If last year's major food trend was the cupcake, then 2011 will be the year of the pie. Like cupcakes, pies are historically seen as great comfort food and they are very affordable. The image of "mom" and "apple pie" are joined in our language, just as is "American as apple pie", coined in the 1960s. Kitchen tables, or the local diner, a small plate of warm apple pie, covered in cheddar, with steaming hot coffee--there can be no food image as essentially American as that!
But pies today are more than just the fruit pies we knew as children. Restaurants like Dangerous Pies on H Street downtown DC have been a quiet hit--Dangerous Pies offers not just fruit pies, or sweet pies as they call them, but also savory or meat pies and quiches. Savory pies are an ancient tradition--they go back to medieval cookery, as do fruit pies. The first descriptions we have date back to the 13th century, according to "What'sCookingAmerica".
Quiche, the classic 1960s import from France, is back in vogue, also--part of this year's trend towards pastries. As the French knew well, quiche is also a great comfort food.
Dangerous Pies offers every kind of fruit and cream pies one can imagine! But their real hit is the Savory "Steak Onion Mushroom and Gruyere"--featured on the Food Network's "Road Tasted with the Neeley's." This meat pie is fabulously rich and a great meal on bitterly cold January days. Dangerous Pies was started by a Baltimore rock and roll band member Rodney Henry, who needed to find another way to pay the bills so he could keep playing gigs. They have two sites in Baltimore and one in DC--not in Old Town Alexandria, but not too far for a quick trip into the city.
Local grocery store bakery such as Wegmans, Giant and Trader Vics are following this trend and one can find many options in the local bakery. But if the craving for a fresh slice of pie hits, where's the best place to go in Old Town Alexandria?
Buzz Bakery on Slaters Lane is a good choice for dessert pies--it's a comfortable place for a latte and a slice of pie--great comfort food. But for savory or meat pies, Old Town doesn't have too many choices except for the standard Shepherd's Pie in the Irish Bars.
Maybe Dangerous Pies will open shop in Old Town? One can hope! In the meantime, pie-making at home is a great way to spend time and enjoy great food. What can be better than a slice of warm pie at mom's table, on a Sunday afternoon?
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