What's Good

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• Photo by Jennifer Fumiko Cahill
• A thick Detroit pizza from Brett's Pizzeria.

Raised in Detroit, owner Brett Obra (also of Humboldt Bay Bistro) brings two Midwestern pies to our neck of the redwoods, offering thick Detroit and deep-dish Chicago pies, as well as hand-tossed Californian for localists.

The Detroit, trending nationally these days, takes its square shape from the auto-industry pans in which it was first baked. The semolina-dusted bottom has a crunch and the cheese that goes all the way to the edges browns down the sides, making a strong case for the corner piece. Unlike its East Coast counterpart the Sicilian, the light tomato sauce, which is simple and straightforward, tops the pie over a relatively restrained scattering of cheese and pillowy dough filled with steamy air pockets and a little chew. A standard sausage, olive and pepper hits the classic pizza parlor notes, Michigan-hearty on a rainy Humboldt evening. The cheese-centric can order extra or order a Chicago.

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• Photo by Jennifer Fumiko Cahill
• A deep-dish Chicago pizza straight from the oven at Brett's Pizzeria.

Obra himself hoists a Chicago from the oven and tops it with a frantic shake of Parmesan cheese over the spread of red sauce before running a cutter across it in the box. The depth means room for toppings that might collapse a New York slice — there’s capicola on the list of offerings, so you might take advantage. Purists should look away from the chalkboard — here there be monsters/non-traditional choices from pineapple to barbecue, clams and white sauce to taco sauce and jalapeños. They’re crazy out in Midwest.

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• Photo by Jennifer Fumiko Cahill
• Owner Brett Obra slices a hot Chicago pizza to go.