Daily Slice: SliceTruck, Los Angeles

Daily Slice gives a quick snapshot each weekday of a different slice or pie that the folks at the Serious Eats empire have enjoyed lately.

[Photographs: Kelly Bone]

Love them or hate them, SliceTruck is here to stay. After pounding the pavment for two and a half years, brothers David and Chris Hanley have also opened a brick-and-mortar location in West Los Angeles. With the new location comes a curiously revamped dough.

The Slice ($3) and the Hot Garlic Slice ($3.5) look identical—I can't even tell them apart in these pictures—but with chopped fresh garlic and crushed red pepper slipped in between the sauce and cheese, the difference is dramatic. I love garlic but the sharp acidic of the raw chunks overwhelm the balance. Stick to the regular slice.

The shelf above the kitchen proudly displays DOP San Marzano tomatoes; though I didn't pick up any bright tomato flavor. Still, the sauce is a visually stunning background to the light sheets of domestic mozzarella; but the talent of this slice is in the finish. Each is dressed, to order, with freshly snipped basil and hand shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano (sort of like another pizzeria the brothers are fans of).

The dense, but light, crust supports a crisp olive oil soaked edge. A crispness that extends from edge to tip. The underside is lovely, with a whisper of freckles across a lightly powdered face. Half way through the slice, a notably nutty taste becomes prevalent, likely from the Kamut flour. This heirloom wheat grain that is also friendly for those with gluten intolerances—something I know for sure I don't have. The taste and texture is... unique... and not quite good enough to convert the serious pizza bon vivant. But it's a solid slice choice in the neighborhood.

SliceTruck

About the author: After nearly a decade in Brooklyn, Kelly Bone landed back in Los Angeles where she writes The Vegetarian Foodie. She spends the rest of her time designing office cubicles... you might be sitting in one right now! Follow her on Twitter at @TheVegFoodie