'77 Club Opens with New Mobile Pizza Oven
Now is the right time to join the '77 Club and be part of the New Wave of pizza hitting the streets.
The ‘77 Club is going all in on pizza. After a year of touring the city introducing the panzunno to the Pittsburgh population. The panzunno was always a stop gap measure. A way to crank out a pizza adjacent product while displaying their pizza prowess, hospitality and overall artistry of the pizza form.
The panzunno is well received, everyone I know has enjoyed it. But it’s not quite pizza. The panzunno is more of a pizza sandwich, thicker, missing some of the elements that come with a disc format that we know and love with pizza. Brittani and Dustin of the ‘77 Club knew this too. So they went on a pilgrimage for a pizza oven.
Last week they embarked on a cross country trip taking them down to Texas to retrieve the new oven. It’s a large, glimmering turtle shell, the crew are happy with it. Benefits include making more pizzas, panuozzo, expanding their repertoire
Finally, the ‘77 Club can provide that service at scale. They now tow their brand new wood fired oven around town to provide pizzas at events, breweries, or, heck, even your wedding if you’re lucky enough to get on their schedule.
To start they are offering up their panzunno as pizzas. At the inaugural outing they had four pizzas available and we tried all four of them: The Luana, Blockhead, TV Party, Big Iron.
The toppings are the same as the panzunno, but new to this experience is their pizza dough. I was lucky enough to sample a ‘77 Club pizza last May. Ever since that excursion, I’ve wanted another go at the disc. The dough has evolved a bit since that outing. The dough is light and airy. It’s perfectly plump, like the tube of a bike tire. Each bite is delicious and pleasurable.
The pizzas are incredibly light. You will not find yourself bloated or uncomfortable eating this pizza. The dough is perfectly fermented, the gluten network well formed to provide enough structure and flavor without a surplus of density. As you grab slice after slice, you’ll find the pizza has vanished and soon you’re humbly walking back up to the ‘77 Club counter to order another pie.
In our session at Eleventh Hour Brewing, me, Christa and pizza pal Mark went through four pizzas without thinking twice. It’s an ideal companion to accompany a beer or to share with friends as a snack. They’ve really dialed in their pizza and I urge you to seek out their pizza for the crust alone. Each pizza has a layer of leopard printing with the occasional bubble. While it was the early days of the new oven, Dustin had honed in on the technique and expertise it takes to put out consistently quality pies.
Let’s talk about some of the pizza varieties for sale.
The Luana Pizza
The Luana is their most basic pizza. But nothing is basic at the ‘77 Club. Pedestrian for them is exotic and alluring to the masses. The smoky tomato sauce lingers in your mouth, the arugula provides a peppery crunch, while the basil adds a blast of flavor. Their mozzarella is drippy and delicious. It’s a quality pizza.
Christa and Mark were wondering why the pizza was so smoky, thinking maybe the Texas origin of the oven had something to do with it. I mentioned that it was actually the smoked tomatoes used in the sauce, but for some reason they didn’t think that was it. But I’m telling you now - it is.
Blockhead
Hi I’d like to introduce you to your new favorite pizza. “I don’t really like white pizzas” you may say. You will like this. The crispy potatoes, the cream fraiche, fontina, thyme and caramelized onion pack a wallop of flavor. You should order two of these if you have a group. The cheese mix together so well creating a flavor that is savory, creamy and comforting.
TV Party
The TV Party is a pizza for the heat seekers and pepperoni freaks. I’m not a huge pepperoni fan but kept coming back to this pizza to get more of the crust, even sacrificing some of the pepperonis. It’s a fine pizza, but when I go to the ‘77 Club I look forward to their more exotic flavors and pairings.
Still, I bet they sell more of this pizza than any other variety so what do I know.
Big Iron
On paper I’ve been thinking a lot about getting my hands on the Big Iron pizza. It’s the Luana pizza with porchetta. Should be good. This was a rare miss. There was an odd crunchy flavor that both Christa and Mark noticed. It was almost like a very potent green onion. It over powered the pizza unbalancing the ecosystem. Maybe a misfire, or something they’ll continue to fine-tune as they roll out their pizza menu.
Update: After publishing this the ‘77 Club reached out to me with this Big Iron update:
Looking forward to every service so we can get better and better. Absolutely noted about Big Iron. I was playing around with adding porchetta marinade as a topping (the green onion taste) I've had mixed feelings as well. This is our basic introduction menu, we have more up our sleeves! Let's punch a hole in these clouds and get pizza'd!
Continuous improvement is the baseline of pizza excellence! I’m also wondering now if it should be called the Pig Iron?
Track Down the ‘77 Club
A few weeks ago when talking to Josh of Rockaway Pizzeria, I asked him what advice he had for up and coming pizza makers. He advises that you shouldn’t get into pizza unless you really, really, really love pizza.
It’s never been more apparent that the ‘77 Club loves pizza. They have gone all in on this endeavor. What we are seeing from them is just the beginning of their pizza journey. The nadir. This is the beginning of a new age of Pittsburgh pizza and I implore you to track them down at your earliest convenience.
In the long lineage of mobile pizza ovens that have drifted across the Pittsburgh pizza landscape, ‘77 Club stands among the new frontier delivery delicious and unique pizza throughout the city.
4/11 - Coven brewery - 5pm - 9pm
4/12 - Hellbender Vinyl - 5:30pm - 10pm
4/13 - Four Points Brewery - 1pm - 6pm
Follow them on Instagram for more updates and antics!
I find the work of the ‘77 Club endlessly exciting. I hope you get a chance to try them out with their new pizza oven!
Pizza ya later!
-Dan Tallarico, Pizza Journalist
Nice pictures, good writing , interesting story, I like white pizza myself, don’t like pepperoni either