When I retired from the state at the ripe old age of 50, I took a month off (I should have taken more…) before starting on my next career adventure. For my “retirement trip,” I went to Detroit for a week. Why Detroit? They have a great street art scene up there, it’s the birthplace of techno, there’s the urban devastation, and then there’s Detroit-style pizza. I vividly remember the first time I tried Detroit-style pizza when Via 313 was a mere trailer in the back yard of a bar on Rainey Street. The deep-dish pizza with a butter-soaked par-baked crust fin-baked in a square-ish steel pan for cleaning auto- parts and lathered with thick tomato sauce was a revelation for this thin-crust boi. I resolved to go to the source and partake of the pizza in its place of inception. And so I did, at Buddy’s Rendezvous where they invented Detroit-style pizza in 1946.
Eugene Jetts started Jett’s Party Shoppe & Pizzeria in 1978 with his brother, John, in Sterling Heights, Michigan, just north of Detroit. In a harbinger of things to come, the original Jett’s not only had pizza but served chicken and seafood (and two loaves of Wonder Bread for 99 cents). The modern Jet’s lost a “t” (and more) in 1985 as ambitions grew to franchise the restaurant. Today, there are now more than 400 locations in 22 states. In addition to crust thicker than thieves, Jet’s serves thin, hand-tossed, and NY-style pizza and offers cauliflower and gluten-free options. They also serve wings, salads, breads, calzones, and cookies.
Jet’s is pick-up or delivery only: no dine-in (although you can stop by and place an order to-go, including for just a slice). So we ordered delivery of an “8 corner” pizza, which is really two 4 corner Detroit-style pizzas. This allowed The Bride and I to choose our own toppings (which is great since she makes questionable choices [she married me, afterall]). We also ordered two of the large salads. The pizzas and the salads are nearly infinitely customizable, but we stayed simple. I tried to create a Detroiter-style pepperoni pizza while the bride chose mushrooms and tomatoes (I told you).
The large salads are ENORMOUS and arrive with enough dressing to drown a small rhinoceros. I like that (although I admittedly over-served my salad). The pizzas were large and in charge, with two quarters leaving us stuffed. While quite good, my Jet’s was not nearly as good as Via 313’s Detroiter which, in turn, faithfully hums the gospel of Buddy’s original. Jet’s doesn’t mention having the buttery parbake or having the last lather of bedazzled tomato sauce splashed across the top, so perhaps that’s the difference (and perhaps my arteries are thankful). But if you are looking for Detroit-style pizza without the harrowing drive downtown, Jet’s will happily Jet a slice to you. Or stop in: a slice of Detroit-style pepperoni or cheese will set you back only about three bucks!
Jet’s Pizza, 7301 Burnet Road, www.jetspizza.com, (512) 631-5387
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