Is there a pizza so incredible that it’s worth risking your life to get it? Few must confront this existential question, but there it was, facing DishingPizza smack in the face. In every other situation, the lily-livered DishingPizza runs from danger, but this wasn’t just pizza — it was Hudson & Packard (H&P) coal-fired Detroit pizza on the mean streets of Poughkeepsie.1
Game on.
There are only a few Detroit-style pizzerias on DishingPizza’s home turf, so it’s a treat to eat out of town. Detroit-style pizza isn’t dainty, and DishingPizza doesn’t consider it a delicacy. The rectangular shape and focaccia-like crust of Detroit pizza are reminiscent of Italian-run pizzerias in the 70s slinging Sicilian slices, with one key difference. The wide ribbons of sauce atop the cheese on Detroit pizza distinguish it from Sicilian pizza.
In H&P’s case, the sauce is the right kind of flavorful – well-seasoned, heavy on the oregano, but not overpowering. The cheese is the equal of the sauce – a well-crafted, mild mozzarella that’s not greasy.
Readers may examine the photo and notice the charred edges, a delicious, hard crust with baked-in, slightly burned cheese. The juxtaposition of the hard edges and the soft inner-crust lights DishingPizza’s coal fire. The rectangular pizza is 8″ x 10″, ensuring that all four pieces have two sides of the crust. Although H&P could offer larger pizzas, the middle pieces would lack the character of the outer ones. In this case, size matters, and Hudson & Packard has it right. A superb specimen of Detroit pizza in an improbable location.
Veni, vidi, vici. After DishingPizza came, saw, and conquered Hudson & Packard, a friendly Lyft driver came to the rescue. While DishingPizza might be willing to die for pizza, it was not willing to die after eating and before reviewing this stellar pizza.
1 Okay, maybe the Poughkeepsie streets weren’t totally mean, but they were desolate, with boarded-up storefronts. The walk to Hudson & Packard was harrowing, even in the daylight. The few people staggering around behaved erratically.
Hudson and Packard
29 Academy St, Poughkeepsie, NY
Type: Detroit style
Pizza Quality: 🍕🍕🍕🍕
Overall experience: ⭐
Pie (8″ x 10″ rectangle): $15
Price per square inch: $0.19