Bites Nearby: The Pie Goddess

Behind the doors of Café Panini there hides a wonderful secret.  Behind its walls, culinary magic happens and the heavens open their gates to reveal the one and only…Pie Goddess.

The Pie Goddess is the creation of a woman simply named Suzie.  What Suzie does with pies is the most amazing secret that only she knows, or maybe just a few others who help her.  All I know is that the Pie Goddess, in my opinion, has captured by heart and every single tiny one of my 10,000 taste buds.

Yes.  It’s that good.

So how did I find the Pie Goddess you may ask and the answer is simple.  I was merely walking the sidewalk of Griffen Avenue and out of the corner of my eye I spotted a huge dish of freshly cut mouthwatering mound of rhubarb.  I swear it winked at me through the window as if to tease me to try its tempting tartness.  Whatever it did, it worked.

Not only was the rhubarb the only thing in the window but Suzie herself and the makings of at least a half-dozen heavenly pies.  There was a delicious-looking chocolate cream creation that shouted terrific calorific and a modest yet tantalizing pecan creation with golden buttery crust.  Enough was enough and after I wiped my nose print off the glass, I entered the doors of Café Panini and headed to the pie showcase.

Cherry and apple and blackberry, Oh My!

How is one supposed to make a choice when everything looked simply divine?  I found myself asking what the recommended pie was and was told the cherry almond crunch.  I decided on the apple sour cream just to be different.  Needless to say, different is always good.

This pie was the right balance of creamy sweetness mixed with the tartness of green apples.  The apples were a perfect texture, not too hard or soft but with just a tiny bit of resistance to the bite.  The crust was buttery and flakey and well complemented to the awe- inspiring crumble topping made from butter, brown sugar and bits of walnuts. 

Simply Crunchtastic!

I have to say that Suzie makes a seriously mean pie, or should I say more than 40 pies.  Yes, there are that many to choose from on the menu.  Creative choices include names I have never heard such as jumbleberry cream, butterscotch lush, peanutbutterfinger and coconut eggnog cream.  Just looking at these pies on the list makes me want one of each.

For those of you who like immediate satisfaction, there is a wide variety of pie by the slice but if you want to order a pie, it is recommended to place your pie order at least 24 hours before you need it.  I can attest it is worth the wait.

There is one more thing I must mention and that is my worship of the woman behind the pie.  Pie Goddess, you are my hero.