Midtown Lunch

Today Morgan is reporting on the :gasp: vegan pizza at Blackbird.

Blackbird pizza occupies the space that used to be Gianna’s grill. But, unlike Gianna’s, everything on the Blackbird menu is 100% vegan. Gianna’s used to be that perfect middle ground: a place where vegans, vegetarians, and their meat-eating friends could come together and fill up on pizza and sandwiches. However, that era has ended so I grabbed a couple of friends and headed out to see what Blackbird has to offer.

Since the eggplant parmesan was my favorite item on the Gianna’s menu, I decided to order Blackbird’s roasted eggplant grinder. This sandwich consists of marinated eggplant, roasted red peppers, broccoli rabe, roasted garlic butter and is topped with Daiya white ‘cheese’ and toasted in the oven before serving. I was pleasantly surprised. I am not a fan of bell peppers, roasted or otherwise, but the smoky eggplant, sweetness of the peppers, and bite of the broccoli rabe all combined to produce a well-balanced flavor profile. I think the garlic butter made a real difference as well, but the sprinkling of ‘cheese’ didn’t really contribute much at all. However, as much as I was enjoying it, I only made it through half my sandwich. At a certain point I started to have a real texture issue with the eggplant and the peppers. I finished the other half the next day. The sandwich was super tasty, but it is a texture that I can apparently only tolerate in small doses.

My friends got a few of the pizza slices. We sampled the plain, the ‘pepperoni’, and the nacho (jalepeno, carmelized onion, avocado, and cheddar style Daiya ‘cheese’), and a ‘cheesesteak’ slice that was not on the regular menu. The first thing we noticed was that the pizza sauce was not as sweet as we expect pizza sauce to be. It was tangy and more acidic than I am used to. I think I would have enjoyed all the pizza a little more with a more conventional, sweeter sauce. The plain slice was deemed unacceptable by the non-vegans. Hot, stringy, gooey mozeralla cheese is what makes a plain slice of pizza worth eating in the first place. The Daiya, though tasty, simply could not hold a candle to the real thing. The vegan pepperoni and the ‘cheesesteak’ slice got an 8 out of 10 rating from the vegan in the group. The Nacho slice was by far the favorite. Jalepenos and carmelized onions make magic when you put them together. And this was a slice that wasn’t imitating anything you would find at your corner pizza joint (avocado? Hello?). It was a unique flavor that stood alone.

To top it all off I had a black-bottom cream cheese cupcake. The desserts at Blackbird pizza are provided by Vegan Treats, the same bakery that provides the vegan desserts at Govindas. I was a little skeptical. I thought cream cheese would be hard to duplicate both in texture and in flavor. I had even cut the little cupcake in half to share before I started eating. But I ended up keeping both halves for myself. It was as rich and creamy and moist as any non-vegan dessert I’ve ever had.

There is one more thing I have to mention. In the little refridgerator of beverages, they carry DRY soda. DRY is all natural soda that is less sweet than normal and comes in flavors like blood orange, cucumber, and lemongrass. I tried a lavendar soda and was so impressed. I love herbal flavored beverages and the drink was not sweet enough to interfere with the flavor of my meal.

Overall, Blackbird pizza has some interesting and flavorful offerings. I would come here again if I were going to lunch with vegetarian or vegan friends, but I don’t think I would choose to eat here otherwise.

The + (what someone who likes this place would say)

• Yay, vegan food!
• Vegan Treats desserts rock
• Interesting flavor combinations in sandwiches and on slices

The – (what someone who doesn’t like this place would say)

• There are no non-vegan options
• Pizza sauce should be sweeter

Blackbird Pizza, 507 S 6th St (@Lombard), 215 625-6660