PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

When it comes to St. Louis-style pizza, it’s all about the cheese.

Or, in this case, Provel, a processed, slightly smoky blend of Swiss, cheddar and provolone that’s a staple in the Midwest. It has a low melting point that creates a smooth, gooey layer over tangy, red sauce and a thin, crackery crust that’s cut into squares.

Caliente Pizza & Draft House now offers the Midwestern favorite.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

When it comes to square pizza, my allegiance will always lie with Sir Pizza, another Midwestern brand that staked a claim in the North Hills 50 years ago. The knight’s slicing method is the same, but the cheese is smoked provolone and the toppings are crumbled and distributed to the edge.

At Caliente, if you add sweet sausage and pepperoni to your pie, it’s called a St. Louis Country Grammar, a nod to rapper Nelly, who was born in The Lou.

District Manager Jay Falk fell in love with the style while attending the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas and hopes to make it a permanent fixture on the menu, along with Caliente’s other culinary tributes to other cities, including Brooklyn, New York; Detroit; and Chicago.

Caliente has a dozen locations in the Pittsburgh area and a couple in State College in Centre County.

Dough Daddy Brewery, Caliente’s sister business in West Deer, specializes in Siclian-style pies.