Buddy’s Pizza

Founded in 1946, Buddy’s Rendezvous is the originator of a certain type of Sicilian pizza, cooked in blue steel pans repurposed from local auto suppliers, that’s now called “Detroit Style”. The lightly fried crust is crisp on the outside, buttery and soft on the inside, with the top edges featuring a crusting of caramelized cheese (the carmelization is more subdued here compared to the more ostentatious new wave Detroit pizzerias where the cheese spikes from the edges like a Gothic cathedral). The Detroit style crust is very flavorful because of the “Wisconsin brick cheese” pizzerias use, which seeps down into the dough as it bakes leading to the buttery flavor. Pepperoni is traditionally also placed under the cheese (with the Pepp grease also seeping into the crust), but I opted for it on top here. Pictured is a large half ‘Detroiter’ (Brick cheese, pepperoni on top, tomato basil sauce, shaved Parmesan cheese and Buddy’s Sicilian spice blend) / half ‘Detroit Zoo’ (Brick cheese, fontina, asiago, roasted tomatoes, fresh basil and tomato basil sauce). The thick sauce is very tomato-forward and bit on the saltier side, yet with a good overall flavor. Also, the crust at Buddy’s is on the thinner end for a Detroit style pizza and is lightly fried/colored. Overall, it was a delicious pie and the original Buddy’s is an institution that lives up to its reputation.