Family flavors fill D'Amores menu

SM/CN/VIEW-- Victor Delarosa prepares a pizza to go into the oven at D'Amore Pizza Connection Tuesday Jan. 18, 2005. View photo Henry Vargas SM/CN/VIEW--Left Jeff Rutkin stands with Owner Joe D' Amore of D' Amore Boston-style Pizza in Las Vegas Tuesday Jan. 18, 2005. View photo Henry Vargas.

The tomatoes come from Napa Valley and only the July crop will do. The cheese is low-fat and comes from Wisconsin, even though California is closer. The water for the dough is imported from Boston as it's naturally filtered through sand and has the right mineral content.

Ingredients are the basis for any pizza but perhaps no eatery takes that to heart more than D'Amore's Pizza Connection, 2101 N. Rainbow Blvd.

Manager Jeff Rutkin said if some key element for a recipe isn't available, he takes it off the menu rather than sacrifice quality.

The recipes originated with the grandmother of the restaurant's founder, Joe D'Amore. Her photo is prominently displayed on the back wall.

"This is a labor of love, just like my last name says," the founder said.

D'Amore's family emigrated from Italy and his grandparents found the move a hard adjustment.

"When you come from Sicily and don't really speak the language, well, you're like a fish out of water," D'Amore said. "My grandmother, she felt her worth was in her cooking."

D'Amore took the time to let his "Mamanonna" know he appreciated her. She, in turn, showed him how to make her time-tested recipes.

In 1976, he turned that knowledge into an empire. D'Amore opened one pizza restaurant after another in Southern California and garnered awards from newspapers and even in a Zagat survey. He added a catering arm and began feeding movie crews and those at television studios. Renee Zellweger claimed to be a fan during an Oprah appearance and new patrons surged through the doors.

The restaurant opened its Las Vegas site in June 2002.

Keenan Rastery, a baccarat dealer from The Trails at Summerlin, eats there about once a week.

"I'm a big brother so I take my little brother there, we get a pizza and take it home," he said. "I hope they get into Red Rock Station. It would be a great addition to the Summerlin community."

When the Las Vegas eatery opened, its reputation among transplanted Californians preceded it. The day after a newspaper article about the place appeared, the 60-seat restaurant got hit with so many customers there were lines out the door from the moment doors opened until closing time. There was only one chef on duty, Victor DeLaRosa. His deft handling of so many orders earned him a nickname with the staff that's used today.

"We call him God," Rutkin joked.

Pizza is the most-requested item and why not, it's only 3.8 grams of fat per slice for the cheese pizza compared to other places which have anywhere from 22 to 29 grams of fat per slice.

Another favorite is the combination eggplant/chicken parmigiana, something D'Amore created himself.

It's not been easy for the company to establish a Vegas arm. Within months of opening, the city began roadwork on Rainbow Boulevard.

The nine-month construction made it difficult for patrons to get into the shopping center and crippled business. But D'Amore's had an ace in its pocket. The restaurant holds the distinction of delivering its food anywhere --- and they mean anywhere --- in Las Vegas.

The pizzas arrive 80 percent baked so they do not get moist and soggy. The final cooking is done in the family's oven, giving their home an aroma of Italy.

D'Amore seeks to open half a dozen more locations in the Las Vegas area in the next few years.