Looking for an authentic New York-style slice? Try this Lexington pizza restaurant.

It’s a Thursday night at Ethereal Slice House. As the trivia MC explains the rules of the game, drinkers and diners at the bar and tables await the first question and in the kitchen — in full view of the dining area — chefs toss dough and maneuver pizzas in a 900-degree brick oven to achieve just the right balance of a slightly charred crust and perfectly cooked toppings.

Welcome to a new Lexington pizza place, one born not out of corporate calculations in distant offices but from the dedication of a local kid and his decades-long career in pizza and fine dining.

When Greg Spaulding graduated from high school his mind wasn’t quite into higher education so he took a job at a Domino’s, soon rising to assistant manager.

A couple years later when Puccini’s came to town, he was hired there and, by the time he was 21 he was managing the location. In the next decade or so he opened all the new Puccini’s locations in Kentucky and managed three of them.

Along the way, he competed with the United States Pizza Team in Italy, winning best in the U.S. in the Classic Pizza division, and was a team member on the U.S. Global Pizza Team for three years.

Working at Middle Fork, Coles, West Main Crafting

Despite a full schedule, he had eased back into education, getting an associate degree in business with a management focus and then earning a BA in history from the University of Kentucky, specializing in Appalachian history.

It was a turning point. “This industry is not for everybody,” Spaulding said and he had to decide if it was for him or if he wanted to take his degree and pursue a more academic path where oven temperatures rarely rise over 450.

Luckily for diners in Lexington, Spaulding chose food. He expanded his cooking horizons, working with notable chefs Mark Jensen (at Middle Fork in the Distillery District) and Cole Arimes (at Coles 735 Main on Main Street), and as head chef at West Main Crafting before launching out on his own.

Opening Ethereal Slice, closing one Salt & Vinegar restaurant

In late 2020 Spaulding opened Salt & Vinegar at Blue Stallion Brewing on Third Street and, about a year and a half later, added a location at Ethereal Brewing’s Public House on Vine Street, where he has a full kitchen and cooks a full menu from locally sourced foods.

With two hopping locations, Spaulding wasn’t necessarily looking for another challenge. However, Ethereal had leased a spot in the food hall at The Cornerstone, a parking garage on Limestone across from UK that has retail on the ground floor. The development opened in the summer of 2020 just in time for pandemic shutdowns.

Early this year, the people at Ethereal came to Spaulding and said, “what do you think about opening a pizza shop,” next to their bar to entice the thousands of UK students, faculty and staff to stay a little longer. After talking with his wife (they have a 2-year-old daughter) and the teams at his other locations, Spaulding agreed.

Spaulding recently announced on Facebook that his shop at Blue Stallion was closing Nov. 18, writing, “I have struggled to maintain a healthy balance with my family and the 3 restaurants I have been fortunate to open in the past 3 years.”

What is on Ethereal Slice’s menu?

At Ethereal Slice he and his team make two styles of pizza: Old World Traditional – a thinner crust pizza that cooks in 90 seconds to a minute and a half at 800 to 900 degrees; and New York – a thicker crust that cooks a little longer at somewhat lower temperatures. There are always slices of New York style pepperoni and cheese pizza available (made fresh and then reheated quickly in the hot oven) as well as daily veggie and meat options.

Spaulding says the secret of great pizza is both complex — like making the dough (“flour, salt, yeast and water and some olive oil, very simple”) three days ahead and letting it ferment in the cold to both enhance the flavor and improve the texture — and simple — like using fewer but always high quality ingredients.

Eschewing “loaded” pizzas (“we don’t throw a bunch of other ingredients at it to try and make it taste good”), Spaulding and his crew use a “minimalistic” approach. “But with that approach, every ingredient counts.” That’s why he pays extra for San Marzano tomatoes imported from Italy with the D.O.P designation (Denominazione d’ Origine Protetta, an imprimatur the Italian government gives products that come from certain areas and meet specific standards that translates to Protected Designation of Origin) and fresh mozzarella, and why his staff spends hours peeling and chopping fresh garlic, and slicing basil fresh for each meal.

It’s a change for Spaulding from the fine dining that’s occupied the last decade or so of his life but one he’s enjoying.

Although Ethereal Slice House’s pizza is a far cry from what the young Greg Spaulding was churning out at the Domino’s on Euclid back in the day, this is still a return to his roots, both at UK and in pizza. “I feel like I’ve come full circle.”

Ethereal Slice House

Where: 401 S. Limestone

Hours: Monday through Wednesday 4 p.m. to 1 a.m., Thursday through Saturday 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Opening soon for lunch.

Online: etherealbrew.com/cornerstone/

This story was originally published December 7, 2023 at 6:00 AM.