Have you ever had Pizza Papalis before?  If so, have you ever ordered deep dish cheese? Well, it is my favorite.

I have been feeling especially philosophical this week, and, as I am going out of town soon and don’t want groceries to go unused and spoil, I have been eating a lot of Pizza Papalis this week, too.  Consequently, I have equated Detroit to a slice of deep dish cheese pizza from Pizza Papalis.

Wait.

I know you probably chuckled to yourself (audibly in your office and your boss is right behind you, whoops!!!) and contemplated closing this blog before things got even weirder, but please, if you’ve made it this far, keep reading.

My perfect slice of ‘za from Pizza Papalis is comprised of the following: dough, sauce, cheese, inner crust, and outer crust.

I will tell you right now, the cheese is my least favorite part.  It’s ooey gooey mozzarella, which is fab, but it’s just so SALTY!  It leaves this taste in your mouth that makes your lips smack and your hand instinctively reach for your water glass.  The cheese is Detroit’s current public transportation situation.  There are buses, yes.  The People Mover exists, also.  But these are both lacking – they leave you reaching for more.  The People Mover isn’t always the safest place, and it only services the downtown area.  The buses are late and unreliable.  It’s great that Detroit has this infrastructure, but it needs to be broadened and improved.

Next comes the sauce.  I’m big on the sauce.  There are some Detroit pizza institutions (cough, Buddy’s) that skimp on the sauce.  The problem with the sauce at Pizza Papalis is that at times, there is too much.  I am one for reheating pizza in the oven, and, when you do this with Pizza Papalis, the sauce sometimes oozes off.  The taste and texture are incredible, but the quantity can be too much.  The sauce is Detroit’s weather.  I am all about snow…the first time it comes down.  Once it’s been snowing for months and the elegant white stuff turns brown and sludgie, I’m over it.  Unfortunately, Detroit can’t do anything to change its weather patterns.  All we can do is buy boots and hideous knee length coats and count down the days until spring.  Alternatively, we can cozy up at thebeer garden in Campus Martius and drink until we forget we are surrounded by snow.  This option is not highly recommended.

After the sauce comes the dough.  The dough is the glorious foundation upon which the delicious pizza is built.  At Pizza Papalis, the dough is thick and many-layered.  In Detroit, the dough is the government.  Between our new mayor, who is already hard at work despite the fact that his term hasn’t even technically begun,  and wonderful, hard-working people like Saunteel Jenkins and Sandy Baruah  (both of whom we got to hear speak!), we have a strong foundation, growing even stronger.

Next we have my FAVORITE part of the pizza, the inner crust.  It’s this small pocket that lies within the outer crust, just after the sauce and cheese end.  It is soft and warm and holds reminders of the tastes of the sauce and cheese.  The inner crust of Detroit is its people.  They truly are soft and warm, and hold reminders of what they used to be.  Old Detroiters remember the Motor City’s glory days, while new Detroiters remember the best parts of where they used to live.  Both groups have great ideas for the city, and are vital contributors to the city’s revitalization.

Finally, the outer crust.  The outer crust encompasses the whole pizza and holds it together.  It’s a bit tough, and a bit inflexible, but it is necessary.  Detroit’s suburbs are its outer crust.  They encircle the city and truthfully can be the city’s harshest critics, as well as its biggest fans.  It’s so beautiful to see the city full of life during sporting events and gatherings like Noel Night, but it hurts when those people call Detroit unsafe, and shy away during the rest of the year.  In order for Detroit to recover and improve, the suburbanites need to support the rebirth and growth.

See – I’m not crazy!  Detroit really is like a slice of Pizza Papalis deep dish cheese pizza!!! Are you hungry now?  The number of their location that delivers downtown  is (313) 259-7272.  You’re welcome!