New pizza joint, Heavenly Pies, open in Southern Highlands
Heavenly Pies is officially open for business in Southern Highlands, after a busy “soft opening” over the weekend. The restaurant is a collaboration between James Beard Award-winning chef Luciano Pellegrini and his cousin, chef David Ryan Brister.
Pellegrini helmed the kitchen at The Venetian’s award-winning Italian restaurant Valentino before serving as a consulting chef at Marche Bacchus and founding the Dolcevita Gelato brand.
“I’m not a pizzaiolo by trade,” Pellegrini says. “But I’ve done pizza all my life: on the grill, in the oven, any which way. And I thought that it would be a good time to try out something new professionally.”
The pizzas offered at Heavenly Pies are hybrids between classic Neapolitan style and Roman style, cooked a little longer than the former and not as thin as the latter. The restaurant also offers a small trattoria-style menu of the chefs’ interpretations of classics such as lasagna, eggplant parmigiana and veal piccata. The team also gets a little creative with dishes like anchovy zeppole, Philly cheesesteak eggrolls and chicken wings served with pickled okra.
Heavenly Pies is in Fire Station Plaza on Southern Highlands Parkway near Starr Avenue, in a space that previously housed 8th Avenue Pizza.
“The neighborhood grew on me,” Pellegrini says, noting he spent some time driving the neighborhood before he was convinced it was a good fit.
“And I said ‘Why not?’ It made sense. And ultimately, I just do things that make sense.”
Heavenly Pies is open seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The Review-Journal is owned by the family of Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson. Las Vegas Sands operates The Venetian.
Contact Al Mancini at amancini@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlManciniVegas on Twitter and Instagram.