One bird, two bird, Blackbird, blue bird

Kosher vegan pizzeria? Named Blackbird? I bet you're really confused.  It's okay, I was too.  But, as I'm sure you remember from my Dock Street post, when it comes to pizza, I can't say no.  Therefore, when a friend mentioned he was having a reunion at Blackbird, I decided to crash the party and see what vegan pizza was all about.

My spur of the moment decision to go to Blackbird didn't leave much time for menu research, a prelude to most meals I eat out, but I also couldn't go into the restaurant blind.  Thankfully, my iPhone saved the day and I was able to skim Blackbird's menu on the drive to the restaurant.  As I read about Blackbird's unconventional approaches to pizza-making, I was thrilled that I had decided to indulge my impulsive side. The pizzas sounded amazing and unlike anything I had ever heard of before.  While some featured vegan cheese and seitan meats, most of the pizzas separated themselves from the stereotypical marinara/mozzarella duo and formed new identities with ingredients like garlic butter, fennel, and barbeque sauce.

The anticipation of what Blackbird's pizza would taste like had me salivating as the cab pulled up to the restaurant.  The ready-made pizza selection wasn't spectacular--I wished that there had been more pizzas available--but it was still good.  I ended up ordering a slice of Nacho Pizza, which was comprised of avocado, caramelized onions, jalapeno peppers, and cheddar style daiya cheese.  I was definitely not disappointed by my pizza, though it was different than I had expected.  I kind of wanted the pizza to taste "vegan" and to have mysterious elements that separated it from regular pizza.  Instead, the nacho pizza kind of tasted like a regular slice of pizza, with unusual ingredients.  Regardless of the un-vegan tastes, the pizza actually tasted like nachos! It was very cheesy and the jalapenos gave it a spicy kick.  Surprisingly, the pizza was quite doughy and soft.  The only un-nacho-like thing about the pizza though, was the thickness and moistness of the crust.  Had it been thin crust pizza, it might have felt more like a pile of nachos than a piece of bread with nacho ingredients on top of it.

Nacho Pizza

Regardless, the Nacho Pizza was good and I would likely return to Blackbird to try something else.  Maybe next time I'll be a bit more adventurous and go for the South Philly (seitan sausage, broccoli rabe, fennel, eggplant, red sauce, and daiya cheese).

Visit Blackbird Pizzeria:
(215) 625-6660
http://www.blackbirdpizzeria.com/