Signature Dishes: Birdville Pie, the ‘top-secret’ pizza at Phillippi’s in Harrison
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This is part of an ongoing series highlighting Signature Dishes at locally owned restaurants in the region. See Trib Total Media’s new online directory of restaurants, Dine Local, at dinelocal.triblive.com.
The bird’s the word at one pizzeria in Harrison.
The best-selling Birdville Pie is the draw and signature menu item at Phillippi’s Family Dining & Pizzeria in Natrona Heights.
The uniquely flavored thin-crust pizza is topped with a blend of top-secret cheeses and spices and made with fresh in-house dough and sauce.
Co-owners Mark and Kim Phillippi said the recipe came with the sale of the business back in 1994.
“There’s no evidence for anyone to find,” Mark Phillippi said of the recipe that has remained under wraps for more than 80 years.
The couple revealed little about what goes into a Birdville Pie, but one thing that doesn’t is the traditional mozzarella and provolone cheeses found in your run-of-the-mill pizza.
The name pays homage to the former Birdville section of Harrison, where Phillippi’s is located, in a building that originally housed a Birdville Post Office.
The Birdville Pie story began in Arnold, when Lefty and Mooney Martz sold their business, P&M Pizza, to the Phillippis.
The Phillippis trained for six months with the Martzes, learning the exact, still-mysterious methods used to keep the Birdville Pie consistent.
The White Birdville Pie features oil and garlic for a one-of-a-kind taste.
Birdville Pies are sold in three sizes with a large 8-cut priced at $11.99.
For the Phillippis, the Birdville Pie is what started it all and keeps many of their loyal customers coming back.
“It’s not going anywhere,” Kim Phillippi said.
Craving a Birdville Pie you can enjoy at home? Order a par-baked Birdville Pie, half-baked and sold frozen, like a take-and-bake food item.
Phillippi’s server Maura Wiley said she rarely takes an order from a customer that isn’t for a Birdville Pie.
“I’d say compared to a regular pizza, the taste is creamier and my customers can taste the difference,” Wiley said.
Kitchen manager Rachel Garia makes about 200 Birdville Pies daily, beginning at 8 a.m.
“We make the sauce and dough every day,” Garia said.
Phillippi’s offers a full breakfast, lunch and dinner menu offering Black Angus burgers, wings, pastas, quesadillas, wraps and specialty sandwiches.
Phillippi’s Family Dining & Pizzeria (2105 Freeport Road) opens daily at 8 a.m. and closes at 11 p.m. Monday-Thursday, midnight Friday-Saturday and 10 p.m. on Sundays. Call 724-226-3505 or go to phillippis.com.