It has already been stated by my brother and my west coast
aunt that my family’s relationship with food is a little out of the ordinary.
We love the 2pm ice cream hour and are very particular about what food we
consume and where we dine. We do not frequent meals at chains, and we can only
eat at certain restaurants if they are filled at a 43.5% to 86.8% capacity. And
don’t even get us started on desserts. We are particularly persnickety when it
comes to the after dinner meal. Growing up, I was blessed with the gift that is
my mother’s baking. However, that means it is a rare occasion when I eat desserts
from “the outside.” It’s not that I don’t crave dessert, it’s just I know that
some things will never be as good as my mother’s. A little harsh? Perhaps. But
it has served me well. (Of course,
desserts in Europe are an exception).
For this week I thought, what would be more fun than to do a
pie tour of New York City? When I am in the mood for something sweet I usually ask
my mom where I should go and what I should eat. However, this week I did not seek her advice. I took a
chance by simply googling “best pie in NYC” and allowing the Internet to guide
me. After conducting some research from various articles and blogs I decided
that I would taste pies in Upper Manhattan. The places were selected, all I had
to do was find friends to join me... and go for a run. Like my mother, I love a
good run, and I thought it was only appropriate to exercise before eating many
pies. Recruitment was easy; I selected three of my closet companions who had an
extensive knowledge of Ellen’s pies. Elaine, Erica, and Adrienne were in and so
our afternoon of pie began.
As much as the tour was about enjoying different pies of the
city, we were also to judge each slice. Based on a 1-5 scale (with 1 the worst
and 5 the best), the following were evaluated:
1. Presentation-
was it sliced beautifully or did it look like a mess?
2. Crust-
crust is always tricky because most of the time it is not handmade and tastes
lackluster
3. Overall
Taste
The first stop on my list was Sugar and Plumm on 78th
and Amsterdam. During my research I had learned about their key lime pie with oreo
crust. Unfortunately, the key lime was not available
as a slice and so Elaine, Adrienne, and I decided that we would order peach pie
and peanut butter pie. Knowing that those are two of my mother’s best pies, I tried
to dive into the first slice with an open mind. The pies smelled good, but would they taste it?
Peach Pie
1. Presentation
2.5. Although it looked pretty with the caramel decoration and whipped cream, the
pie itself looked sad. It was falling out of the crust and the crumble on top
looked peculiar.
2. Crust
1.5. It was mediocre, but the crumble topping was surprisingly delicious.
3. Taste
2.5. We were sad to discover that the peaches were perhaps not fresh.
1. Presentation
4. It looked pretty with its decorative Reese’s cups and chocolate/peanut
butter chips.
2. Crust
3.5. It had a graham cracker crust that was nice, but you couldn’t really taste
it.
3. Taste
3.8. It was very tasty, all of the flavors worked, especially with some
chocolate between the peanut butter and crust. It was rich, but not
overpowering. It also had a nice consistency.
Our experience at Sugar and Plumm set us off to a great start!
Leaving Elaine on the West Side, Adrienne and I hopped in a cab heading east to meet Erica at our next location.
Agata
and Valentina’s on 79th and 1st Ave was next on our agenda. Agata’s is actually
a fine food store, but they have a gorgeous dessert section with cakes,
napoleans, cream puffs, tarts, you name it. I was strictly advised to go to
Agata’s by a co-worker (whom I lovingly refer to as Mama Bird) who praises the
store night and day and says that I must try the fruit tart. I know fruit tart
is not pie, but I always listen to Mama Bird.
For the
Fruit Tart…
1. Presentation
5. Beautiful for a tiny tart.
2. Crust
3.5. It tasted like a cookie and was a little difficult to maneuver with
plastic forks and spoons.
3. Taste
3.5. Tasty custard and fruit, but the fruit did not taste as fresh as I would
have liked.
We then selected the Cherry Berry
Crumb “Tart”/Pie
1. Presentation
3.5. Erica and Adrienne thought it looked fine, I thought it looked lame. I
would have given it a lower number, but I didn’t want to seem like a snob.
2. Crust
1. It was SUPER mushy. Unfortunate.
3. Taste
4. The filling was delicious. It had the right amount of tart.
Next stop was Two Little Red Hens on 86th and 2nd.
The bakery was adorable and had tasty-looking cakes and cookies.
We sampled
a classic Apple Crumb
1. Presentation 5.
2. Crust
3. Dry but not terrible
3. Taste
4 (I’d give it a 3.5). We thought it was tasty, but the other desserts were most likely better. If only the slice had been served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream…
The last leg of our journey was at Yura on Madison located at 92nd and Madison. (We did lots of walking that day- but it was good because it made us feel like we didn't each so much pie). Yura very much embodied the
Upper East Side vibe and I liked it. While I carefully looked at the pie
options from behind the glass, Adrienne already chose our last pies. I’m so glad she made the decision because they ended up being the
best pies of the day.
Coconut Custard (on left)
1. Presentation
3. Looked appetizing!
2. Crust
4.5. We thought it was the best crust of the tour. Nice and flakey.
3. Taste
5. So incredibly delicious. Just the right amount of tangy and sweet.
Lemon Chess
Pie (on right)
1. Presentation
3. Nothing special
2. Crust
4.5 (I would have given it a 3, it was fine, nothing special).
3. Taste
5. Perfect custard. Best pie of the tour
6 pies, 1 tart, 4 locations, 4 hours, 4 friends, I would say
our tour was a great success. We ate some great pie and some mediocre pie, but
if there is anything we all agreed on it was that no one can make pie like our
very own No More Mr. Nice Pie.
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