Shaker Lemon Pie from A Sweet Spoonful

You've probably heard. The New York Times and NPR are both saying pie is the new "it" dessert. In her piece for the New York Times, Julia Moskin writes "Pie had been lurking below the radar in recent years: taking cover during the ice cream trend, perhaps waiting to see which way the macaron tide would turn." Perhaps you disagree. Perhaps you have another vote. Or maybe you're tired of food trend predictions altogether. Maybe, you simply like to poke fun at them as Cheryl Sternman Rule has done in her witty post, The Most Superlative Food Trends List Anywhere.

Trends aside, you've got to admit you've been seeing some major pie love lately. For her piece "Cupcakes are Dead, Long Live the Pie," Bonnie Wolf writes, "Texas and New York restaurants offer pie happy hours. Pies are showing up at weddings, and pie shops are opening in a neighborhood near you. Pies come in sweet and savory, maxi and mini, deep dish and deep-fried." Reading and musing on pie this past week got me thinking about my two very favorite spots to grab a slice. One is here in San Francisco. The other? Brooklyn, New York. Judging by what these neighborhood shops are baking each day, I'm thinking pie is here to stay.

Mission Pie: San Francisco, CA

If I lived in the Mission, I'd eat a lot of pie thanks to Mission Pie. They have a seasonally rotating menu of pies and source their fruit and produce from local and organic farmers. If you are even a distant fan of banana cream pie and haven't had a slice of theirs, your New Years Resolution has been written. I also love their Black Walnut which is not, as is often the case, too, too sweet. And they have a fabulous savory line with everything from pot pies to quiches and galettes. With their buttery walls and big communal table, this is a great spot to enjoy a flaky piece of pie and some peace and quiet right in the heart of the bustling Mission.

Mission Pie
2901 Mission St. (at 25th Street)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 282-1500

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Four & Twenty Blackbirds: Brooklyn, NY

Four & Twenty Blackbirds has been getting its fair share of press lately. It seems like everyone from Ready Made Magazine to The New York Times is chatting about this charming pie shop in Gowanus, Brooklyn run by sisters Emily and Melissa. They're known for their Salted Caramel Apple pie and fruit pies made with aromatics and bitters. When I visited over Thanksgiving, we tried the Maple Custard and that infamous apple. I'm not sure if I was more smitten with the pie or the space itself. Emily and Melissa have done an amazing job of creating a very old-fashioned yet modern and breezy space that you just want to linger in for an entire afternoon. It feels good in there. No one's rushing to get to their next meeting or yammering away on their cell phones (at least when we were there--I'm sure it probably happens). The sisters do savory items as well and make one mean cup of coffee. When in Brooklyn, eat this pie.

Four & Twenty Blackbirds
439 3rd Avenue (at 8th Street)
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Park Slope / Gowanus
(718) 499-2917

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