Eat. Talk. Repeat.

On today’s episode of Eat. Talk. Repeat., John Curtas sits down with two of Las Vegas’ pizza heavyweights, John Arena and Floriana Pastori, for a deep dive into the art, science, and culture of making great pizza.🍕 The Evolution of Vegas Pizza: From humble beginnings to a thriving pizza scene, how Las Vegas became a serious player in the pizza world.🇮🇹 From Italy to America: Personal journeys, culinary influences, and the traditions that shaped two passionate pizzaiolos.🔥 The Art of the Perfect Pie: Dough, fermentation, cooking techniques, quality ingredients, and why the little details make all the difference.🚚 Pizza on Wheels: How food trucks helped reshape the pizza business during COVID and beyond.🤌 Pizza Pet Peeves: Authenticity, questionable toppings, culinary shortcuts, and the things that make pizza purists lose their minds.From the history of pizza as street food to the modern obsession with different styles and ingredients, this episode gets into what separates a good pizza from a truly memorable one.Because making great pizza is an art. And apparently, everyone has an opinion about how it should be done.Eat. Talk. Repeat.🌐 EatTalkRepeat.comChapters00:00 Introduction to the Pizza Episode03:14 The Evolution of Pizza in Las Vegas08:12 Personal Journeys: From Italy to Las Vegas11:51 The Rise of Food Trucks During COVID15:44 Authenticity and Ingredients in Pizza18:10 Pizza Competitions and Achievements24:17 The Art of Pizza Making26:48 Recognition and Awards in the Pizza World27:35 Exploring Different Pizza Styles29:02 The Evolution of Pizza Ingredients31:05 Understanding Pizza Dough and Cooking Techniques35:11 The Growing Curiosity in Pizza Culture39:05 Influences on Modern Pizza Making41:34 Tasting and Appreciating Pizza44:12 The Art of Pizza Balance46:02 Street Food Origins of Pizza47:40 Fried Pizza: A Historical Perspective49:00 The Evolution of Pizza Trucks50:03 Creating Unique Pizza Experiences52:36 Ingredient Misuse in Pizza56:25 The Importance of Quality Ingredients01:00:58 Pizza Pet Peeves and Culinary Philosophy

On today’s episode of Eat. Talk. Repeat.John Curtas and Ash Watkins take aim at one of their biggest pet peeves: sh!tty restaurant lists.You know the ones. They claim to know the “best” or “most popular” restaurants in Las Vegas, yet somehow manage to get it spectacularly wrong. Some are outdated, some are questionable, and others have the audacity to recommend restaurants that have been CLOSED FOR YEARS. Who’s making these lists, and has anyone actually eaten at these places?John and Ash have thoughts. Naturally. So, without further ado, here’s their Top 3 list. Because apparently, nobody’s fact-checking these things.👉 Visit EatTalkRepeat.com for updates, events, and the newsletter👉 Got a food take or hate mail? [email protected] for more Vegas food talk & behind-the-scenes flavor:X/Twitter: @EatTalkRepeat | @EatingLasVegas | @AshTheAttorneyInstagram: @EatTalkRepeatLV | @JohnCurtas | @AshTheAttorney

On today’s episode of Eat. Talk. Repeat.On today’s episode of Eat. Talk. Repeat., we’re airing out YOUR biggest dining pet peeves. From restaurant habits that drive you absolutely nuts to the things that make John and Ash want to send a dish back, nobody’s leaving this conversation unscathed. Naturally, we have a few opinions of our own.👉 Visit EatTalkRepeat.com for updates, events, and the newsletter👉 Got a food take or hate mail? [email protected] for more Vegas food talk & behind-the-scenes flavor:X/Twitter: @EatTalkRepeat | @EatingLasVegas | @AshTheAttorneyInstagram: @EatTalkRepeatLV | @JohnCurtas | @AshTheAttorney

On today’s episode of Eat. Talk. Repeat., John Curtas and Ash Watkins are back with another round of Las Vegas restaurant reviews, food news, and strong opinions.🥩 The Worst Steak Dinner of the Year? John and Ash review Naughty Angel, plus Lotus of Siam, Cipriani, Gaetano’s, Bar Boheme, Ada’s, Vesta, and more.🐟 Milos puts lunch on the clock. Estiatorio Milos introduces a $45 business lunch, promising three courses in 60 minutes or less.🥙 Hedary’s is back! The Las Vegas Mediterranean favorite returns at The Gramercy.🍷 Food events worth knowing about: Picnic in the Alley returns, and Monzu serves up a Bubbles & Truffles Brunch.Plus, restaurant ratings, pet peeves, and listener questions from John and Ash.📍 Las Vegas restaurants | 🍽️ Restaurant reviews | 🔥 Vegas food newsFind us everywhere @EatTalkRepeat and visit EatTalkRepeat.com for more Vegas food news and The Amuse Bouche, our weekly newsletter.📩 Hate mail, questions, fan mail & restaurant tips: [email protected]: @EatTalkRepeat | @AshTheAttorney | @EatingLasVegas | @JohnCurtas

On today’s episode of Eat. Talk. Repeat.A couple of weeks ago, John posted his 55 Essential Restaurants of Las Vegas on eatinglv.com. This week's episode is the bar list to go with it. Our resident bar fly, James Reza, is back with his 50 essential Las Vegas bars, and we go through the list alphabetically over a round of absinthe.James's list is about bars that matter, not just bars that are hot right now. It includes the oldest liquor license in town (Atomic Liquors), a 1970s fern bar with live jazz and a water wheel (Dispensary Lounge), and the debate over who brought hot wings to Vegas (Four Kegs). Along the way: Bar Ginza, Frankie's Tiki Room, Double Down Saloon, Herbs & Rye, Golden Steer and its COVID mannequins, Liquid Diet, Nocturno, Piero's Monkey Bar, Silver Stamp's Halloween haunt, Sand Dollar Lounge, and why downtown has become the best drinking neighborhood in Las Vegas.CHAPTERS00:00 Cheers! Absinthe and intros01:49 John's 55 Essential Restaurants05:24 James Reza and his 50 essential bars08:56 Able Baker Brewing and Atomic Liquors11:00 Badlands Saloon and the Fruit Loop12:14 Bar Ginza15:18 Bootlegger, Chandelier and Collins Bar20:15 Commonwealth, Crown & Anchor and RIP Decatur Liquors23:28 Dino's Lounge and Dispensary Lounge (what's a fern bar?)26:13 Doberman Drawing Room and Double Down Saloon28:16 Four Kegs and John's bar exam day30:51 Frankie's Tiki Room32:31 Golden Steer's COVID mannequins34:57 Hard Shake, Herbs & Rye, Hideaway and Huntridge Tavern37:27 Italian American Club, Jive Turkey and Laundry Room39:13 Legacy Club and Liquid Diet41:38 Piero's Monkey Bar, Mountain Springs Saloon and Nocturno44:27 Office Bar, Overlook Lounge and Paymon's47:45 Petrossian Bar, Pioneer Saloon, Rebar and Red Dwarf49:47 Sand Dollar Lounge (John has a story)52:04 Stake Out, Starboard Tack and Silver Stamp's Halloween54:05 Tap House, Velveteen Rabbit and the yurt bar54:25 Why downtown is the cocktail neighborhood55:20 Wrap-up👉 Visit EatTalkRepeat.com for updates, events, and the newsletter👉 Got a food take or hate mail? [email protected] for more Vegas food talk & behind-the-scenes flavor:X/Twitter: @EatTalkRepeat | @EatingLasVegas | @AshTheAttorneyInstagram: @EatTalkRepeatLV | @JohnCurtas | @AshTheAttorney