Make Me Some Pie: A pie blog in Portland, Oregon. » Savory

Pecan & Chicken Pot Pies at Pine State Biscuits

Joel — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:45:43 +0000

Pecan Pie @ Pine State Biscuits

Pine State Biscuits is one of my favorite breakfast spots in Portland and I’ve gone a lot more since they opened a second location on Alberta with more seating in addition to the original Belmont location. Along with their amazing breakfast sandwiches, they also offer pecan pie and chicken pot pie (at the Alberta location).

Let’s start with the good, and that was the pecan pie. This is just a good solid take on traditional pecan pie. It was balanced, with a good amount of pecans and the right amount of sugary goo. The crust didn’t sway me one way or the other, it just did it’s job with little fanfare. It was served with just about the right size whip cream mountain as well.

However, I’ll be honest, if you’re going to go with a dessert there – go with their seasonal strawberry shortcake when they have it. They specialize in biscuits, so it’s naturally going to be amazing.

Now on to the bad. We also tried the chicken pot pie, which I believe is only on the menu at the Alberta location. First off, it’s not really pie, it’s a mixture of chicken, veggies and gravy with a biscuit topping. I knew that going in, so I’m not complaining about it – just letting you know.

The chicken pot pie just did not have a lot of flavor… I think they used their mushroom gravy instead of the sausage gravy, which seemed really bland in comparison and I didn’t think there was enough of their delicious fried chicken either. It also took a long time for them to prepare – which added to the disappointment after you’d been anticipating some serious chicken pot pie goodness.

Verdict: The pecan pie is fine if you’re in the mood for it. I don’t recommend the chicken pot pie; stick with the Reggie and the other excellent sandwiches.

A Meat á la Mode Smörgåsbord

Joel — Thu, 26 May 2011 04:51:13 +0000

Kristina Von Kroug at Meat á la Mode has been on a fateful path to pie stardom since she won the Pietopia pie/writing contest in 2009. Her winning entry, which spoke of her soul-sucking job and her desire to make pies for a living actually lead to her losing her job and pursuing her dream after her superiors saw the winning entry.

Meat á la Mode specializes in meat pies and savory ice creams. The pies, according to Kristina, “explore the flavors of more rarely used game meats such as rabbit, oxtail, or alligator.” She said that she models her pies after a more “medieval” style of pies – which is totally cool because that is where pie got its start.

Kristina was kind enough to give me a sampler platter of a few Meat á la Mode pies. I tried the Oxtail Veggie & Dill, Chicken & Rhubarb and Coconut Pulled Pork.

Oxtail Veggie & Dill: This was my least favorite of the three. It had a pretty strong dill flavor, which I’m not a huge fan of personally, and I think that’s the biggest thing that threw me off. It also seemed to be a little light on the meat. Nonetheless, I did enjoy it, even though I am a “recovering picky eater” who has never had a lot of rare meats, like oxtail (which is cattle tail… you probably knew that, but I didn’t). The flavors were balanced so that the fact that I was eating a meat I wasn’t used to wasn’t even noticeable. I give this pie a 3.5 out of 5 rating.

Chicken & Rhubarb: This one I was a little iffy on because it seemed like a strange combo. Rhubarb has a very strong flavor, which is fantastic with loads of sugar in sweet pie form, but in a savory pie with chicken? However, I was pleasantly surprised. Kristina does a great job of balancing the flavors in this pie and it really works. I give it a 4 out of 5 rating.

Coconut Pulled Pork: Again, I was a little iffy on this one because I’m not a coconut fan, but this pie is packed with delicious pulled pork, and the coconut is very subtle. Kristina said this is one of her most popular offerings, and I can see why. She serves it with her spicy mango BBQ sauce, which is amazing and complements the pie perfectly. I give this pie a solid 4.5 out of 5 rating!

Generally speaking, I was really impressed with these little golden pies (literally, she sprays a touch of 24k gold on the crust to give it that medieval touch). The crust is really done well, flaky on the outer layer, a little bit chewy on the inner layer and durable (they held up very well in the refrigerator and reheated nicely).

And, keep in mind that if you are a more adventurous eater than myself, you will probably like the more exotic meats and flavors that she offers (check out her full list of offerings – she is helping to Keep Portland Weird, and Pied) – so don’t put too much stock in the 3.5 rating on the oxtail… I think other people would probably like it more than me, especially if you like dill. But, generally speaking, I think all eaters would be very happy with the traditional offerings that Meat á la Mode has to offer.

Oh, and I didn’t get a chance to try the ice creams, but I’m guessing they complement the pies as well!

Kristina has long term plans to find a full time commercial kitchen/ pie shop and you can help her bring Meat á la Mode to the masses by donating money via the PayPal link on her website. Or you can order pies – call her at 503-702-0002 or email meatalamode [at] gmail.com.

Whiffies – Chicken Pot Pie and Mac & Cheese w/ Bacon

Joel — Tue, 17 May 2011 18:26:02 +0000

Ah, the long awaited review of Whiffies. Of all the wonderful places to eat pie in Portland, I would say that Whiffies has generated the most attention in the last few years. I think there’s a few reasons for that… 1.) They were on the ground floor of the exploding food cart scene in Portland 2.) They’ve been very active on Twitter and were kind of on the ground floor of that trend as well 3.) It’s fried pie… it’s very unique, very Portland.

But that bares the question – is their success attributable to these factors, or does the mighty fried pie hold up on its own?

I feared the answer may have been the former, which is part of the reason I’d been putting off officially reviewing them. I thought the review might not be great, because I had been there one time before (prior to launching this blog) and I had the chocolate cream pie, which I wasn’t overly impressed with.

I’m happy to report, though, that I was impressed with the two latest pies I tried (and I’m not just saying it to be nice). I went with savory pies because I heard that’s really where they excel. The chicken pot pie really stood out, the filling is deliciously creamy and has nice, moist chunks of chicken and a good balance of veggies.

On the other hand, I was slightly disappointed by the Mac & Cheese w/ Bacon… but that’s because I think I got the Mac and Cheese w/ Peas instead of bacon by mistake… it was a sad day for me. But, even with all the peas, which I pretty much detest, I did think the mac and cheese part of it was pretty good.

The crust in general at Whiffies is pretty solid. Definitely not my favorite, but it’s a bit of a different beast since it’s fried. It has a good level of flakiness, though, but it’s not so flaky that it falls apart – which is good, since these are actually intended to be eaten by hand. They also aren’t really greasy, which is nice since they are hand-held, and impressive given that they are deep fried.

Overall, my rating of Whiffies is 4 out of 5 slices. But since it’s pretty much become a Portland institution, I’ll bump it up to a 4.5 out of 5, because it’s got that “it” factor.

Whiffies menu varies night-to-night and that’s part of the “it” factor – owner Gregg Abbott comes up with some creative fillings. I’ve seen Beef Brisket, Reuben, Pizza, Peanut Butter and Jelly, Apple Bacon and many other unique pie fillings on the menu. They often have vegan options as well. Follow @whiffies.

Whiffies Fried Pie Cart
12th & Hawthorne
Portland OR

Pie Review: Baker & Spice – Blackberry Hand Pie

Joel — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:01:08 +0000

Baker & Spice doesn’t always have pie available, but when I saw that they had blackberry hand pies available on their Facebook page, I made the short journey there from my work to sample the goodness. Update: they do have whole pies available Fridays, Saturdays and sometimes on Sundays for walk-in customers.

I bought two, one for me and one for my wife. I ended up eating both because my wife slacked on eating it fast enough. I also promised myself that I would only eat half of mine at work and save the other half for later. I failed at doing so.

I’d say these are in a different category than what I usually write about, but they do qualify as pie in my mind. However, this was much more of a “pastry” that you’d pick up with some coffee to go, rather than something you’d eat with ice cream after dinner (although… it’d be good with ice cream).

Nevertheless, the presentation on this pie was excellent, just look at the photos.

The crust was awesome. It was insanely flakey on the outer layers, but as you got closer to the filling, it was more of a chewy crust. Best of both worlds. I recommend that you eat this with a fork, though. The flakes from the crust will end up in your lap.

The filling was delicious and fresh and everything that a pie filling should be. Great flavor and not too sweet, they really let the berries do the talking. It was also a good consistency, not too runny, and not too much filling. It had an excellent filling to crust ratio. My only problem is that I was dumb enough to actually eat this by hand and it ended up being quite messy… but, I am a messy eater also, so maybe it was just me (I’d still recommend eating it on a plate, though).

Overall Rating: 5 out 5 slices. I really loved this pie and that is evident in the fact that I simply couldn’t resist eating ALL of the pies that I bought. I was offended that my wife didn’t seem that interested in eating it, so I ATE her piece of it. If you put 5 slices of this in front of me, I would eat 5 slices. So, I’ve got to go with 5 slices.

Other Notes: Baker & Spice owner Julie Richardson knows her desserts and has written a book with award-winning chef Cory Schreiber called “Rustic Fruit Desserts”, which covers crumbles, cobblers, crisps, Betty’s, buckles and pies (naturally). I haven’t had a look, but I’m sure there’s a ton of good stuff in there. It looks like Richardson also owns (or is strongly affiliated with!) a baking supply shop called Sweet Wares, which is located in the same complex as Baker & Spice. Sweet Wares has baking supplies, ingredients and cooking classes (including pie classes!).

Like I said, pie isn’t an everyday item at Baker & Spice, but they do take orders for whole pies, so if you want to give it a try, go for it (the holidays are just around the corner!).

Baker & Spice
6330 Sw Capitol Hwy,
Portland, OR 97239

Pie Review: Immortal Pie & Larder, Andouille Sausage & Sweet Potato

Joel — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:42:39 +0000

Immortal Pie & Larder is basically a take n’ bake pie shop (or, take & reheat). Along with tasty pies, they have wine, beer and other tasty food goods available.

They don’t offer very many “traditional” savory pies, per se, but all the pies on their menu sound interesting and tasty. I’m just saying, don’t go expecting a traditional chicken pot pie or anything.

I chose the andouille sausage and sweet potato pie, as I knew these were two ingredients I would enjoy.

And ENJOY I did.

I love how they’re sold in little bake-able cardboard pie tins (ala Papa Murphy’s) and come with reheat instructions. The pie itself is visually appealing and has kind of a… rustic, old-timey pie feel to it.

The crust was solid & had a nice level of flakiness.

The filling was delicious. The andouille was very good – spicy as it should be – and it worked very nicely with the sweet potato. My only knock on the filling is that the pie wasn’t jam-packed with filling.

Overall, I give this pie a solid 4 out of 5 slice rating with my only knock being don’t skimp on the filling.

Make sure to visit Immortal Pie & Larder for your pie and other sundry food item needs.

Immortal Pie & Larder
8029 Southeast Stark Street
Portland, OR 97215-2343

More: Visit Yelp for more reviews.

Review: Olympic Provisions – Pork Rillette Hand Pie

admin — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:39:25 +0000

UPDATE: This reviewer really liked Olympic Provisions Pork Rillette Hand Pie, but Food & Wine Magazine liked it even more. The dish was named to Food & Wine’s top 10 restaurant dishes for 2010 – so needless to say, I think it’s good.

Guest Review by Paul W.

I’ll admit, when I headed out to Olympic Provisions, I expected something completely different than what I got. It is in an industrial area with terrible parking. I thought it would be a charcuterie shop, full of sausages for sale and with a couple tables you could sit at to enjoy something off the small menu. What I got, was a full-on restaurant, more like a charcuterie version of a tapas bar.

But anyway, this isn’t a restaurant review, this is a pie review. Olympic Provisions only has one pie on the menu – the Pork Rillette Pie. And believe me, it’s the only pie they need.

Presentation: Very nice. A round white plate surrounds the beautiful golden brown half-moon shaped hand pie. A garnish of cornichons, pickled onions and whole grain mustard not only fills the plate, but compliments the pie very nicely.

Crust: Golden brown, flaky, and full of buttery flavor. The filling was so good I could have done with a little less crust, but it was really, really nice.

Filling: What can I say, pork rillettes (pork cooked slowly in fat until it falls apart) are perfect all on there own. Therefore, they are even better stuffed inside a delicious crust. They must have a quality pork purveyor, because this stuff was just full of porky goodness.

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 slices. My only negative is that it is a hand pie. Meaning, it is pretty small. Luckily, they are only 4 bucks, so you can buy 2.

Check out Olympic Provisions @ 107 SE Washington St, Portland 97214, www.olympicprovisions.com

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Pie Review: Random Order Coffeehouse and Bakery, Chipotle Pork Pie

Joel — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:52:24 +0000

Random Order Coffeehouse and Bakery in the Alberta area of Portland is one of the tried-and-true vets of the Portland pie-scene and, according to their website, they have the hardware to prove it. They’ve won several “best of” awards from the Oregonian and other Portland blogs.

They pride themselves in offering all local ingredients, including baking supplies from Bob’s Red Mill, dairy from Sunshine Dairy, and other ingredients from local farms.

It’s also one of my favorites so far because it is open late, has adult-beverages and exceptional coffee available and they feature both savory and sweet pies, so you can make a square-meal of it. My wife and I shared their Chipotle Pork pie and their Chocolate Cream pie the other night.

Pie Profile: Chipotle Pork, Random Order Coffehouse and Bakery, Portland, OR
Presentation: I guess this isn’t the most attractive meat pie I’ve ever seen, but it wasn’t sloppy either, it held together nicely. They are served by the slice, so you have to wait a little bit for them to reheat it… but it’s worth the wait.

Crust: If I could knock anything, it’s that there wasn’t more crust! Maybe my problem was that I was sharing. It’s a fairly substantial crust on the edges, but at the same time, it’s relatively light and airy and it’s quite flaky.

Filling: This pie featured a tender and delicious pork from Carlton Farms in Carlton, Oregon, plus cabbage and potatoes from local farms. What brings it all together is a spicy, but not-too-spicy Chipotle sauce. All the flavors worked together well. The crust was great, but the filling is what this pie was all about.

Overall Rating: I have to go 5 out of 5 here (I’m starting to think I’m not a very discerning savory pie-taster, but whatever, I’ve really enjoyed each one so far). Great pie with a unique, but very palatable filling. I’m not a big cabbage person usually (although I’ll eat a Reuben any day), but everything worked together really well.

Notes: If you like beer and pie, we washed it down with a nice Terminal Gravity IPA, which I would recommend with this pie.
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Pie Review: Pacific Pie Co., Beef + Stout

Joel — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:21:42 +0000

So when I did my first review of Pacific Pie Co., I had the Creamy Chicken, and I may have been a little overenthusiastic when I gave it five slices, because I had their Beef + Stout recently, and it was definitely better than the Creamy Chicken (not to discredit the Creamy Chicken, but seriously, I didn’t know what I was missing).

Pie Profile: Beef + Stout, Pacific Pie Co. – Portland, OR

Presentation: Again, I love the presentation here. The pies are the perfect size and the simplicity of their design is very pleasing.

Crust: An amazingly flaky and buttery crust.

Filling: The filling was the best part of this pie! The sauce is made with Space Stout from local brewer Laurelwood. The filling includes grass fed beef braised with organic carrots and yukon gold potatoes. My favorite thing was that the filling was so evenly distributed, there was seriously beef, potatoes and carrot in every bite!

Overall score: Five out of five slices, of course. The Creamy Chicken I reviewed earlier was still very good – but the Beef + Stout is definitely my favorite. Beer + pie = awesome.

Review: Pacific Pie Co. – Creamy Chicken

Joel — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 01:19:49 +0000

Ah, my first pie review. This is what it’s all about – having a blog that gives me an excuse to eat pie.

For my first review, I decided to try Pacific Pie Co. for a couple reasons:

1. They just opened the doors a few weeks ago (although they’ve been around in a catering capacity longer)

2. Tradiationally speaking, I haven’t eaten a lot of savory pie in my life (because I’m American as Apple Pie), but I want to expand my horizons.

My plan was to try their Beef & Stout, which is made with beer from local brewers at Laurelwood. However, I came in on January 22, the day before National Pie Day, which meant lots of media exposure for the new pie shop. Drew Carney himself, Portland’s favorite out and about TV reporter visited that day, so that helped it be the busiest day yet for the shop, which is awesome!

As a result, they had run out of the Beef & Stout at the time, so I instead elected to go with the Creamy Chicken, their take on the classic Chicken Pot Pie. The filling included free range chicken & organic peas and carrots all in a creamy white sauce.

In my reviews, I’ll keep it simple with three categories: Presentation, Crust, Filling and an Overall score, which is a 1-5 slice of pie scale (5 being the top score) – so here we go!

Pie Profile: Creamy Chicken, Pacific Pie Co. – Portland, OR

Presentation: The pies are sold in a personal size, which is just about the perfect amount of food for a person. They indicate the type of pie by placing a piece of dough shaped like the animal/vegetable/etc. that is the key ingredient on top. It is both pleasing to the eye and tasty. The pie is served on a simple white plate, which I find quite tasteful as well; it really places the focus on what’s important, the gorgeous PIE.

Crust: Beautiful looking crust, perfectly golden. Excellent level of flakiness. The edge of the top crust also had just a little more crispiness, which is my favorite part of a pie, when done right.

Filling: Chalk full of tasty chicken and when you can find a way for me to eat all of my peas and carrots, you must be doing something right. The sauce was a really nice consistency, not too runny & not too thick. Very tasty and very simple – really lets the quality ingredients speak for themselves.

Overall score: I’m giving it five out five slices. I haven’t had a lot of meat pies in my life, but this made me realize what I’ve been missing out on. I will definitely be returning to Pacific Pie Co. located at 609 SE Ankeny St, Suite C, Portland, OR.

Notes: The owners, Sarah Curtis-Fawley and Chris Powell were both working when I came in & they made the Australian meat-pie experience even more authentic, not only because of Chris’s accent, but also because of they are genuinely friendly folks!

Their story of how they got to this point is quite interesting, I won’t rehash it, but I will tell you that it includes learning the tricks of the trade in Australia, mountain biking, and a cross-country drive from Philadelphia to Portland! Underthetablewithjen.com has a great post about Sarah and Chris, and the Pacific Pie Co. blog itself will help you get to know these pie-entrepreneurs better.