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Artichoke Basille's founders open 2nd Detroit-style pie brand location in NYC

Photo: Provided.

September 11, 2019

Artichoke Basill's founders said this week they will open a second location of their Detroit-style pizza brand, Lions & Tigers & Squares (LTS for short ), in Manhattan's East Village soon after breaking ground recently on a space at Tenth Street and Second Ave. The new store should open by year's end with inside and patio seating, a news release said. 

Lions & Tigers & Squares was conceived last year by Artichoke Basille co-founders, Francis Garcia and Sal Basille. The two decided to open the Detroit-style pizza brand after visiting Detroit's Buddy's Pizza during filming of their Cooking Channel series, Pizza Cuz. The new brand specializes in Motown's square pan pizza with the caramelized cheese crust. The brand's name references the Detroit Lions, Detroit Tigers, and the city's signature square pies. 

"We know good pizza but weren't sure how well it would be received by true New Yorkers, but the response has been so incredible we jumped at the opportunity for a second location near where we started Artichoke more than a decade ago: the East Village," Garcia said in the release. 

The East Village location menu includes four-slice Detroit-style square pies in everything from cheese and pepperoni, to baby meatball and black olive. The brand's signature Mustard Pie with spicy brown mustard and cheddar cheese will also be available. The first Manhattan location is situated at 268 West 23rd St. in Chelsea.