The Boss Cafe

When we originally set up the visits to some of Buddy Valastro's restaurants in Vegas, it was suggested we try all of them.  Well, that wasn't our original plan, but sure why not?  Glad we did because the stuff from Jersey Eats and PizzaCake were pretty solid and great for a casual meal.  Of course we couldn't forget about the wonderful Sunday brunch at Buddy V's Ristorante in the Venetian.  Now with only one left, we went deep into the Linq Hotel to find the counter service Boss Cafe.  Their specialties include half-pound pizza squares, delicious sandwiches and baked goods.

We went straight for the sammies first that were served on house-made focaccia and fresh hand-stretched mozza.  My absolute favorite was the Jersey Roast Beef that was packed with glistening melt-in-my-mouth herb-crusted roast beef.  This sandwich was so juicy and messy that we could not eat it without getting it all over ourselves.  This came with a choice of hot or sweet peppers and also a tonne of garlic butter.  The peppers added so much tanginess that it somehow cut through the richness of the fatty beef.  We couldn't forget about the creamy and stringy mozza too!  I could eat this everyday, but really shouldn't...

Another solid sammie was the Turkey PLT that consisted of roasted turkey, pancetta, roasted tomato spread, arugula, mozza and herbed mayo.  Not as messy as the roast beef, the turkey was still plenty fulfilling.  The meat was lean, but still tender and moist.  Lots of impact from the salty pancetta as well as the tanginess from the tomato spread.  That thick layer of mozza added so much texture to the sammie that was the perfect compliment to the crispy exterior of the focaccia.  There was some sweet peppers there to cut down on the saltiness of the pancetta.

Our final 2 sammies were Lisa's Caprese and The Soprano.  Both featured a thicc layer of their fresh mozza that was a delight to chomp down on.  The creaminess combined with the extra stringiness (due to the thickness) was texture heaven.  These shared similarities, but ultimately, the Soprano was much more robust due to the addition of meat in the form of prosciutto and peppered salami with smoked pecorino and basil pesto.  To kick it up a few notches, it had some hot and sweet peppers as well.  The Caprese was much more mild with sweet peppers, tomatoes, basil, balsamic, arugula and olive oil.

As for the 1/2lb Pizza Squares, we had a few including Margherita, Peppe and Italiano.  The crust on these was crunchy and fairly firm.  They held onto the toppings very well and didn't fall apart.  Being the most basic of the 3, the Margherita was plenty cheesy from the fresh mozza and tangy from the ample tomato sauce.  Absolutely loved the Peppe with both cup and char pepperoni.  Lots of impact in terms of pepperiness and saltiness as well as crispy cups.  The Italiano was the most zesty with the combination of pepperoni, sausage, sweet and hot peppers and basil.  Lots of saltiness, spice and sweetness.

So we had some sweets to end the meal including the Tiramisu Slice and Lobster Tail Pastry.  Quite large and only semi-sweet, the tiramisu sported light and airy cake, creamy mascarpone and a mild hit of espresso.  The layered lobster tail was supremely crunchy and shattered all-over-the-place.  Inside, the lightly sweet custard was on point.  We also had 2 Pastry Pockets with one being Creme Brulee and the other, Cherry Cheesecake.  These were like turnovers and featured crispy layers of pastry topped with sugar.  The filling was on the sweeter side though, but did not lack flavor.  Sure, the Boss Cafe isn't particularly sexy compared to say, Buffy V's, but for a quick and delicious meal (that won't break the bank), it certainly fits the bill.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- That Jersey Roast Beef!
- That fresh mozza!
- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- It is counter-service, so just a quick meal with no fanfare (if you wanted fanfare that is)
- Drinks are so-so