Stop 036: Blue Pan (Highlands)

Blue Pan

Location: 3930 West 32nd Ave., Denver CO 80212


I recently got multiple reports from my lead pizza scout pushing Blue Pan, so I decided to see if his words were laced with snake oil.  Blue Pan serves up Detroit style pizza, something new to me as of a year ago, but the only Detroit style pizza I had thus far was solid.  I need to come clean here, as I just mentioned, I have only known of Detroit style pizza for about a year,  and recently I was slightly to moderately condescending towards someone who did not know what Detroit style pizza was...
I am not proud of some of the things I gotta do to stay on top of the pizza pecking order.  Anyways, after placing my carryout order I sat in the busy dining room and waited.  Detroit style pizza cooks longer than your typical pie, so be patient.  While waiting for my pizza I  opted to eavesdrop on a conversation at the closest table.  Pretty average stuff, until there was a break in conversation and one of the guys said “where can I get a good wrap in the highlands?”  That question sucks on so many levels, but I really love how he asked the question assuming  there are so many places with good wraps in Denver that he could actually specify a particular neighborhood (Highlands).  I’m not sure why I was so  irritated about that guy asking about wraps, but after getting lost in thought for 20 minutes my pizza was ready.  It looked so good i smiled when I opened the box.   After eating slice #1 understood that Blue Pan pizza is enjoyable.  However, it’s a little saltier than I am accustomed to, kinda like a kiss from a mermaid.  The saltiness can be forgiven because their sauce is boss!  Zesty, thick, and dominating!  Since the sauce is presented on top of the cheese, it is possible to get a rather dry bite, which is why  I would like to see their sauce get under the cheese and do some flavorful damage.  To prevent any sauceless bites I simply spread the small pools of sauce across my future slices to assure a more proper distribution.  Detroit style comes with a thick, greasy,  yet crisp crust underneath the goods.   However, with Detroit style comes the reality that the edge of each slice is truly the end, with no crust to nibble while you plan what slice to attack next.  The toppings easily met my expectations, and there is no doubt they use quality ingredients, but Blue Pan’s prices are a bit too high considering I got an oil change the same day for $3 less than my 8 slice pie.   The only other drawback  is that the next day your slice loses quite a bit of it’s glamor,  kinda like parking an Audi 4 in your garage and waking up to find a Dodge Stratus.