Chris V.
Yelp
The demise of mainstream media may yet be ongoing, but the era of newspaper-themed restaurants is here.
The Pizza Press is the newest fast-casual pizza chain to invade Las Vegas, and they've taken over a standalone kiosk-like space outside Fashion Show mall on the Strip. It's right across from the Wynn, in the general vicinity of Maggiano's and Capital Grille.
Yes, they're one of the customizable pizza joints, and they call theirs "Publish Your Own." If you're not trying to unleash the full pizza potential, than you can pick from their "Signature Pizzas" menu with various newspaper-themed names like The Chronicle or The Times. Either way, don't expect to get away with what you pay at places like Blaze or PizzaRev; the pricing here was was more in the vicinity of $11 or $12, which isn't that surprising due to the expensive Strip real estate.
I could've enjoyed it more had they actually loaded my pizza up with toppings like they do at similar restaurants. However, I was still able to get seemingly as many ingredients as I wanted in all categories: base, cheese, meats, vegetables, and finishers. Meat selection is a little low but you can find plenty to choose from in cheeses and veggies, including cevre, sharp cheddar, roasted red bell peppers, and squash. I did like seeing cilantro and surprisingly flavorful arugula in the finishers section, along with balsamic glaze and basil pesto. I may have to try that Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ if I come back next time.
Flavor-wise, all the ingredients themselves were fresh and tasty. I wouldn't say that I was able to pick them all out, but nothing stood out as a negative. The crust was rather interesting. It did have a nice chew to it, but the chew doesn't ring true as a typical pizza crust chew somehow. I also didn't get a long-lasting crunch on the crust. It's definitely more interesting than the boring PizzaRev crust, but I can't say that it's a standout pizza crust compared to Blaze or to any number of dedicated gourmet pizzerias.
The one factor that kept this rating afloat in spite of all my concerns was their beer selection. They currently have 12 truly craft beers on draft. Yes, they're of not-so-local origin, and some of them are a little pricey, but there was a $5 pint of Citradelic: Tangerine IPA available from New Belgium as well as my eventual selection, a 16 oz 11% ABV English barleywine called Hand of the Queen, by Brewery Ommegang of New York. Yes, it's a Game of Thrones themed beer, but more to the point, it's a damn fine value at $8. Oh, and it's also malty and sweet-but-not-too-sweet as you'd hope barleywines to be. Cheers for Tyrion!
In all honesty, I probably won't come back to this location of The Pizza Press due to how expensive it is and how inconvenient the Strip is, even if parking remains free at Fashion Show. However, I enjoy their model and especially their devotion to craft beers, which is where they far outshine their competitors. And if the evenings stay as tolerable as tonight, the outdoor patio with the Strip view makes up for the relative lack of indoor seating.