Top Chefs Pick Their Favorite Pies in America
Top Chefs Pick Their Favorite Pies in America
(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- America, we don’t get enough credit for dessert. France is rightly renowned for its exquisite pastries. Italy is a destination for gelato alone. But the U.S. outperforms in multiple categories, from colorful cakes to chocolate chip cookies to ice cream sundaes, not to mention pie—the most American treat of all, especially now, with the homey holidays ahead. Last year, we taste-tested the best mail-order pies; this year, we asked our expert friends for the perfect slice.
Debate over even what constitutes a pie can get fierce. In England, the question of whether one technically requires pastry on the bottom, sides and/or top has sparked pie-titions aimed at criminalizing offenders. On this side of the Atlantic, borekas (flaky, triangular hand pies found around Eastern Europe and the Middle East, also spelled “boureka”) have come into question. “Does this really count as a pie?” asked the team that produces sublime versions at K’Far in Philadelphia, when Bloomberg Pursuits let them know they’d made the list. (We say yes; bring on pie-titions!)
However you weigh in, here are 24 glorious pies selected by top chefs around the U.S. And although this list leans heavily toward holiday tables and fall flavors (such as apple), the restaurants and bakeries below shine during summer fruit season, too.
The Northeast
Brown Butter Streusel Apple Pie
Four and Twenty Blackbirds, Brooklyn, N.Y.
“When the question is pie, the answer is always Four and Twenty,” says baker Ellie Pegler of the cult favorite destination that’s been catering to pie fans for a decade, with tweaked classics such as salted caramel apple and green tea matcha custard. “I love anything with brown butter, so of course I love that they use it in apple pie.” Underneath the crumbly topping is a mix of apple slices—both tart and sweet—suspended in a brown butter custard.
—Recommended by Ellie Pegler, chef/owner of Farine and Four in Omaha
Pumpkin Pie
Ciao, Gloria, Brooklyn, N.Y.
On a recent trip to Prospect Heights, Travis Swikard discovered Ciao, Gloria, the new, Italian-accented bakery from Renato Poliafito, co-founder of Red Hook’s Baked. “I went in for a coffee, but they had pumpkin pie out, and what’s more of-the-season that that?” The slice won him over with its pitch-perfect classicism: all custardy, warm-spiced filling redolent of cinnamon, clove, and ginger. “For sure, one of New York’s best new pies.”
—Recommended by Travis Swikard, chef/owner of the upcoming Callie in San Diego
Apple Pie
Briermere Farms, Riverhead, N.Y.
Dominique Ansel hosts an annual pie night at his eponymous New York bakery in autumn, but otherwise the Cronut inventor leaves that dessert to others. A favorite is the apple pie from Briermere Farms on Long Island. It’s uber classic, made with fruit grown on the property, generously spiced with cinnamon, and it’s a bargain at around $20. “That flaky crust and plenty of gooey caramelized apples inside,” Ansel says. “There’s something so comforting about apple pie.”
—Recommended by Dominique Ansel, chef/owner of Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York, Los Angeles, and London
Peach Boreka
K’Far Cafe, Philadelphia
Alex Guarnaschelli, chef and Chopped judge, has an unconventional pie pick: the triangular stuffed pastry boreka, from the bakery K’Far. Co-owner Michael Solomonov and executive chef Camille Cogswell questioned whether it should even be called a pie for the purposes of this list, but Guarnaschelli prevailed. “[This one] is made with Michael’s grandmother’s crust recipe,” she says. “Flaky. Crunchy. Jammy. Fruity. It’s everything I want.”
—Recommended by Alex Guarnaschelli, chef at Butter Midtown in New York
Apple Pie
Tandem, Portland, Maine
Part of the greatness of apple pie is its seemingly limitless variations. There are secret combinations of tart and sweet apple varieties to be mixed, and embellishments such as sour cream, caramel, and streusel to be added. But for chef James Wayman, it all comes down to the crust, which Portland’s popular coffee roaster and bakery expertly delivers. “Tandem’s is perfectly flaky and buttery,” he says. The filling—“nicely tart and not too sweet, spiced well, but not overly so”—is great, too.
—Recommended by James Wayman, chef of Oyster Club in Mystic, Conn.
Mid Atlantic
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Succotash, Washington
A Korean-accented restaurant is not an obvious place to find a fantastic pie, but to be fair, chef Edward Lee’s cooking has a Southern slant. The result: incredible individual pecan pies, with bits of bitter chocolate dotting the bottom to balance the syrupy bite. “In Mexico City, we didn’t grow up with pie, with the exception of little prepackaged ones that were sold in markets,” says chef Roberto Santibañez. “The pie at Succotash reminds me of those: small and sweet, with more to it than you think.”
—Recommended by Roberto Santibañez, chef/owner at Mi Vida in Washington
Mile High Chocolate Pie
Livin’ the Pie Life, Arlington, Va.
This little shop racks up all kinds of accolades—even a Best Game Day Thanksgiving Pie (Southern Pumpkin Praline) from Sports Illustrated. “Livin’ the Pie Life is a woman-owned pie shop with flavors that tend to change daily,” says Washington baker Tiffany MacIsaac, who adds that, when available, this high-rising, deeply chocolate, whipped cream covered decadence is not to be missed. In summer, she also shouts out the place’s tart cherry pie.
—Recommended by Tiffany MacIsaac, chef/owner of Buttercream Bakeshop in Washington
South
Cookies and Cream Pie
Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop, Miami
Veteran fireman Derek Kaplan’s cheesecake-style pie is “the perfect combination of ‘yin’ (the cookies) and ‘yang’ (the cream) creating a delectable balance of chocolate and vanilla,” says pastry chef Janine Booth. Chocolate ganache and cookies-and-cream mousse are layered in a crunchy, chocolate-cookie crust, drizzled with white chocolate, and sprinkled with even more cookie chunks. “The different layers of sweet, creamy, and crunchy chocolate make for a harmonious textural dream. It is sweet but not too sweet, and that second slice will call your name,” promises Booth.
—Recommended by Janine Booth, pastry chef/owner of Mi’talia Kitchen & Bar in Miami
Banana Cream Pie
Emeril’s New Orleans, New Orleans
“I learned to make banana cream pie at one of my first kitchen jobs from Mr. B, a pastry legend at Emeril’s,” says chef Matthew Accarrino, of the empire-building spot’s signature dessert, layered with sliced bananas and custard and embellished, just before serving, with whipped cream, caramel, and chocolate sauce. “It’s still my benchmark flavor memory for a banana cream pie.”
—Recommended by Matthew Accarrino, chef/owner of SPQR in San Francisco
Peanut Butter Pie
Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, Decatur, Ala.
Pitmaster Chris Lilly specializes in pulled pork shoulder at his barbecue temple Bib Bob Gibson, but Matt Abdoo advises you to save room for dessert. “Their peanut butter pie is crunchy peanuts and peanut butter on top of a flaky crust, with a vanilla custard, and then, on top of all that, a tall meringue with roasted, sweetened peanuts. Sweet, salty, creamy, crunchy—it truly is the best ever.”
—Recommended by Matt Abdoo, chef at Pig Beach in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Crook’s Corner, Chapel Hill, N.C.
The exemplary Southern café has brought dishes such as shrimp & grits to national prominence. Chef Bill Smith did the same with an unknown dessert, Atlantic Beach pie. It’s a genius-level, minimal-ingredient recipe comprising a rich, lemony condensed milk filling, made notable by the saltine-cracker crust. “They made a classic out of a forgotten Southern pie. It’s the perfect combination of sweet, sour, and salty,” says Sean Fowler.
—Recommended by Sean Fowler, chef at Mandolin in Raleigh, N.C.
Key Lime Pie
Monty’s Raw Bar , Miami
With a marina-side setting you might have seen on an episode of Miami Vice, Monty’s does big business with such Florida favorites as stone crabs and key lime pie. Here, it’s the pie crust’s spiced bite that takes it over the top for chef Aaron Thebault. “Monty’s was one of the first places my wife and I went together. It was so memorable, including the pie, we ended up having our rehearsal dinner there.”
—Recommended by Aaron Thebault, executive chef at Maddon’s Post in Chicago
Midwest
Salted Maple Pie
Sister Pie, Detroit
“Sister Pie’s salted maple is maybe the best pie I’ve ever had,” says chef Alon Shaya. “It gives pecan pie a run for its money.” Sister Pie owner Lisa Ludwinski, a veteran of Momofuku Milk Bar, makes this tweaked version of that Southern staple with seasonal Michigan ingredients. (You should see their pumpkin pie, too.) The result is a tall, luscious, well-seasoned custard inside a flaky pastry—minus the nuts.
—Recommended by Alon Shaya, chef/co-owner of Saba in New Orleans and Safta in Denver
Key Lime Pie
Bang Bang Pie Shop, Chicago
Only one pie has been on the menu since Day One at the brick-walled Logan Square storefront, where slices are served on blue-and white checked paper, and that’s the key lime. Bang Bang offers an exemplary version: tangy and creamy in a crumbly sweet, graham cracker crust. “It’s perfect in the winter when citrus is in season, but also tart and refreshing on a hot summer day,” reports Joe Giacomino.
—Recommended by Joe Giacomino, chef at Grey Ghost in Detroit
Hibiscus Key Lime Pie
Spinning J , Chicago
The Humboldt Park corner store evokes an old-school ice cream shop, complete with a 1920s marble counter and soda fountain drinks made with custom syrups. Chef Steve McHugh nominates Spinning J’s pink-hued hibiscus Key lime pie, which adds fruitiness to the tart sweet custard. “The classic atmosphere is such a throwback,” he says of baker Dinah Grossman’s nostalgia-tinged hot spot. “But her pies are modern.”
—Recommended by Steve McHugh, chef/owner of Cured in San Antonio, Texas
West Coast and Hawaii
Buko Pie
Sari Sari Store, Los Angeles
Inside Los Angeles’s popular Grand Central Market food hall, Sari Sari specializes in an array of Filipino dishes from beloved baker Margerita Manzke. (The shop’s name is slang for a convenience store.) The dessert deceives: What looks like a quiche with hard-boiled eggs is, in fact, a not-too-sweet custard laced with young coconut slices. “I’m a big fan of all of chef Marge’s baking,” says Charles Namba. “But her buko pie is completely special. No one has ever tasted a coconut pie like it before.”
— Recommended by Charles Namba, chef/owner of Tsubaki in Los Angeles
Olallieberry Pie
Duarte’s Tavern, Pescadero, Calif.
“I’m not a pie guy, but this pie changed this guy,” says pastry chef Shawn Gawle of the Highway 1 stalwart’s most famous slice. “The olallieberry [a purplish blackberry hybrid] is fresh, bright, and acidic. The crust is crisp, yet flakey, every time. It’s literally the perfect pie. And using local Central Coast fruit puts it over the top. It hits all the things.” As a backup, Gawle also puts in a good word for the pecan pie: “It’s got texture, crunch, taste, gooey butteriness.” It’s no surprise that Duarte’s has been serving destination pies since the 1930s.
—Recommended by Shawn Gawle, executive pastry chef at Quince and Cotogna in San Francisco
Cake Monkey Bakery, Los Angeles
As the name suggests, this bakery’s prime focus is cake. But chef Neal Fraser urges visitors not to ignore its pie, which cleverly uses cake for a base. This one is soaked in a thick chocolate custard topped with dense whipped cream, marbled with more chocolate, and garnished with chocolate pearls for crunch. “I love this pie at Thanksgiving—it wakes me out of the turkey tryptophan haze with all the deep, dark chocolate,” Fraser says.
—Recommended by Neal Fraser, chef /owner of Redbird in Los Angeles
Triple Coconut Cream Pie
Dahlia Lounge, Seattle
“He puts coconut in the frigging crust!” raves chef Gray Brooks of Tom Douglas’s over-the-top pie, which originated at the 30-year-old Dahlia but is now a menu staple at his Seattle-based restaurant empire. (As advertised, coconut is also in the cream filling and as a topping, along with airy, white-chocolate curls.) “It’s insanely good, easily one of the 10 things I miss most about Seattle,” says Brooks.
—Recommended by Gray Brooks, chef/owner of Pizzeria Toro, Littler, and Jack Tar & the Colonel’s Daughter in Durham, N.C.
Huckleberry and Ginger Pie
Gjelina, Los Angeles
Blocks away from the ocean on Abbott Kinney Boulevard in Venice, Gjelina epitomizes a specific dolce vita dining aesthetic, and when people talk about the pies, it’s usually pizza they mean. For Ian Rynecki, though, “I have an odd obsession with vinegar, and when I found out a restaurant sold a [fruit] pie with vinegar baked into the crust, I was sold.” Not to mention that it’s perfectly baked, with candied ginger and the best darn huckleberries he’s ever had. “This pie has become the reason to fly a six-hour red-eye to eat.”
—Recommended by Ian Rynecki, executive chef at Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards, North Garden, Va.
Matcha Cream Pie
Stonemill Matcha, San Francisco
“While I’m not a traditional pie guy, I do love matcha,” which is why, when he’s craving a slice, chef Alex Hong heads to this minimalist café in the Mission with its full list of drinks and pastries (cream puffs, cookies) made with Kyoto-sourced matcha. It’s the rare cream pie that manages to be both elegant and indulgent, like this one, with an eye-catching green tea-infused filling. “There’s a nice juxtaposition between textures, and it’s well balanced, leaning on the savory side,” he adds.
—Recommended by Alex Hong, chef at Sorrel in San Francisco
Banana Cream Pie
Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop, Maui, Hawaii
“When on Maui, we always seem to end up at Leoda’s,” says Hawaii native Ravi Kapur of the retro café near the scenic West Maui Mountains. “You gotta go with the banana cream.” It’s fluffy and luscious, with a raft of not-too-sweet whipped cream on top of the custard and fruit. Although Leoda’s bakes around 700 pies a day, what with the lines of locals and tourists coming from the beach, macadamia nut chocolate and Olowalu lime wouldn’t be bad runner-up pies if they happen to be out of banana cream.
—Recommended by Ravi Kapur, chef/owner of Liholiho Yacht Club in San Francisco
Nationwide
Pie has genuine nostalgic appeal, so most people gravitate toward the version they grew up with. Sieger Bayer, chef de cuisine at Chicago’s Publican, was the only cook we spoke with who was brave enough to claim an allegiance to the 99¢ McDonald’s apple hand pie. “No shame,” he says. “They were my grandma’s favorite when I was a kid, and they stuck with me. Plus, they’re the most ergonomic dessert—so easy to double fist.”
—Recommended by Sieger Bayer, chef de cuisine at the Publican in Chicago
Apple Turnover
Arby’s apple dessert may not be as well-known as its fast food rival’s, but the more “elaborate” variation (it’s decorated with frosting) also has a loyal fan among professional cooks. “I can trace my desire to become a chef back to a single moment at Arby’s—the making of the apple turnover,” recalls Michael Bonk. “It was a simple task: Take the frozen popovers out of the box, bake them, then cover them with frosting. This is when I discovered what a piping bag was. I bought one, then started drawing cows or ‘Arby’s’ or my name, ‘Bonk,’ on the popovers. These were the greatest days for Arby’s popovers, in my opinion.”
—Recommended by Michael Bonk, chef at BLT Steak D.C in Washington
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Justin Ocean at jocean1@bloomberg.net, James GaddyChris Rovzar
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.