That’s enough Detroit

Crust Collective gets to stay.Michael Russell | The Oregonian

At Crust Collective, a new Vancouver waterfront pizzeria with a Southeast Portland pop-up, rosemary-infused ricotta is piped in ruffled dollops onto The Turnpike, a pan pie already loaded with fennel sausage, Mama Lil’s peppers and spoonfuls of tomato sauce. Around the rectangular edges, a dark brown lattice has formed where melted cheese has oozed over the sides, crisping on the hot pan.

Sounds like pizza heaven? Sure. That’s why we chose to include Crust Collective’s inventive-yet-faithful approach to Detroit-style pizza in our guide to Portland’s best new pizzerias of 2023.

But the Ruse Brewing spin-off is not the norm. Simply put, most new pan pizzas in Portland aren’t delivering at the level of Crust Collective, whose Detroit-born co-owner Shaun Kalis made trips home to study the style at pizzerias such as Michigan and Trumbull, or of Assembly Brewing, where fellow Detroiter George Johnson tapped World Champion Pizza Maker Shawn Randazzo to refine his recipe. And the drop-off from a great Detroit-style pizza to a merely average one is steep.

So, after gutting my way through several less-than-great Detroit-style pizzas last month, I am hereby proposing a city-wide moratorium on the style.

I’m not trying to put anyone out of business. If you’re already open and serving Detroit-style pizza, carry on. Assembly and Crust Collective, two excellent renditions on the style, one more traditional, one more creative, can even open a few more locations to spread the gospel of good Motor City pizza. Ditto for Ranch and East Glisan, two early adopters who continue to execute the style well. Boxcar should stick around, too, as an only-in-Portland vegan take on Midwestern pan pies. And while Detroiters might balk at Pop Pizza, I love that pizzeria’s eye for detail, fun toppings and airy dough.

I just don’t think we need any more newcomers.

The Detroit-style pepperoni pizza from Assembly Brewing can stay.Michael Russell | The Oregonian

As the story goes, Motor City pizza gets its distinctive rectangular shape and crispy edges of Wisconsin brick cheese from the steel pans that Buddy’s Pizza in Detroit originally bought from an auto parts dealer around 80 years ago.

It’s not hard to figure out why the style is having a moment in America, including Portland, where a dozen pizzerias now specialize in square pies. With its thick-yet-light crust, sauce ladled over the toppings and cheese laid edge-to-edge so it sears itself on the pan’s rim, a well-made Detroit-style pizza can be a delight. And they reheat well, even (gasp) in the microwave.

In the past half decade, restaurants such as Quarter Sheets in Los Angeles, Square Pie Guys in San Francisco and Emmy Squared in New York City have drawn rave reviews (and plentiful expansion opportunities). Even Pizza Hut has gotten in on the game, rolling out a Detroit-inspired pizza lineup nationwide in 2021.

But as someone who grew up eating the occasional box of Little Caesars in the 1990s (basically whenever my dad spotted a 2-for-1 coupon), I can attest that bad Detroit pizza can be a major bummer, and a gut bomb to boot. After a slice and a half at a new pan pizza place in Portland the other day, I was ready for a midday nap.

Five years ago, we barely had any Detroit-style pizza. Now we have too much.

Bottom line: If you’re not willing to do the work put in by Assembly, Crust Collective and the rest, consider choosing a different style, preferably one that won’t put us to sleep.

Read more

Meet Montavilla’s new pizzeria and bar, East Glisan Pizza Lounge

Assembly brings pub-style beers, Detroit-style pizza to Foster-Powell

Nuvrei owner to open Pop Pizza, blending Detroit and Rome

Boxcar is one of our 10 favorite pandemic-time pizzerias

Ruse Brewing expands to Vancouver waterfront with new pizza pub Crust Collective

Pizza and beer? Portland brewpubs take fresh approach to classic combo

— Michael Russell; [email protected]

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