PieQuest II: Chicago Edition
Jun. 17th, 2008 11:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
semperfionaDriving to Chicago last Thursday, all I could think was "They have Baker's Square! They have Baker's Square!" So on arrival, I immediately went to the hotel room yellow pages, and when the question of Dinner was raised, I offered Baker's Square.
Before we actually left, though, we talked to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
transplantmom, who told us the Baker's Square I had found in the phonebook was Closed! Oh Woe! Alack and Alas! No Pie for me!
But no, before giving up, we checked the website. There's another one, only a mile or two further away. Phoned them up: they're open and waiting to serve us Pie. All is well. Phew!
With only a small error in navigation, we arrived. After some actual food, we all had pie. Rosa had Fresh Strawberry, I had Strawberry Cream Cheese, Chris had Custard (which I always forget is quite the tasty critter--probably because the only place I've ever seen it available is Baker's Square), and Tammie had Caramel Silk Pecan Supreme (or something like that), which closely resembles the dessert some people call Robert Redford and some people call Fantastic Dessert.
A few days later, we were back at Baker's Square. This time we had Fresh Strawberry, Lemon Meringue, Banana Cream, and Cherry, respectively.
The pie was as good as I remembered; still not the best possible crust but definitely on the piecrust continuum rather than the bread continuum. Fillings very tasty. Whipped cream a bit overly cloying.
However.
Yesterday, on our way home, we stopped at Ikea, and after spending (only!) $70 or so, we ate at the store's cafe. On impulse, we bought a slice of something they called Swedish Apple Cake.
Not cake, it was the best crumb-crust apple pie I've had in a very very long time. Tart, firm apple wedges, strongly flavored with cinnamon and firmly packed into a tall pie shell. Perfect combination of flavors.
Before we actually left, though, we talked to
transplantmom, who told us the Baker's Square I had found in the phonebook was Closed! Oh Woe! Alack and Alas! No Pie for me! But no, before giving up, we checked the website. There's another one, only a mile or two further away. Phoned them up: they're open and waiting to serve us Pie. All is well. Phew!
With only a small error in navigation, we arrived. After some actual food, we all had pie. Rosa had Fresh Strawberry, I had Strawberry Cream Cheese, Chris had Custard (which I always forget is quite the tasty critter--probably because the only place I've ever seen it available is Baker's Square), and Tammie had Caramel Silk Pecan Supreme (or something like that), which closely resembles the dessert some people call Robert Redford and some people call Fantastic Dessert.
A few days later, we were back at Baker's Square. This time we had Fresh Strawberry, Lemon Meringue, Banana Cream, and Cherry, respectively.
The pie was as good as I remembered; still not the best possible crust but definitely on the piecrust continuum rather than the bread continuum. Fillings very tasty. Whipped cream a bit overly cloying.
However.
Yesterday, on our way home, we stopped at Ikea, and after spending (only!) $70 or so, we ate at the store's cafe. On impulse, we bought a slice of something they called Swedish Apple Cake.
Not cake, it was the best crumb-crust apple pie I've had in a very very long time. Tart, firm apple wedges, strongly flavored with cinnamon and firmly packed into a tall pie shell. Perfect combination of flavors.
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no subject
Date: 2008-06-18 04:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-18 01:08 pm (UTC)(i was in barcelona, so i may have missed exciting announcements and such.)
no subject
Date: 2008-06-18 03:51 pm (UTC)Next time we're up north. :-)
no subject
Date: 2008-06-18 04:03 pm (UTC)Fillings were more than simply excellent. The mousse was VERY chocolate, also very light and nearly fluffy. It was covered with whipped cream and garnished with decorative shapes of shaved chocolate.
Lemon filling was out of this world... tart and firm. I can't add anything more.
Crusts were definitely on the pastry continuum, but maybe could have been a bit more flaky. Their consistency was kind of like graham cracker crust, but without the graham cracker sweetness. The crusts were definitely firm enough to hold all that weight of filling, without being over-hard.
Hodak's specializes in chicken, but
no subject
Date: 2008-06-18 05:33 pm (UTC)(Also, he maybe *can* eat seafood or steak, but he *won't*.)
Hodak's might have to be a carryout piequest.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-18 05:51 pm (UTC)Unless you happen to be
no subject
Date: 2008-06-18 11:13 pm (UTC)But they do a good business in carryout chicken, so they may have carryout pies too!
(I wouldn't have characterized the crust as graham cracker... it was more like the sort of crust you get from Bisquick. Not biscuit-y, just not flaky much. It was appropriate to the heavily-laden cream pies, though. And that Lemon Meringue was truly scrumptious.)
no subject
Date: 2008-06-20 03:34 am (UTC)