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800 Degrees at Monte Carlo - a review

Discussion in 'Restaurants & Buffets' started by ah6tyfour, Apr 19, 2014.

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  1. ah6tyfour

    ah6tyfour High-Roller

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    I have been eagerly awaiting the opening of 800 Degrees at the Monte Carlo since it was announced they were coming to Vegas and was finally able to try their pizza on opening night (April 4th) as well as again last night.

    800 Degrees is a make-it-your-way Neapolitan pizza place first opened in Westwood near UCLA. They are the original "build your own" pizza place and started the proliferation of many copycats across Southern California and then the nation (with Vegas-based Novecento and Custom Built as well as chains like Orange County's Pieology). Envisioned by Anthony Carron as a place to get a great pizza with great ingredients baked up in 60 seconds at a price cheaper than a Neapolitan pizza restaurant, 800 Degrees made its mark across Southern California and has debuted in Vegas.

    The space is wonderful. It has tall ceilings and a very rustic interior, with booth seating as well as dark wooden picnic tables. The space is at least double the size of the original Westwood location. In the corner are two of those custom flavor Coke machines, taps for still and sparkling water, and a gelato case.

    As for the pizza, the dough is made from scratch daily and you get to watch them form the dough by hand. All pizzas are the same size, but it is up to you to choose the base of your pizza (Margherita, white, marinara, or pesto) . From there, you walk down the toppings line with your pizza as you let your creativity soar. You have your choice of toppings from shrimp to meatballs to hot pepper puree to truffled cheese to fresh-sliced prosciutto. Then your pizza is transferred to the 800 degree oven and comes out hot and fresh after about a minute. The pizza is finished with some finishing salt (not sure if just kosher salt or if it's Maldon sea salt), sliced, and ready for pick-up at the counter.

    My favorite combination is the Verde pizza base with prosciutto, caramelized onions, and chili puree. If you don't want to create your own, there are some pre-designed choices you can order off the menu. My favorite of the pre-designed pies is the Piccante, with soppressata, garlic, and chili puree.

    As far as pricing goes, you pay for the base you choose ($6-$8) and toppings are $1.50 each. Every pizza gets a sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggiano, a ball of fresh-made mozzerella torn up and placed on the pizza by hand, and olive oil.

    And how do they taste? Excellent! The crust is thin and chewy, with a crisp bottom from the hot oven. The cornicione is puffy, slightly burnt in parts, and has a wonderful chew. The base sauces taste great, the toppings are fresh, and the baking of the pizza is well-done. The sprinkle of finishing salt right before cutting was a nice touch. There's also something about their dough that makes the entire pizza seem light. You definitely don't feel weighed down after you finish an 800 Degrees pizza. Unless, of course, you go crazy on toppings.

    They also have great salads and a few burrata offerings available. I would suggest the burrata platter with melon and prosciutto. As for drinks, they have the fountain drinks, but they also have beer and even wine on tap.

    Negatives? Not many. I asked for a farm egg on one of my pizzas and it was very undercooked (egg white still liquid) after baking. They need to find a way to keep those raw eggs at a higher temp so they'll cook faster. I didn't like that fountain drinks cost $3.50, which seems sort of high. And I also didn't like that pricing, while still very reasonable, was higher than the Southern California locations.

    Best part about the Vegas location? Not having to deal with the 20-30 minute line at the ones in SoCal. Just like Boiling Crab Vegas is free of the 2-3 hour waits of the SoCal locations.
     
  2. Big Tip

    Big Tip VIP Whale

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    Where is it?
    Are the new places up front opening, or has this gone in where something else was?
     
  3. ah6tyfour

    ah6tyfour High-Roller

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    It's in the new area up front accessible from the Las Vegas Blvd sidewalk. Yusho, another highly anticipated opening from Chicago, is next door and is also open.

    I think the Creamery is the only thing left to open on the Monte Carlo side. I'm also eagerly awaiting the opening of Shake Shack on the NYNY side.
     
  4. Big Tip

    Big Tip VIP Whale

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    It's amazing how quickly they can get these places open from when I look at them and it looks months and months from opening.

    Thanks for the write up.
     
  5. BigGTMike

    BigGTMike Low-Roller

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    Yeah. I'm here now and the front of Monte Carlo is pretty cool. They should get a lot more foot traffic. Hopefully can try out the pizza tomorrow if I don't get side trackedZ
     
  6. ah6tyfour

    ah6tyfour High-Roller

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    Hope you enjoy it! Since it's Neapolitan pizza, it still has the tendency to get a bit soupy and soggy in the very center if you don't choose wisely. Tomato toppings and the fresh marinara sauce are the main culprits. Also try to stick to 3 toppings or less. If you do choose marinara, you might ask that they cook it "extra crispy".

    To me, 800 Degrees is far superior to the horrible experience I had at Settebello.

    I do worry that nobody knows what 800 Degrees is when they walk by. They should have added the word "Pizza to their sign. Or they should have a giant TV mounted in the window with a live webcam of the pizza-making process.
     
    Last edited: Apr 20, 2014
  7. BigGTMike

    BigGTMike Low-Roller

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    Yeah. It seemed like a lot more folks were in double barrel when I walked by yesterday on the way to gr burgr for lunch
     
  8. ah6tyfour

    ah6tyfour High-Roller

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    Did you get a chance to go?

    I went again a couple days ago and ended up with a pesto, meatball, roasted garlic, and pureed chili pizza that was excellent. Just ate the leftovers today.
     
  9. lotso-bear

    lotso-bear VIP Whale

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    Might have to give this place a shot.
     
  10. BigGTMike

    BigGTMike Low-Roller

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    I didn't end up making it. The meal I thought I would ended up opting for Javier's at aria.
     
  11. LV_Bound

    LV_Bound VIP Whale

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    Definitely heading here next trip. :licklips::licklips::licklips:
     
  12. weluvvegas

    weluvvegas Casino Countess

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    Just told the hubby this sounds like a great place! So many places to eat, so little time!
     
  13. buknaked36

    buknaked36 Tourist

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    My wife and I ate here. We had the sausage and peppers pizza. It was delicious. The toppings come out light and crisp like they were toasted as opposed to baked. The crust was also excellent.

    You're not going to find a much better or tastier food value for a couple on the strip for $14. They also have a patio where you can eat right next to the strip if you desire.

    The $7 beers, not so much.
     
  14. Sam D

    Sam D Low-Roller

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    I have not yet been to 800 Degrees at the Monte Carlo but I have eaten at the original location in Westwood, CA. The pizza was pretty much the same as described here but the crust was more limp and soggy than I like. I was told that you can ask to have your pizza more crisp and they will give it additional time in the oven so it reaches that extra amount of crispness. I haven't been back again to try that, but next time I'm there I will.

    There is another pizza place in Las Vegas with a similarly conceived operation as 800 Degrees called Custom Built Pizza. The prices are less there and you get unlimited toppings for a flat price of $9.45 for an 11" pizza which could feed 2. It gets good reviews but the downside is that it's way off the Strip in the Spring Valley area.
     
  15. ah6tyfour

    ah6tyfour High-Roller

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    The Westwood location often underbaked their pizzas. I think the line is so long that the guys at the oven subconsciously try to get pizzas in and out faster. 10 seconds early is a lot when the pizza is only baking for 60 seconds total! If the problem was that your pizza crust was soggy on the bottom and a bit soupy, that's more an issue of loading on too many toppings.

    I used to go to Custom Built Pizza all the time, but always wishing 800 Degrees would come to town. Custom Built was good, but their crust was terrible. It didn't have much chew and it would often be too thick and bready. But then again, Custom Built is not going for Neapolitan style pizza, so it's hard to compare the two. Loading on lots of toppings including tomatoes won't really make their crust soupy.
     
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