OMG! A Delicious Gluten-Free Pizza! No way!!!!

The BEST Gluten-Free Pizza I've Ever Had!

So last week my hubby and I FINALLY had the chance to head over to Marc Rich’s N.Y. Pizza & Pasta to try out that famous Gluten-Free Pizza that we keep hearing so much about. Seriously, I think I have heard from at least 20 different people in the past few months that I needed to check this place out! Unfortunately, every time we planned on going, something always came up.

Well, we finally did it…and WOW, am I ever glad we did!!! It was absolutely DELICIOUS! In fact, I have been craving it every day since we went…really! And I am NOT normally a pizza-person. My husband, however, (the non-Celiac of the family) is a complete and utter fanatic when it comes to pizza…it is his absolute FAVORITE food! So if HE even liked it, you KNOW it had to be good.

Their Gluten-Free Pizza is 14 inches (a good size for 2 people to share), has a fabulously thin and crispy crust, comes with your choice of 2 toppings, and is $17.99.  Maybe not the cheapest pizza in town, but SOOOOO worth the money. We will absolutely be going back!!! We went to the location in Summerlin (just West of the 215) but discovered that they also have a location a bit closer to us in the Centennial Shopping Center…yippee! Just a quick note…they do recommend that you call ahead before you go, just to make sure they have enough of their gluten-free crust in stock (apparently it’s becoming so popular that they occasionally run out…AGH!!!!).

I DEFINITELY recommend checking this place out…I promise, you won’t be disappointed!

Mark Rich’s New York Pizza & Pasta

http://www.markrichnypizza.com/index.html

Centennial Center Shopping Center
7930 W. Tropical Parkway Suite 130
Las Vegas, Nevada 89149
Phone: 702-645-3337

Albertson’s Shopping Center – Vista Commons
11710 W. Charleston Boulevard Suite 150
Las Vegas, Nevada 89135
Phone: 702-898-7424 or 702-363-7272

Winner of 2009 RISING STAR AWARD!!!

I am SO excited because I just found out that I was awarded the 2009 Rising Star Award from www.GigMasters.com, an online booking site where I am listed…apparently, I am ranked the #1 Jazz Singer in all of the United States AND Canada! Really?!?!?! How cool is that? Yeah baby!!!!

On Monday, March 22, they will be distributing a nationwide press release to all of their press & industry contacts announcing the winners. If you’d like to see my GigMasters profile, you can view it here: http://www.gigmasters.com/singer/LisaSmith/

I know it’s not like winning a Tony or Grammy Award, or anything even remotely similar…but to me it’s a big deal. I’ve worked really hard this past year, and it’s nice to get noticed a little in return. So, thank you to GigMasters for this honor, and thank you to everyone who has supported me and encouraged me to live my dreams and do what I love!!! I am very grateful…

Las Vegas Entertainers SALUTE TO BILL FAYNE!

Yesterday, March 6, 2010, my vocal trio Dangerous Curves had the FABULOUS experience of singing with some of the greatest talent in Las Vegas at the Suncoast Hotel & Casino when we participated in the “Las Vegas Entertainers SALUTE TO BILL FAYNE!”

The rundown for the show read like a regular “who’s who” of the BEST talent in the city, and we were incredibly honored to have been asked to be a part of it! In addition to those pictured to the right (Michelle Johnson, Fifth Avenue, Lou Martinez, Swing City Dolls, Dangerous Curves), the AMAZING cast included: Clint Holmes & Kelly Clinton (who hosted the show together), Terry Fator, Louis Anderson, Rick Faugno (Jersey Boys), Jerry Lopez (Santa Fe & the Fat City Horns), Pete Barbutti, Robin Leach, Lance Burton, Mark Giovi (Bite at Stratosphere), Domenick Allen (former lead singer of Foreigner) and his daughter Cayleigh Capaldi, Susan Anton, Cast members from Menopause the Musical (Skye Dee Miles, Sandra Benton, Vida Corimbi), Lena Prima, Voce Vegas, Frankie Scinta, Las Vegas Tenors, Tina Walsh (Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular), Gayle Steele, Vinnie Falcone, and many, MANY more!!!! It was absolutely incredible!

Some of my favorite moments from the day include:

• Singing backups (with Karen, Gret, Lori & Michelle) for Mark Giovi on his original song, “Young Angels”…GREAT song, and the man can SANG!
• Rockin’ out and sharing a mic with the incredible Domenick Allen in the finale of the show…so much talent in one man!
• Spending time with so many of our talented, wonderful friends!!!!!!!

THANK YOU to everyone involved for a FABULOUS day!

If you don’t know Bill Fayne (amazing arranger and musical director for Clint Holmes, and member of Las Vegas Tenors) or don’t know the story behind why we were all participating in this benefit concert, you can read his story in this recent article from the Las Vegas Sun.

The Reading of “LEONARDO”

On Saturday I had the privilege of attending the private reading of a brand new play called “LEONARDO” by Francis Xavier Dumont, in which my husband was asked to participate. It’s the story of a young Leonardo da Vinci, one of history’s most quintessential “renaissance men,” during a little known, but significant and influential period of his life. Here’s a brief synopsis from the prologue of the script:

Leonardo da Vinci was once young and handsome. At the age of 24, he was awakened to the wonder of physical love and the wickedness of human society when he was accused of crimes against nature in the spring of 1476. Fifty years later, Giorgio Vasari, the great biographer of renaissance artists, discovered the written accusation in the archives of the Dominican friars. He searches out the still living Jacopo Saltarelli, who was accused with Leonardo of sodomy. Jacopo relates the events of that time, including his brief love affair with the young genius. These true events play out against a tapestry of political intrigue and murder…

The play was written to accommodate either a full 23 person cast, or a 10 person cast with each person (except for Leonardo) playing multiple roles. The latter is how it was done for this particular reading. Cast members included some of our most talented local actors: Lysander Abadia (as a young Leonardo da Vinci); Sean Critchfield (young Jacopo Saltarelli, Augustino, Assassin); Brian Scott (Lorenzo de Medici, Dominican Friar, Old Jacopo Saltarelli); Jay Joseph (Hercule Tornabuoni, Giorgio Vasari, Soldier); John Ivanoff (The Archbishop of Pisa, Andrea del Verrocchio); Ron Smith (Ser Piero da Vinci, Ruffian, Francesco de Pazzi); Barbara King (Lucrezia de Medici, Caterina’s Mother); Cindi Harper (Giovanna Tornabuoni, Prostitute #1); Courtney Sheets (Caterina, Prostitute #2); and Lisa Illia (Nona, Madam Alfonsina).

With Francis Xavier Dumont, Author

Okay, I have a confession to make… I normally do NOT enjoy attending non-musical productions. Particularly readings of plays where I don’t even have the luxury of beautiful costumes or scenery to look at! Now, I realize that makes me sound terribly uncultured…but alas, it is true. I get bored very, very easily…I confess.

So you need to understand how surprised I am to tell you that I really enjoyed this play! It actually kept my interest the entire time…which says a lot about the writing (and, of course, about the actors portraying the characters)! So CONGRATULATIONS to Francis Xavier Dumont and the entire cast on a job well done. I look forward to seeing the FULL production when it finally goes up…whenever that will be. I know the script has been submitted to several places, so I sincerely hope it gets picked up soon. Kudos to everyone involved!