Papa Byrd's Bistro: Where the Food is To-Die-For

Don't let the to-die-for calzones and mouthwatering pizzas coming out of the oven at Papa Byrd's Bistro fool you - this is hardly your father's corner pizzeria.

Not since Mark Truesdell and his niece Tracy Truesdell bought Home Town Pizza in the Bonner Port Mall in February, transforming the 800-square foot pizza parlor into a European-style bistro that has customers lining up at the door, a bulletin board filled with catering orders and the phone ringing off the hook.

Mark Truesdell and his niece Tracy Truesdell serving it up at Papa Byrd's Bistro.

And though their grand opening - that coincides with changing the restaurant's name - won't take place until June 28, business for the Truesdell family couldn't be better.

It is also winning over hundreds of customers, blossoming into a restaurant many say has been desperately needed in Bonners Ferry.

"We've been incredibly blessed by this community since we opened our doors," said Mark Truesdell, a Bonners Ferry native and a 1973 graduate of Bonners Ferry High School. "People have responded to us in a big way from day one. What's most remarkable is that they even call to thank us for their meals after they get home. Our vision was to be an experience, not just a restaurant. People seem to have embraced that as much as we have."

Thanks to an extraordinary menu ranging from three-cheese lasagna to specialty soups and desserts, the Truesdells have quickly turned the bistro in the talk-of-the-town.

"We knew the anchor of the place would always be pizza because we make an exceptional pie," said Mark, who owned an interior design firm in New York City before working in graphic design and advertising in Miami for 14 years.

"When people from Brooklyn ate here and said it was the best pizza they ever had, that's some compliment coming from New Yorkers. But we had a bigger vision than just making pizza. We wanted to create a European-style bistro that serves a variety Italian, Greek and Middle Eastern food."

What also makes it unique are the family ties that connect the Truesdells to the restaurant. Mark and Tracy - who has spent more than 20 years working in restaurants - purchased Home Town Pizza from Tracy's stepmother, who now works in the bistro with another family member. It was dubbed Papa Byrd's Bistro after a nickname given to Mark's late brother, Eric, who was also Tracy's father. He died in December 2007.

"Cooking has played a large role in my life," said Mark. "I've always loved it, and I have had lots of exposure to gracious people who were exquisite chefs and food connoisseurs."

Remodeled with oak tables, soft lighting and a banquet room, Papa Byrd's Bistro seats 30 customers and has four outdoor tables. A beer and wine license is expected soon.

"Coming back to Bonners after all these years was one of the best decisions I made in my life," said Mark. "It was time to reconnect with family and come home."

Papa Byrd’s Bistro is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday – Saturday. Their phone number is 267-0891.