Pie n Burger

There's a great joint in Pasadena called Pie N Burger. I went there. It was AMAZING.

Most of our gentle readers already know I have a serious pie fetish. I can't go somewhere without trying the pie. Even if I know the crust will disappoint, I cannot pass up pie. I love me some pie; berry pie, savory pie, meringue pie, meat pie, onion pie, whatever. I love it. I make pies for people I love, and will gladly make pies for people I don't know if you pay me or just ask real nice.

A love of pie and pie making has been a sweet and wonderful bridge in several fledgling friendships. Back in our ATX days, we would have lovely Pie and Wine parties every few months where I would make a few pies, other folks would make a few pies, we'd all eat pie and drink some wine. It was fantastic.

In last week's stint as a South Pasadena Dog Walker (picture me wearing a designer sun hat, big sunglasses, talking on my blackberry, walking 2 purebred cairn terriers) I learned about my new favourite place for pie. OK- my second favourite place, since my first is my own kitchen. OK, actually, it is my 3rd favourite place, since my second favourite place is my mom's kitchen. Her lemon meringue pie is the best, hands down. Everyone who has tasted it agrees, even Ian, who is on contract to adore my culinary creations until death do us part. Even Ian agrees that my mother's lemon meringue pie rocks the house more than seems humanly possible.

Pie n Burger is now my 3rd favourite place for pie. That's saying something.

The whole setting also spoke to something deep inside me. It might be because my grandfather had a dairy and, as high school aged kids, my mother (the Pie Maven) and her siblings all helped run the family ice-cream shop/soda shop/burgers n pie diner counter. The Reese Dairy is has such a presence in family lore, it almost feels like another cousin.

This place is how I imagine the old family dairy counter soda shop to have felt. Pie n Burger is a great old-school diner kind of a place. Not only were there real honest-to-goodness regulars, but the waitress literally knew the regulars' names and asked after their families. I almost felt like I was intruding on a family dinner.

They have about 9 kinds of pie daily. I asked which is the freshest, and the waitress looked at me and said, "They're all fresh. You think we actually have some left at the end of the day??!?!?"

The crust was a part crisco (I know it is deadly and all, but it makes for a flaky crust) and part butter, and the berry filling was not too sweet. I appreciate it when cooks and bakers let the ingredients speak for themselves. Too much sugar in a pie kills it.

It was a generous slice, served at room temperature. You could get it heated up and a la mode if you wish, but I am a room temp girl when it comes to pie. I like the filling to stay put and not ooze.

The burger was really good, too.

Go check it out next time you are in Pasadena. It was mighty fine.

Here's a pic of one of the dogs I was watching in Pasadena. He is hell on tennis balls.