. I can’t wait for the day that New York Pizza & Pasta is brought up again and we have an occasion to revisit Jimmy and his staff.