Is a square pizza a "Detroit Style Pizza"

**CassTechGrad** · December-23-20, 10:43 AM

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**13606Cedargrove** · December-23-20, 10:51 AM

Cal's - Now there's a blast from my past. My first bartending job in 1973! At the time Torchy Scullen, the owner, bought the oven and tested recipes for weeks. We ate a lot of experiments. In the end, he nailed it and did a booming business for years. Does anyone know if Torchy is still around? A good guy.

**Meddle** · December-23-20, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by softailrider

One thing for sure, it ain't exactly health food no matter where you get it.

Dairy, meat, bread/grain, fruit and vegetable all rolled into one.

**Zacha341** · December-23-20, 01:58 PM

^^^ Weee! Now I can order some Jets sans all the guilt!

But wait! I don't like pinapple with on my pizza.

Then a Faygo bottle of orange pop will have to provide the fruit portion!!

**DetBill** · December-23-20, 02:31 PM

OMG, Cals Pizza, that was incredible pizza, attached with some great times !!

**p1acebo** · December-23-20, 05:57 PM

Originally Posted by Zacha341

^^^ Weee! Now I can order some Jets sans all the guilt!

But wait! I don't like pinapple with on my pizza.

Then a Faygo bottle of orange pop will have to provide the fruit portion!!

Life is short, eat better pizza!

Lets. Get. Jets!

**softailrider** · December-23-20, 06:30 PM

Originally Posted by Jason

Personally, the crust is the distinctive element of the pizza and the cheese/sauce isn't very important. So I consider Jets to be Detroit style.

Not in agreement with some of the above, yes the crust is very important, but the placement of the sauce is also crucial. The sauce on top of the cheese [[Buddy’s) give you a totally different taste experience when you bite through the slice then a pizza with the sauce in a conventional location [[Jets)

**eastland** · December-23-20, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by 13606Cedargrove

Cal's - Now there's a blast from my past. My first bartending job in 1973! At the time Torchy Scullen, the owner, bought the oven and tested recipes for weeks. We ate a lot of experiments. In the end, he nailed it and did a booming business for years. Does anyone know if Torchy is still around? A good guy.

Not sure but I know Cal's moved into the old Pappy's East on Harper before closing. And a bar in St. Clair Shores -- GeeWillies -- used the Cal's recipe for awhile. Great pizza.

**gnome** · December-26-20, 11:46 PM

Loui’s Pizza in Hazel Park. According to legend Loui was working at Buddy’s when he came up with the layer inversion and parts trays.

Of course the guys at Cloverleaf say the same thing.

**bust** · December-27-20, 12:03 AM

Cal's was great. Club 500 even better.
At least was my unsophisticated former teenagerly opinion.

Originally Posted by softailrider

Not in agreement with some of the above, yes the crust is very important, but the placement of the sauce is also crucial. The sauce on top of the cheese [[Buddy’s) give you a totally different taste experience when you bite through the slice then a pizza with the sauce in a conventional location [[Jets)

As someone who vividly remembers getting heavily squirted with hot tomato sauce onto my chin, neck, and baseball uniform upon biting into a Club 500 slice and compressing its top layer of cheese into the thick pocketed crust I'll say it also provided an unforgettable experience.

**CassTechGrad** · December-27-20, 10:42 AM

The secret with Buddy's pizza and the spinoffs back in the 1960-70's was that the pepperoni went UNDER the cheese.

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**eastland** · December-27-20, 02:38 PM

Originally Posted by gnome

Loui’s Pizza in Hazel Park. According to legend Loui was working at Buddy’s when he came up with the layer inversion and parts trays.

Of course the guys at Cloverleaf say the same thing.

Buddy's acknowledges on their menu that Gus Guerra from Cloverleaf originated their recipe.

**bust** · December-27-20, 04:59 PM

Originally Posted by CassTechGrad

The secret with Buddy's pizza and the spinoffs back in the 1960-70's was that the pepperoni went UNDER the cheese.

I'm pretty sure Club 500 did this too. And the ham, etc..
Can anyone confirm it?
Failing memory: now I really feel old.
But I'll bet I can map out the floorplan without being off by much, describe their most prominent photo they hung on their walls [[easy), and identify their video games I spent many a quarter playing.

**Thetechnician** · December-27-20, 06:13 PM

There are many more establishments that give you "authentic" Detroit style pizza than jets outside of Detroit. In NYC for instance, there's "Lions, Tigers and Squares", "Emily's". In D.C., there's Emmy-Squared. All

I'll get slaughtered for this, but what do folks think about Lil Caesars Deep Dish as a Detroit style representation? It meets the definition [[crispy, caramel crust, wisconsin cheese). The sauce isnt on top though so not fully authentic .

**bust** · December-27-20, 07:48 PM

^^Pizza from that joint in NY that claims to serve Detroit pizza seems wrong. Maybe they got a few things right, but I never wanted to try it.

Don't know if there's new management, but ~2 years ago, before it became "Detroit" pizza, it was a worse than average slice joint, a la Ray's. A block away a "deli" wanted to charge me $2 for an apple -- ~15 years ago.

Here's their own promotional video-- Ever see anything like this in Detroit?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N75sf7HYB5E

Famiglia was bad enough NY pizza heartburn. I lived above one. I never wanted this.

Cold pizza makes a great lunch, except then.
But sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised.

I'll join you in getting slaughtered, but at least based on popularity, aren't Little Caesar's and Domino's as Detroit as you can get?

I never ate Domino's unless I was at someone else's house and they ordered it. But even though everyone knew there was much better, in a pinch -- and there were many pinches -- we ate a lot of Little Caesars as a kid. Never our favorite-- not even close. But good enough.

**Thetechnician** · December-27-20, 11:54 PM

Haha. That promo vid is the awful 😂.

They actually improved the mix though. It's different management from the previous typical nyc soggy slice that was there and has a bunch of Detroit nostalgia throughout the joint. The pie is actually really good. Expensive though - a small square will set you back $10 for a pepperoni.

**Thetechnician** · December-27-20, 11:57 PM

This video gives a slightly better view of their pizza.

https://youtu.be/lTCtn_QvDbE

**Maof** · December-28-20, 08:11 AM

Originally Posted by 13606Cedargrove

Cal's - Now there's a blast from my past. My first bartending job in 1973! At the time Torchy Scullen, the owner, bought the oven and tested recipes for weeks. We ate a lot of experiments. In the end, he nailed it and did a booming business for years. Does anyone know if Torchy is still around? A good guy.

Could it be the same Torchy that owns Irish Coffee on Mack? Servite grad, class of 1968. Not too many people with the nickname Torchy.

**tarkus** · December-29-20, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by 13606Cedargrove

Cal's - Now there's a blast from my past. My first bartending job in 1973! At the time Torchy Scullen, the owner, bought the oven and tested recipes for weeks. We ate a lot of experiments. In the end, he nailed it and did a booming business for years. Does anyone know if Torchy is still around? A good guy.

Torch passed a few years ago

**pjbear05** · December-29-20, 03:44 PM

Detroit Style is a variation of a Sicilian Square Pizza. I ate them at both original Buddy's and Shield's locations, Cal's, and Cloverleaf. Even had my wedding rehearsal dinner at Cloverleaf in '86. Little such luck in South Florida; nearest Jet's is a 15 minute one way drive, and I'm too far away for delivery. BUT, when you gotta have it, ya gotta have it.
Check out the link, tons of info, recipes etc; message board has a huge thread on Sicilian/Detroit style:
http://www.pizzamaking.com

**pjbear05** · December-29-20, 03:58 PM

Originally Posted by Thetechnician

There are many more establishments that give you "authentic" Detroit style pizza than jets outside of Detroit. In NYC for instance, there's "Lions, Tigers and Squares", "Emily's". In D.C., there's Emmy-Squared. All

I'll get slaughtered for this, but what do folks think about Lil Caesars Deep Dish as a Detroit style representation? It meets the definition [[crispy, caramel crust, wisconsin cheese). The sauce isnt on top though so not fully authentic .

Little Caesar's is crap, as is any pizza that uses a mozzarella/muenster cheese combo. Years ago the Publix grocery chain marketed Wisconsin Brick Cheese, which I would use on pizzas I would make from scratch. Then they just stopped, and never brought it back. Now I use slices of Boar's Head Mozzarella, which I get from Publix's deli counter. It's a whole milk cheese, rich and loaded with butterfat. Expensive af, but as they say, "compromise elsewhere".

**FbO Vorcha** · December-30-20, 06:51 PM

How's about this place, he really seems to be making a splash.

https://www.detroitstylepizza.co/

Apparently also does mail-order:
https://www.goldbelly.com/detroit-pizza-company

**softailrider** · December-31-20, 08:12 PM

Originally Posted by FbO Vorcha

How's about this place, he really seems to be making a splash.

https://www.detroitstylepizza.co/

Apparently also does mail-order:
https://www.goldbelly.com/detroit-pizza-company

Looks pretty tasty to me.

**Maof** · December-31-20, 09:38 PM

Originally Posted by FbO Vorcha

How's about this place, he really seems to be making a splash.

https://www.detroitstylepizza.co/

Apparently also does mail-order:
https://www.goldbelly.com/detroit-pizza-company

This is one of my favorites. The owner just past away in early December after battling glioblastoma for a year.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/ob...er/3849324001/

**softailrider** · April-29-21, 04:43 PM

Originally Posted by Henry Whalley

Used to go there with my family in the 50's when I was a kid. Egg yolk was also brushed on the crust. The stuff served-up at Buddy's franchises today isn't as good IMHO. Now the pizza survives based on reputation more than quality.

I don't think the pizza they serve now tastes anywhere near as good as it used to. Maybe its the location I go to, but it is consistently mediocre. I haven't been to the one on Davision / 6 mile lately. I'm think Jet's is better tasting pizza these days.