ECQ Eats: Detroit Style Pizza? That's Easy As Pie, Piece of Cake. By EAPPOC Pizza.

The distinct rectangular shape and crisp edges, it's easy to spot Detroit Style Pizza. And it's even easier to enjoy it in the safety and comfort of home in the prolonged quarantine. Thanks to Easy as Pie, Piece of Cake or simply EAPPOC Pizza, you can have a taste of Motor City delivered straight to your doorstep with just a few clicks on your mobile device. That's easy as pie. And piece of cake...

A Period in Time and the Journey to Detroit Style Pizza, Reimaigined 

The idea for Easy as Pie, Piece of Cake began during the early days of the quarantine last year when everything was suddenly placed on hold. Like life's pause button, many reacted with fear while others used the time to rethink and re-evaluate their next step. The pandemic is a life-changing episode, but it can also be a pivotal moment for the few who dare to dream. Chef Aaron Lau is one of them along with wife and co-founder Nikki Oropesa-Lau who often dreamt of transforming simple food and taking it to the next level. The popular and ubiquitous pizza as interpreted by countless culinary cultures seemed the perfect choice to test a concept for a modern-luxe pizzeria and the creative possibilities based on the Detroit style. Using the best flour, a proprietary cheese blend, special toppings and a signature sauce, a unique concept was born amidst the uncertainty of the quarantine experience.  

Chef Aaron Lau's own journey began with a childhood dream that led him to prestigious stints around the world including db Bistro Moderneby Daniel Boulud in New York. The experience of working with world-class chefs taught Chef Aaron countless lessons and soon defined how he looked at raw ingredients as well as the need to push for excellence every single day. This is seen with every box and slice at EAPPOC Pizza using unpretentious methods and techniques backed by science and hard work. It's an approach driven by the love for pizza and "finding magic in the simplest things." Everything is made from scratch, keeping it real each step of the way. Easy as Pie, Piece of Cake is also a mindset to stay the course in tough times and dedicated to both dreamers and believers. The quarantine experience was a much needed break from the distractions of the usual everyday routine, and Chef Aaron Lau dug long and deep with the belief that anything can always be done better. Like Detroit Pizza, reimagined.   

The creation process is treated with utmost respect at EAPPOC Pizza from the use of the finest and freshest ingredients, the proper fermentation of the dough for that light and airy crisp finish, the complex mixture of cheese blends, preparing the various meats and toppings in house and tediously crafting each batch of special sauces from scratch. Chef Aaron just won't have it any other way. The results become immediately evident from that very first bite...

The iconic style of pizza is said to have been created by Gus Guerra back in 1946 at his local neighborhood bar, Buddy's Rendezvous. In true Detroit style, rectangular blue steel pans originally intended as drip trays or to hold small car parts were used consistent with the automotive heritage and culture of the city. The pans gave the focaccia like crust its unique shape as well as the crunchy edges topped with caramelized cheese called the frico. If the secret to New York pizza is their mineral rich water giving the dough its characteristic flavor and texture, the blue steel pan is the defining element for Detroit style. And it just doesn't get more Detroit than that. 

The distinct style of pizza captures and reflects the unrestrained, often brash and resilient can-do attitude of a city that was once the global capital of the automobile industry with bold full-on flavors. Chef Aaron faithfully recreates the city's gritty character elegantly, down to the delicate crispness of the edges. The Meatball Detroit Style Pizza (P 1,100) is a lavish creation with savory meatballs and fresh herbs layered with creamy garlic aioli and robust fortified marinara sauce topped with their signature EAPPOC cheese blend on a soft crust surrounded by a light and airy crispness on the edges. The meatballs and the fortified marinara combine for hearty and comforting flavors followed by the distinct hints of fresh herbs, garlic aioli and rich blend of cheeses for a solid finish. True to his vision, Chef Aaron doesn't hold back on the flavors. Each bite delivers a flavorful burst that lingers on the palate capped by that familiar crispness of the edges. 

Detroit style pizza may look deceptively simple. But there's a complex science behind getting it right. From the fat of the cheese, the resulting crust and cheese wall or frico lined around the crust, the reverse order of toppings (the marinara is added on top as the last ingredient), temperature and the blue steel pan itself, a whole lot can go wrong with each of the tedious steps. But if you do get it right, you can enjoy that trademark soft and fluffy crust lined by a delicate crispness. And Chef Aaron's pretty much nailed it. 

That soft and fluffy crust with a crisp edge, the caramelized cheese and savory toppings all come together for that unique Detroit style pizza experience. It's what sets Motor City apart from The Big Apple and The Windy City. Understandably, the corners are the first ones to go but every slice packs all the richness and savory notes with the generous toppings of meatballs and herbs, tart marinara, creamy aioli and special cheese blend. 

That first bite brings the crunch, followed by the savory meatballs and vibrant notes of marinara delivering a comforting depth of flavor as the aioli, herbs and cheese blend round out the final layers for balance. There's nothing easy with this one, but the uncompromising philosophy of Chef Aaron makes it easy as pie. And piece of cake.  

When it comes to Detroit style pizza, it's always all about the crisp edges. And you get that with every slice from EAPPOC Pizza. But taken together with the loaded toppings and textural contrasts of the crust, the Meatball Detroit Style Pizza by EAPPOC Pizza ranks high up on my list of pizza picks. Chef Aaron has gone full circle, returning home in a challenging new normal while transforming and elevating the much loved pizza along the way for a new flavor experience. There's this saying that life may not always go according to plan, it's what we do that makes the difference. For Chef Aaron, it was clear right from the start of the lockdown. And he's succeeded on all counts, down to the crisp edges. 

Detroit style pizza isn't the only one that keeps Chef Aaron and Nikki busy at EAPPOC Pizza. They have other savory offerings baking in the oven, like the Y2K Lasagna (P 1,800 Family/P 480 Small). The layered pasta dish is filled with savory EAPPOC meatballs draped in fortified Marinara con Panna and EAPPOC cheese blend for a comforting combo. Tart, savory and cheesy, it's everything we love about lasagna. 

A slice reveals the generous layers of meatballs, marinara and cheese. And no, this isn't your usual lasagna either. The name Y2K Lasagna itself is Chef Aaron's homage to simpler, care-free and less complicated times with real flavors and it takes you back almost immediately after just one bite. Hearty flavors with that bit of nostalgia, we all need a little of that in this strange and uncertain new normal. The ode to better times becomes a welcome break from the current news feed on the pandemic. 

Good food always triggers an emotion or fond memories transporting you to another place and time. EAPPOC Pizza does that with their rustic lasagna. The bold flavors from the meatballs are perfectly tempered by the bright and vibrant tartness of the marinara rounded out by their signature cheese blend for indulgent yet balanced savory notes. 

Chef Aaron and Nikki pulls out yet another decadent surprise with the Chocolate Brick (P 1,800 Whole/P 300 Slice) for pure chocolate indulgence. Just like their Detroit Style Pizza and Y2K Lasagna, EAPPOC Pizza brings their same unrestrained culinary style to probably one of the best chocolate cakes in the metro. All chocolate, all-out pure pleasure, the Chocolate Brick is the perfect way to cap your EAPPOC Pizza experience.

Take a closer look at the layers of chocolate with each solid brick of chocolate indulgence. The cake is dense and moist delivering the rich and deep notes of pure chocolate and if that isn't enough, you get a double dose of chocolate bliss with the thick and smooth fudge-like layer of chocolate cream. Chocolate on chocolate, and it just doesn't get better than that. 

Aptly named, the Chocolate Brick is a solid block of chocolate. For chocoholics, this is as close as you'll get to pure chocolate pleasure. One brick won't be enough so order a couple. Better yet, get a whole cake. 

The menu at EAPPOC Pizza continues to grow with its sumptuous specialty Lasagna...

...to its signature Detroit Style Pizza creations from the OG Red to the classic Pep and inventive variants like the Smoked Garden, Piña Express and Cacio y Pepe...

Detroit Style Pizza, Y2K Lasagna and the Chocolate Brick, Easy as Pie, Piece of Cake is more than just the newest food business to rise out of the quarantine. It's a mindset. And a powerful reminder to follow your dream in both hard times and good. 

And there's just no better time than now to enjoy a slice, safe at home in the ECQ. Have a bite and look beyond the grey horizon for that silver lining brought to your table in a bright pink box. And experience Detroit Style Pizza, reimagined by the dreamers at EAPPOC Pizza.