By Danny Fairchild

There are images that are conjured when one talks about pizzerias . It could be memories from the olden days when pizzerias were also arcades . ( Yes , I said “ olden days .” The ’ 80s are closer to World War II than they are to the present date , so they ’ re the olden days .) Or , perhaps the word “ pizzeria ” conjures auditory memories of the light , almost tinkling percussiveness of the barrel-shaped Parmesan and / or red pepper flake shakers as you dash as much as you damn well please onto a nice slice with group-negotiated toppings . If you like your pizza a bit more highbrow , maybe a pizzeria needs to be on point with its balsamic drizzle , caramelized onions , and non-traditional cheeses to deserve the name . And for sure you can ’ t help but picture unobtrusive stands to set your pizza so they don ’ t take up too much table surface area .

Folks … with Driftless Pizza now open , all those images of the platonic ideal

pizzeria and more are on instant recall . Plus ! It ’ s important to note that Driftless does have gluten-free cauliflower crust AND vegan cheese options . And in addition to their pizza , ice cream treats and sandwiches will be available soon .

First off , let ’ s address the elephant in the room : How could the good people at Backpocket open a higher-end pizza joint right where a higher-end pizza joint just kind of fell flat on its face ? Well … I don ’ t know a lot about what happened with the previous place , so I can ’ t assign blame . But I do know it wasn ’ t the public ’ s fault . You and me ? It wasn ’ t our fault . We deserve a higher-end pizzeria that reminds us why we love pizzerias . The Tri-States are worthy of that . Moving on .

Let ’ s take that first image I evoked . The pizza arcade . Do you know what ’ s also in the Novelty Iron Works building down in the Millwork District ? A friggin ’ arcade . And it ’ s a GOOD arcade , too . Because it serves beer . It ’ s a beercade . Think of it as an old friend who moved away in middle school . And now that you ’ ve reconnected , it ’ s just like old times . Except now you ’ re both old enough to drink . That ’ s what it ’ s like . Pizza and arcade games . It ’ s like I ’ m having my eighth birthday at Pucci ’ s Pizza all over again . Except the pizza ’ s better . And Guitar Hero has been invented .

What was the second image I tried to evoke ? Oh yeah ! The Parmesan and red pepper flake shakers ! Driftless Pizza has ‘ em . I know , big wow eh ? It IS kind of a big wow . Because you don ’ t usually see those at higher-end pizzerias . Certainly not like this with the dry-good shaker Parmesan you buy in the sprinkle canisters . That stuff is what Parmesan connoisseurs call “ not real Parmesan .” Whatever . We don ’ t need to listen to them to know what tastes good .

As for the highbrow pizza offerings ? Well … let ’ s just say you probably don ’ t NEED red pepper flakes on a pizza like their Figgy the White , which features “ a garlic confit base topped with feta , prosciutto , caramelized onions , ricotta and a swirl of fig drizzle .” Boy howdy does it stand alone without them . But Driftless doesn ’ t make that decision for you . Because those canisters of sprinkle Parm and red pepper flakes I keep going on about represent more than just flavor . They represent possibilities .

Let ’ s get back on those pizzas , eh ? That ’ s what you really care about , eh ? Truth be told , I ’ m almost always underwhelmed by a higher-end pizzeria ’ s specialty pizzas . I ’ m a pick-your-topping kinda fella . I ’ ve weirdly been into mushroom and banana pepper lately .

But I was fully on board with ordering Driftless ’ s specialty pizzas anyway . Because if they can wrap me submissively around a pizza with ingredients an ’ 80s pizzeria probably never even heard of … then we can sure as hell trust them with a classic pepperoni pizza .

Before I get into the specifics of these specialty pizzas we tried , let me preemptively answer a question you ’ re sure to have : What the hell is Detroit-style pizza ? Driftless serves their pizzas as your choice of Detroit or New York style . I ’ m sure you have enough of a grasp on what New York-style pizza is . It ’ s done battle with Chicago style for decades . But Detroit style ? Huh ? Well let me answer your question with another question : Do you like the burnt cheesy parts of a pizza ? Because if you do , I ’ m telling you right now that Detroit style is your favorite style of pizza . Detroit style is a deepdish pizza , but not as deep as Chicago style . And it ’ s made in a rectangular pan . And there ’ s no margin between crust and cheese . By that , I mean the cheese is sprinkled over the entire thing to the point where it gathers around the edges and gets that burnt cheese goodness all around it . Driftless Pizza ’ s Detroit-style is even more miraculous as far as burnt cheese goes because the cheese looks