Bob G.
Yelp
I wish Yelp! made 1/2 stars possible - in the case of Wylder, I likely would have gone with 4.5 stars, but rather than drop down to a 4, I chose to promote my rating on my first visit to a 5.
Environment & atmosphere - Wylder is tucked into a nice, easily accessible part of downtown Boise. Several parking options exist directly across the street and along the streets nearby. Parking is a variety of metered spots on the street (depending on the time of day), or self-paid lots. All were very well lighted and safe.
Located at the ground floor of a newer multi-story residential building, Wylder occupies one full corner. Good views from nearly every table, and those facing away from the street are treated to a view of the very active pizza oven area of the open kitchen. The vibe within the restaurant immediately reminded me of a similar feeling while dining at Grange in downtown Sacramento. A lot of social interaction but not so much that you could not hold table-boundaried discussion easily. The wait staff worked together and were proficient. Our server was knowledgable with all angles of the menu, albeit not a huge menu, and we appreciated her input and her reposnse to our questions.
Wylder serves the table in a somewhat hybrid of family-style dining. Our table of four chose two pizzas and two salads - each made for sharing. The two salads, "Buttermilk Market Vegetable Salad" (seasonal vegetable, white cheddar, house ranch, apple cider vinaigrette) and the "The Wylder Chopped" (provolone, salami, crispy chickpeas, oregano vinaigrette), were served first. Each salad was easily enough for three diners. Both salads were noticebly fresh and tasty. I thought the crispy chickpeas were a nice textural touch on the chopped salad - a crouton stand-in if you will. Our attentive server checked on our salad progress and held off having our pizzas fired until the appropriate moment. Delivery to our table dovetailed nicely with the finish of our salads.
Two fresh pizzas were served - the "Honey Badger" (Italian sausage, ricotta, caramelized onion, spicy honey) and the "Gem State of Mind" (fingerling potato, caramelized onion, rosemary, sage). Each pie had eight slices, was thinly crusted, and nicely presented (pictures included). Each slice was generous and definitely shareable for the table. The slices were thin enough to be foldable ala New York style, not flimsy however as each bite was sumptuous. I have enjoyed a similar "Bee Sting" pizza at Proof in Star, but this "Honey Badger" at Wylder is really the model for all the others. Most-noticeable for me was the immediate flavor recognition of every ingredient listed in the menu. The caramelized onion and sausage melded wonderfully but at the same time were distinctive in each bite. The creamy ricotta seemed to balance everything in a smooth way. While I would have enjoyed a spicier honey "bite", the finishing touch atop this pizza was great. I would return to Wylder if only for this pizza. Our dining partners had the "Gem State of Mind". The entire concept of this pizza is cool - where else do you want to see spuds on your pizza but in Idaho? Their only negative comment was that the pizza needed at least one ingredient that brought a little more moisture into each bite - perhaps ricotta or another soft cheese. Tastewise they were really pleased - again the caramelized onions were tremendous and the thinly sliced potatoes appreciated. All in all, two really good pizzas.
So pleased with our first visit to Wylder - looking forward to a return visit, as well as trying out their other associated restaurants in the Boise area.