Joey Garlic’s takes a detour with Detroit pizza
Since 2007, Joey Garlic’s has turned out reliable thin-crust brick-oven pizzas at its locations across Hartford County, inspired by the renowned pizzerias of New Haven. The restaurant’s latest pies, however, take a cue from the Motor City, about 700 miles away.
Joey’s new Detroit-style pizzas, with a thick yet airy crust and cheesy edges, borrow inspiration from a style popularized by Buddy’s Pizza, a Michigan institution since 1946. Buddy’s square pies, with a crisp, golden crust, are baked in industrial steel pans, using a Wisconsin brick cheese with a high fat content. The melted cheese creates a crunchy, caramelized effect at the corners.
After a dozen years of thin crust, “it’s the first time we’ve ventured out into something new, because it’s good, it’s unique, it’s different,” says co-owner Anthony Sullo. “I think it’s going to catch on.”
Early feedback has been good, Sullo says, and the pies — available in limited quantities due to the pizza’s specialty recipe — sold out in both Joey Garlic’s restaurants in Manchester and Newington during the first weekend they were available.
The Detroit pizza starts with a special high-hydration dough, made with “a lot of water … so it’s light and airy,” says Sullo. The dough is proofed for four to five hours, and it’s baked in a steel pan with a mix of cheeses to achieve the signature crispy perimeter. But Joey’s has been using a blend containing mozzarella and cheddar, Sullo says, as the traditional Wisconsin cheese is more specific to (and available in) the Midwest.
The pies are available in three varieties. The Red Top Square ($14.99) is made with fresh tomato sauce, chopped garlic, oregano, imported pecorino Romano and Joey’s special blend of cheeses, and guests can add their choice of up to three toppings at $1.75 apiece.
The Pesto Square ($16.99) is a white pie with garlic, oregano, pecorino, sliced tomato and pesto drizzle; and the Motor City Square ($19.99) features fresh tomato sauce, ricotta, garlic, oregano, pecorino, New Haven sausage and pepperoni.
The new items are currently only on the menu in Manchester and Newington, but may launch later at Joey’s Pizza Pie in West Hartford, he says, if they can figure out the logistics.