Living up in that neck of the woods, I had passed Slyce in Wauconda a couple times since it opened in the fall. Nice building, decent logo, not a huge fan of the name. But you don't eat the name. And after reading Daniel Zemans proclaim Slyce one of the top 8 pizzerias nationwide for 2010, I figured it was time to check it out.
On a snowy Friday night, Slyce was packed with a 45 minute wait, but we were seated in 30 after cooling our jets in the attractive bar area. Started out with a Sicilian salad which consisted of field greens, pine nuts, shaved parmesan & prosciutto all dressed in a sweet mustard basil balsamic viniagrette. Really wonderful, fresh, substantial, and we washed it down with an Erath Pinot Noir from Oregon.
My litmus test for the Neopolitan-style 'coal-fired' pizza is the Margherita, and although Slyce doesn't call it that, their #4--a fresh mozzarella (made on site), tomato & basil, passed the test with flying colors. Ingredients were excellent to be sure, but it's all about the crust in the end. That charred/chewy/crispy melange. It was...right. Amazingly though, that pie was surpassed by a phenomenal fennel sausage & caramelized onion creation, reminding us of olden-day sausage redolent of fennel, that great aroma enhancing the whole experience.
Spoke with manager Gary Bougie afterwards, and told him that he had Coalfire beaten hands down (no BS, they really do), also relating to him that he definitely gives my favorite pie of this style, Settebello in Henderson, NV, a run for its money. But Slyce is only 15 minutes from my house as opposed to 2000 miles to Vegas, and I'll be there often. Sadly, no pics, but hopefully one of the LTH foodporn photographers can make the trip--it's worth it.
SLYCE Coal Fired Pizza Company
127 N. Main St. Wauconda, IL 60084
(847) 469-8840 http://www.slycecoalfiredpizza.com