There is a strong undercurrent at theDIHEDRAL that pulls us toward food on a regular basis. Whether it’s our YouTube show Dirtbag Diner, our monthly climbing and food review Cragies and Snackies, or just going full thirst trap on a delicious cookie we happened to try on the way to the gym. We even worked with a local chef to develop theDIHEDRAL Burger. We love food, and for our money, nothing in the culinary world tops pizza.
I (Carrot) have built full itineraries around visiting a town’s most notable pizza. A couple months ago while High-Clip and I were in Salt Lake City hitting up all the climbing gyms, I insisted that we stop by The Pie Pizzeria. It is a must try for any pizza lover visiting Salt Lake. The Wise Guy Pie is one of the best pizzas I have ever tried.
That being said, I asked High-Clip if she would want to team up to highlight our favorite pizza spots from our home towns.
Carrot
The origins of Detroit style pizza go something like this…
1946 Buddy’s Rendezvous at the corner of 6 Mile and Conant Street in Detroit, Michigan was owned and operated by husband and wife duo, Gus and Anna Guerra. Gus thought that he would try something new to put on the menu. With a Sicilian dough shared by Anna’s mother or Buddy’s staffer Connie Piccinato (the exact details aren’t exactly clear), Gus set out to try selling pizza. Gus, needing a special pan for his deep-dish pizza, turned to his Motor City roots and tried a Blue Steel drip tray. These trays were used in auto factories to hold small parts and scrap metal, but in 1946 when Gus added dough, cheese, and sauce before he dialed up the oven, it was magic. The way the pan retained heat caused the cheese and dough to caramelize in a way that is unattainable with any other pan. It was the birth of Detroit Style Pizza. In 1953 the Guerra’s sold Buddy’s and took their recipe with them to East Detroit (East Pointe) and opened Cloverleaf Pizza.
Since then Detroit Style Pizza has gone international, but if some restaurant is slinging deep dish square pizza from anything other than a Blue Steel square pan, then it’s just an imposter!
Buddy’s has since expanded to 23 locations, but you can still order the original from the original location right there on Conant Street in Detroit.
And so, if you are ever in Detroit, MI looking for the real deal, you should stop at where it all started and order “The Original” four square cheese pizza!
High-Clip
I don’t know much about Detroit style pizza, but I know NY pizza. No offense to Carrot, but you just can’t beat it (though, I have to admit, his Detroit style pizza places are amazing). People in the NYC area will all tell you that they know the most amazing pizza place, and while that may be true, what matters is that it’s in the top tier we call real pizza. Once you’re in the real pizza tier, it’s hard to go wrong. I can’t say I’ve tried every single pizza joint in the area, but what I do know is that A-1 Pizza is in that top tier.
Lyndhurst, NJ, is a town neighboring Newark, NJ, and while you may think it might be too small for good food, you’d be 100% wrong. You see, as America grew during the industrial age, many Italian (among other nationalities) immigrants came to settle in the states. Of course, many went into the big city, but some wanted their own community away from the commotion. Enter Newark. In many ways, Lyndhurst is a remnant of that time, and if you visited you’d see pockets of different nationalities keeping their culture alive through the years.
A-1 Pizza may not be a joint you could find in Italy, but it reflects how pizza changed through immigration to the states. And it’s incredible. It has a thin, tasty sauce, with the classic NYC dough and quality cheese that isn’t too greasy. After one bite, you know you’ve made the right call, and you immediately feel that joy that great food brings us all.
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