Daily Slice: Sausage Pizza at Georgio's, Crystal Lake, IL

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.

Situated at the outer northwestern edge of the Chicago metropolitan area, Crystal Lake is not exactly conveniently located for city dwellers. But I was willing to make the trek after hearing some very good things about the deep dish pizza at Georgio's.

The first thing I noticed about the sausage-topped pizza ($22, 14") was the creaminess of the cheese, which is not at all common on this style of pie. See, deep dish demands a lower moisture cheese to prevent it from becoming a sloppy mess. The thick but smooth sauce had a nice combination of sweetness and tanginess and the crisp crust was a solid, albeit standard bread. The only disappointment was the under-seasoned and overly chewy sausage.

The day of my Georgio's visit I had other dining stops to make, so I planned on eating just one piece. But the cheese alone made stopping at one impossible. That said, it doesn't necessarily merit an hour-plus drive, but if you're in the area it's definitely a place worth checking out. And with a new location opening soon in Barrington, Georgio's is soon to be a much more reasonable trip for most Chicagoans.

Georgio's Chicago Pizzeria & Pub

75 E Woodstock Street, Crystal Lake, IL 60014 (map) 815-459-8888; georgiospizza.com

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