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Since 1999, providing a panoramic perspective of Las Vegas, including: history, food reviews, hiking, day trips, local information and photos of this great city.

Slidin’ Thru – Hittin’ the Hot Streets of Vegas

July 22, 2011

In 2010, I got hooked on the Food Channel’s The Great Food Truck Race which is a reality television show featuring teams of specialty food trucks competing against each other. The show was very engaging as they competed across the United Stated, cooking, driving and selling food to make money. After watching the series I told myself that the food looks like it would taste real good and I would go to one in a heartbeat. Remember, that this is not your run-of-the-mill “roach coach” frequented by construction workers, these are speciality food trucks dishing up highly sophisticated meals with a twist.

A few weeks ago I got the opportunity to go to the Vegas StrEATS Festival, it was held downtown and offered about ten different food trucks. The Festival has been held since March of 2010 and happens on the second Saturday of each month. Many of the trucks use Twitter or their web site to keep everyone posted on their whereabouts. Facebook also enables them to talk to their fans and keep everyone up to date. This was the first time that I tried out the Slidin’ Thru slider truck, they specialize in mini gourmet burgers. The term “slider” usually conjures up the grease laden belly bombers from White Castle from back in the day. Well these aren’t your dad’s sliders, these are mini bites of flavor with ingredients like grilled eggplant, Roma tomatoes, arugula, caramelized jalapeño, feta and balsamic reduction.

Slidin' Thru Food Truck

I recently had a second chance to sample most of the slider combinations they offer. I had the Pep Pep, Captian’s Order, and the Pulled Porky, the time before was the YaYa and the Barby. So I have covered all of them except the Carprese (next time). I will give you the run down in order of my favorites, Pulled Porky was the best, follow by the Barby, Pep Pep, Yaya, and Captian’s Order. All of the burgers were fully loaded and had a lot to offer. The Porky was stuffed with pulled pork which contrasted with the spiciness of the caramelized jalapeños and the sweetness of the BBQ sauce and I needed a fork to gather up the spilled bits of goodness, nothing to waste. The Fries both regular and sweet potato fries really surprised me with how good they are coming out a food truck. The burgers were cooked to perfection and prepared with detail in mind. This actually seems to be one of their down falls, the waiting time. If you are in a hurry and there is a long line, be prepared to wait a while.

The colorful Slidin’ Thru truck is wrapped in a comic book style motif and can’t be missed. The Mexi-Cokes and Sprite drinks are all served in old school glass bottles and need to be opened with a bottle opener. The prices are good, $7 will buy you 3 sliders in any combination, and at 3 you will be full.

They currently have a sit down restaurant located at 955 Grier Drive near Sunset and Paradise, phone 702-220-3888 slidinthru.com

Hours are: MON-THU (10:30 AM – 12 AM) and FRI-SUN (OPEN 24/7)

They also tell us that they have two more stores opening soon on the northwest and southwest end of town.

From left: Pep Pep, Captain's Order and Pulled Porky

Slidin' Thru Comic Book Motif

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Food, Locals

A Taste of New York Comes to Las Vegas

July 16, 2011

Grimaldi’s Coal Brick-Oven Pizzeria

When I was growing up in Las Vegas back in the 70’s, when Spring Valley was way out in the sticks of Las Vegas, we’re talking Flamingo and Rainbow area of town, there was one pizza joint called Giovanni’s. This was the go-to pizza for our family, this was prior to the pizza chains like Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Little Caesars. Our family called this place at least once a week for at least a decade for a delivery. When we used to call, the staff knew exactly what we wanted, one large pepperoni, Italian sausage & mushrooms, we didn’t even have to tell them what kind we wanted or where to deliver it, they knew and this was before caller-id. The thing that stood out about their particular pizza was the hand made dough and the homemade sauce they made. The store closed sometime in the 80’s due to the pressure of the large pizza chains.

Forever after I considered Giovanni’s the best pizza and used it as a standard to measure all others. Now, I have tried almost all the different types of pizza offered in Las Vegas; chain stores, mom and pop pizzas, New York, Detroit, Chicago, California and even pizza with duck on it, but they all fell short of my standard. In 2010 a new contender rolled in to town, Grimaldi’s. This is New York style, old school (real old, 100 years+), from under the Brooklyn Bridge, kind of pizza. I never considered myself a thin and crispy New York pie guy, I usually like my pizza a little thicker, but this pizza is what I now call my favorite.

There are a few things going on with their pizza here, starting with the dough. It’s been said that the secret to true New York style pizza is the water. Grimaldi’s hired a chemist to recreate the water used in the Brooklyn pizzeria to make the integrity of the dough taste the same. The pizza is cooked in a coal-fired brick oven at a very hot temperature. The oven gives it a great crispy charred toasted edge and a fabulous flavor to the crust. Yes, it might have some blackened bubbles on it, but that only adds to the flavor. Next, the cheese, this is not the kind of cheese that most places use, this is fresh mozzarella melted in little round pools around the pizza. The pepperoni that they use is a hand made small caliber stick, the kind you would find in a local Italian market, sliced by hand and is decorated around the pizza adding to the overall flavor, not over powering it. This pizza is meant to be eaten right out of the 1000°+ oven. I don’t recommend using Grimaldi’s as a take-out place for pizza, it just does not hold up well, it cools too fast on the trip home.

My favorite pizza is the still the same, pepperoni, Italian sausage and mushrooms.
It took a while for it to get here, all the way from New York, but I now can say that Grimaldi’s is my favorite pizza place in Las Vegas. The ingredients are fresh, the service is great and I’ll try to take anyone there who is looking for a great pizza experience. So take the time, and give Grimaldi’s Pizzeria a try.

Web site: http://www.grimaldispizzeria.com/