After snagging a corner booth at Brooklyn's buzzed-about Detroit-style slice shop Emmy Squared, I informed my friends—with complete and utter conviction—that their attempt at sabotaging my love affair with New York pizza would go unsuccessfully. Thin crust was a hill I was willing to die on.
My stance in favor of the good ol' NYC slice was already a controversial one. You see, I grew up in the Chicago suburbs where favoring anything that's not thick crust, cheese layered, deep dish 'za is deserving of capital punishment. And while it's not that I don't love the stuff (I'm very much of the camp that all pizza is good pizza), I was more of a Joe's girl than a Lou Malnati's one. (Don't get the references? Do yourself a favor and look 'em up.)
But 30 minutes (and one beer for courage) later, a pan of burrata-topped, cheese-crusted Margherita squares landed on my table. And from that first bite, I was a convert. This Chicago native and New York resident was suddenly singing the praises of another city's culinary pride.
Now, I'm sure some of you out there have differing (read: wrong) opinions about my new pizza of choice. Go ahead and stick with your deep dish and paper-thin slices. If you want to lead a subpar life, that's your prerogative. But a word to the wise? Jump ship now. It may seem like the Detroit's signature style is just popping up, but it's been around for quite awhile. You and I have just been wasting our precious time.
According to Pure Michigan's official site (if anyone would know, it's them!), Detroit's squares began back in 1946 when Gus Guerra decided his bar Buddy's Rendezvous needed a menu update. He turned to his wife Anna for some assistance, and she swiped a dough recipe from her Sicilian mom. They topped it with some cheese, sauce, and called it a Michigan original.
But if they used a Sicilian dough recipe with typical pizza toppings...isn't it just a Sicilian pizza? Actually, no. Detroit-style is a *descendent* of the similar thick, square Italian pie. It's a different (and in my humble opinion, better) version.
So what qualifies it as such? There are a few major keys here, one being that iconic pan. The ~rumor~ is Guerra recycled a blue steel one used for car parts to bake his first pizza. Esquire reports he also topped it with two red "racing stripes " of sauce afterwards. But that rectangle shape and those square slices are a requirement, too. It's got a gooey, doughy center and crispy crust with caramelized cheese climbing up the edges. And while, sure, everyone's got a right to a little creative license, the OGs typically have a Wisconsin brick cheddar.
Can we just take a moment to admire the beauty:
In the past 72 years, Detroit-style has invaded new cities and landed at national chains; Little Caesar's unveiled their own "DEEP!DEEP!" pizza in 2013. And while it still pales in popularity to its New York and Chicago cousins, I'll be here eating Emmy Squared and fighting for the respect Detroit-style deserves. Join me, won't you?
