Pizza cooked in an authentic wood fired oven? Pizza crust with a chewy texture yet smoky crisp crunch from the aforementioned oven? Pizza restaurant that bears the Vera Pizza Napoletana designation? The only place to go is Settlebello located in the Green Valley Ranch District area on the same side of the street as Whole Foods and not far from the Strip on the east side of town.
Settebello Pizzeria
The Vera Pizza designation just means Settebello was certified by the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association, a group that recognizes pizzerias that meet a strict set of guidelines based on traditional practices.
Settebello
San Marzano tomatoes are used and the silky flour is from Molino Caputo. That goes for the cheese, which they get through Grande in Wisconsin (Vegas is too far to ship fresh Italian fior di latte mozzarella), pancetta handcrafted by Salumi in Seattle and salami from Fra’ Mani in Berkeley. The pizza is cooked on a custom-made 800-degree from Naples.
2 PM on a Sunday, the three of us were seated immediately and given menus. Our server, Jo (the name on the customer receipt—he didn’t have a nametag) took our drink orders: iced tea (which was refilled quickly several times), Coke ($2) and a Negroni ($6.50). This is an Italian cocktail made of sweet vermouth, gin and Campari that’s a perfect aperitif, bittersweet and strong, meant to be sipped and not gulped. And usually, traditionally, served with an orange twist that’s twisted, lighted with a match and then dropped into the drink. The drink menu said lemon twist…OK. But when the drink arrived it was twistless.
Negroni Sans Twist
he next time Jo passed by I asked for a twist and he quickly produced one. Ah…..good drink but I like the orange twist better.
Maren and I split the Insalata ($4.99) which was mixed greens, including Arugula, dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette and served with shaved Parmegiano-Reggiano over the top. A nice touch was the kitchen splitting the order and serving us what looked like two complete salads on two plates. And the salad was delicious. I could have eaten Maren’s and mine, easily.
Insalata
Vic ordered the Caprese ($6.99, the Mozzerella was milky and fresh tasting and the tomatoes ripe. How did they do that in February?
Caprese
We split two pizzas: the Capricciosa ($11.99) and the Bianca ($11.99). The Capricciosa was covered with a thin layer of crushed tomatoes, Prosciutto, artichoke hearts, mozzerella, olives, roasted mushrooms, basil and olive oil. Delicious and hearty with the flavor of each of the components playing off each other nicely.
Capricciosa
The Bianca is a pizza with mozzerella and olive oil, baked and then sprinkled with Prosciutto, Arugula and thin shavings of Parmesan. Wow, this was so good. The sweetness of the proscuitto paired with the bitterness of the Arugula. Balanced with the creamy mozzerella. Wonderful.
Bianca
We were stuffed BUT….I wanted to try a dessert. Decided on the Tiramisu. Good rendition and perfect amount for the three of us to split.
Great restaurant, good service, really good pizza and we’ll definitely be back.
Tiramisu
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