And then there was PIE

Pie seems to be *it* these days. From Whiffies Fried Pies to the tomato pies at Savor Soup House, they really are all the rage. And I can't seem to get enough. So when I found out there was a pie shop opening mere blocks from my house, I could hardly wait.

The artwork that is being created on the walls at Stone Pie Joe's is interesting. Faces. Lots of faces. In 3-D and in paint. I don't like it so much. Yet. But it's not finished, so I'll give it some time. The women at the counter were still trying to get the hang of things. I think we visited them only on their second or third day open.

I bought a breakfast pie to take home and eat the next day on my way to work. The girl told me to be sure to heat it up in an oven, not a microwave. Sure - that makes sense. It made even more sense when I got my whole order.

I had ordered a mushroom, zucchini and cheese pie, along with a blueberry pie. The savory pies had a crust that was much more similar to bread than crust. It was like a bread bowl. It wasn't bad. Wasn't my favorite either. And even though it was heated up in their convection oven, it was textured like it was heated up in a microwave, chewy and hard to pull apart with my teeth. Though as it cooled, it got easier to eat.

The filling though, it rocked. It was just the right combination of vegetables and cheese and seasoned very well. The filling from the breakfast pie was great the next day - it was full of eggs and sausage and cheese and when I heated it up in my convection oven, it was crispy and fluffy, which I loved. I will definitely be buying pies to take with me to work, since it's so easy. Also, all the pies are $2.85, which is much less than I usually spend on breakfast-y type foods in the morning.

The sweet pies have a more typical crust but aren't overly sweet. I really enjoyed it. Keep an eye on Stone Pie Joe's. I think they will be cranking out some interesting stuff. Vegan and Vegetarian options are plenty. Also, they are open at 6 am, so SCORE!


Stone Pie Joe's
Between Lovejoy and Marshall on NW 23rd

Sweet as Pie

So much has already been written and said about Whiffies Fried Pies since they opened. Delicious, crusty, addictive.

I have really nothing more to add. I've had the beef brisket with mozzarella, the breakfast pie, the apple and the coconut cream. The first bite is all crust. Which is not a bad thing. The crust is flaky and a little chewy when it gets closer to the filling.

The first time I had the beef brisket, I couldn't stop thinking about it. It was tangy and spicy and the stretch of the mozzarella was long and mellow. It took over my thoughts. I had it for dinner and then all night, after I got home, I wanted more. I was watching a movie and kept thinking about it. That maybe I should go back and get one more. But it would have meant losing my parking space. So I had to forego the second pie.

Since then, I've had more. Many more. And each one just as good as the last. My favorite is the coconut cream pie. Creamy and untouched by the effects of frying, the sweetness is understated and perfect.

I love cream pies and I never eat them. Or at least I haven't until recently. Now they are so close and so available that I'm pretty sure they will become a regular part of my life. Word has it that a chocolate cream pie is coming.

I've yet to try the berry ones, but that's next on my list. The pies are so portable, so easy to eat, that it makes it less of a sin. If Whiffies started selling these to the local stores, I would buy piles of them to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, probably every day.

And that's how I feel about Whiffies Fried Pies.

Whiffies Fried Pies (cart)
SE 12th and Hawthorne
Tuesday - Saturday, 8pm - 3am

A Love Letter

Dear Bleuet,

Thank you for letting me in when it was 9:10 and you closed at 9:00. The honey frozen yogurt was tangy and sweet and the strawberries were just perfect. Thank you for telling me the story about your friend and helping me to have a better day.

I'll come back sometime when you are not closed and try more things.

Your neighborhood food blogger,

Lizzy

P.S. I would post a picture of the yogurt, but it was gone before I got to my camera.

A Jewel in the Freezer

Have you tried Ruby Jewel ice cream sandwiches? Perfectly wonderful, handmade treats. Today I had the Dark Chocolate Cookie with Fresh Mint. The cookies are chewy and big. The ice cream is fresh and sweet.

I first discovered Ruby Jewel at the farmers' market and am delighted that they are now available at Zupan's, Whole Foods, New Seasons and Fred Meyer. You will never go back to those regular old ice cream sandwiches again.

With such flavors as Lemon with Honey Lavender, Double Chocolate Cookie with Peanut Butter and Cinnamon Chocolate Cookie with Espresso, why would you want anything else?

Freedom of Waffles

I have to work tomorrow. So, no inauguration for me. However. I will be celebrating with free waffles at Cool Moon Ice Cream tomorrow night.

Bacon + Apples = You are Jealous

I went to Lincoln on Friday night and had their Bacon Apple Pie on the first night they were serving it. It was quite nice. A bit steeply priced ($15!), but it is sized for two, so okay.

It's kind of like a crisp, with bacon on top, and served with the most homemade tasting vanilla ice cream, fresh and palette cleansing.

You know you are jealous. But there's really no need to succumb to those feelings. You just need to go have your own individual experience with Bacon Apple Pie - they are serving it through the end of the year. And then, you can make other people jealous instead of being jealous yourself. Isn't that dandy?

I'm So Over Gelato

Because I just found Cool Moon Ice Cream. Specifically, I just found Citrus Pistachio ice cream at Cool Moon Ice Cream. And it's right across the street from Jamison Park, which is perfect in the summer for people watching, fountain splashing and bench sitting. All while consuming a brilliant homemade load of sugar and cream. Think better than Ben and Jerry's. I'm not kidding. Hallelujah.

Cool Moon Ice Cream Company
www.coolmoonicecream.com
1105 NW Johnson St.
Portland

Store Hours:
Monday: 12pm to 10pm
Tuesday - Thursday: 10am to 10pm
Friday - Saturday: 10am to 11pm
Sunday: 10am to 10pm

New Popsicle Flavor Pops

The Sol Pops boys have a new flavor: Lemon Basil. I had one. And it was even better than the Cucumber Lime Jalepeno one. Get there early though. On the one sunny day we had, they were sold out by the time I got there. The popsicles are still good at 8:30 in the morning, though - don't worry. I think it's at least one fruit serving. If you're counting. Saturday at the PSU Portland Farmers Market.

The Popsicle That Made Me Warm

Saturday was cold and rainy. I know. What a shocker. But I went to the Farmer's Market at PSU to check out the fresh produce and to grab some breakfast. I tried to get warm by eating biscuits and gravy from Pine State, which by fat content alone should have been like a wool blanket. But I was still cold. And now I was in need of a drink to wash it all down. I couldn't find anything that looked refreshing. Then. I saw the Popsicle cart. Two guys (who were kind of adorable) hanging out, selling their popsicles, on a cold and rainy Saturday. "How you doing?" said the one behind the stand in a Joey-esque voice. "Is that a Cucumber Lime Jalepeno popsicle?" I asked. "Oh yeah," he said in a voice that believed that this popsicle was absolutely AWESOME. It sounded refreshing. That's what I wanted.

I licked the popsicle and found the taste of cucumber very light and palette cleansing after the heaviness of gravy. The lime gave the popsicle the sweetness that should by all means be in popsicles, but it was not over bearing - it was slight. But then, my mouth warmed as the spiciness of the jalepeno appeared and I was sold. This was the best damn popsicle I have ever had. The ingredient label lists only four ingredients: organic cucumbers, organic evaporated cane juice, organic lime juice, and jalepeno. I think this is one popsicle I can feel good about eating. And I might go back this Saturday and find them again. The guys at Sol Pops. I know I should try the other flavors, but the cucumber lime jalepeno popsicle kept me warm and if it's cold and rainy again, well then... I might just stick with that.

Pix Patisserie (3901 N. Williams)

I have three sisters. We don't really get together on purpose very often. We all have pretty strong personalities, which can be really fun. Or not. Depending. On Saturday, we had our first ever sisters night out. We tried it last year, but someone brought their baby and someone else invited mom. So that doesn't really count.

Anyway, this year we actually made it to a restaurant together. We ate dinner at Nutshell, then, we walked one block away to Pix Patisserie. I've been to Pix a million times, though not to the one on N. Williams. The waiter there was much like the coffee guy who worked at Dean and Deluca in Felicity, do you remember him? Anyway, this guy was kind of stocky and wore cute glasses and sort of danced to the music as he was waiting for us to decide what we wanted. The atmosphere at Pix is one of a kind and makes you want to wear red shoes and black lace and dance with a flower in your teeth. At least that's what it does to me. And, I am kind of weird.

I had a lovely pear rosemary tart. One of my sisters had a fruit tart and the other two shared a beautiful chocolate tower of love. That's not the actual name, but that's what it looked like.

We finished off the night watching Hugh Grant in Music and Lyrics, a truly silly movie. But a totally great thing to watch after chocolate and a sisters night out.

Good food, good chocolate and a good sisters' night out talking about the first time we each got asked out, my sister Erika's babies, and fun adventures we've had in our lives.

Dying to hear more about it? Me neither. Not right now. I could maybe hear more about a giant chocolate tower of love, though. Perhaps the dream fairy will help me out with that one. I think I'm going to go to bed now.

P.S. I am going to Ghiradelli Square in San Francisco in a few weeks. Maybe that will be comparable to a giant chocolate tower of love. Should I get my hopes up?

Saint Cupcake (407 NW 17th)

Cupcakes are all the rage these days and Portland is right on the band wagon. Saint Cupcake is Portland's representative cupcakery.

I heard the owners tell their story once when I went to see Live Wire! and I had to restrain myself from running up on stage to taste the cupcakes the interviewer was tasting. The names of the cupcakes were irresistably charming. Check out their website for a full menu of cupcakes, including: Big Top, Red Velvet and Turtle.

Tonight I had one called Fat Elvis. Banana Chocolate Chip Pound Cake with Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting. Sound too rich? Yeah, that's what I thought. Let me ease your mind. It was not too rich. It was perfectly wonderful.

I also had two dot-sized cupcakes: vanilla toffee with chocolate buttercream and toasted coconut cream. If I were to describe the experience of eating them it would involve words like buttery, sugary, delish [damn you Rachel Ray], amazing and would also involve a description of the moist crumbs escaping my lips to fall bouncily down my shirt. But all of that would be hopelessly inadequate and would not give you a description that measures up to these little delights. You simply must try them for yourself!

Okay, well, I better get to bed to have sweet dreams and a small heart attack. Another post tomorrow!

Rimsky Korsakoffee House (707 SE 12th Ave.)

I love Portland. One of the reasons I love Portland is Rimsky's. Rimsky's is a house. It has Christmas-y lights on the outside of it year round, but no sign. In fact, if you didn't know it was a coffee/dessert house, you wouldn't dare approach it because that would be like walking up to a stranger's house. Their blog says it is the home of the "casually threatening atmosphere." So true. One of the tables turns ever so slowly as you are sitting at it, but you may only realize it when someone else's dessert is in front of you. Another of the tables rises slowly and then descends slowly - barely noticeable, but it happens. It's just enough movement to make you think you're crazy "Is the table moving?"

Underneath the glass tabletops, guests leave souveniers of their evening out. Tickets, notes, programs to concerts or plays, pretty much anything that will fit under a glass tabletop. Various things hang from the ceiling, too. There is so much going on in this place that it is easy to get overstimulated.

The bathroom is an experience. I don't want to give away any surprises, but suffice it to say that if you go to Rimsky's you MUST use the bathroom. But try not to scream.

The desserts are delectable. This time I had the white chocolate raspberry fool. Heaven. And now I'm going to tell you about my first experience at Rimsky's.

One thing you should know about me first: I don't drink alcohol for many different reasons, but one of the reasons is that I am super sensitive and, um, I can't hold my drink.

My first time at Rimsky's I ordered some type of chocolate fudge cake, which, unbeknownst to me, was covered in rum sauce. My friends and I were discussing a topic that I usually got really upset about, but somehow, I wasn't getting upset. No, I was getting happier, the more cake I ate. My alcohol-savy friend took one bite and said "That is covered in pure rum." It was good. So good that I was slurring my words just a little and stumbling as I walked to the car. And my friends took the car keys from me as I kept saying that I couldn't believe I could get tipsy from dessert. But yes, for me, dessert can do it. I even had a hangover the next day. Headache and all.

One of the reasons I don't drink. Can you imagine what would happen if I had a real drink? Crazy.

If you are visiting Portland, or wondering where you should take a visiting friend or relative, you should always go to Rimsky's for a good dose of Portland atmosphere and character. I wish I had pictures, but my crappy camera phone doesn't work so well in the dark. Plus, photos just don't do it justice. You have to go and experience it for yourself.

**Rimsky's takes cash only. They have a pretty wide selection of desserts, coffee and hot chocolate. Prices range from $5 - $7.

Sweet Masterpieces (922 NW Davis St.)

My friend Roni introduced me to this place on NW Davis after happy hour at Jimmy Mak's. It was pretty much empty, but the display cases were filled with seemingly millions of chocolates. When we finally salivated our way over to the dessert case, we settled on the white chocolate carrot cake.

Now, white chocolate carrot cake is one of my favorites. I usually buy it from Zupan's, when they get a stash in from Joseph's. That is one divine cake.

But I have to say, that this white chocolate carrot cake was twice as good as Joseph's. It was so moist and chocolate-y and absolutely perfect. It was $8.00 for one piece. But I would say it was totally worth it.

I've heard a rumor that Sweet Masterpieces has divine drinking chocolate AND they are open until 11pm daily, which means that when you have a chocolate emergency towards the end of the day, you now have a source for chocolate first aid. Just in case.

A Taste of Bali (947 SW Broadway ), South Park (901 SW Salmon St) and Leonardo DiCaprio

After two days of snowbound boredom, Kristin and I decided to take a field trip into the thawing city. The bus ride was noisy. Kr-chunk, kr-chunk, the chains on the tires crunched on the road every second. Before we fed our appetite for sexy violence with Blood Diamond at the Broadway Theater, we decided to feed our appetite for dinner. Right across the street from the Theater, A Taste of Bali called to us. It is a somewhat dingy place, not really attractive, but the menu looked great and the colorful pictures of Bali on the walls were fun to look at.

Inside, a PSU student was ordering his dinner at the front counter. As we pondered over the menu, an enthusiastic man, I think the owner, told us to sit down, that he would be right with us. We ordered our food - I had pork satay - and ate the cabbage salad that is served with all meals. A woman who was visibly intoxicated came in and ordered a pina colada drink. The owner knew her - she seemed to be a regular.

It took a few minutes, maybe 10 or 15 for our food to come out, but once it did, it was worth the wait - the pork was grilled perfectly and was juicy and crispy on the outside. The owner had to leave to go pay his electric bill, which he announced at least 5 times on his way out the door, with a big toothy grin. "You have any questions, you ask my son or my wife. They help you."

We paid the son, who joked around like his father and asked me if I was going to pay for his dinner too. Next time, I said and left to go watch Leo fight in the African jungles.

I have never liked Leonardo DiCaprio, but he is excellent in Blood Diamond. There haven't been many good action movies lately, but this one was worth it. Check out the Broadway Theater, too - they have new seats and tables and are now serving pizza.

South Park entertained us for Dessert - we'll have to go back to give it a full review, but the the warm dates we had for appetizers before our dessert, were beautiful and melty, sweet and salty and combined with the swanky atmosphere, we could tell there was much more to be experienced. The Apple Compote Bread Pudding was more custard-y than soggy bread, which I loved and the caramel sauce topped it off nicely. Next time, we'll have dinner and see how good this place really is.

Voodoo Doughnut (22 SW 3rd Ave.)

Mango Tango
Orange-colored jelly exploding
My fingers sticking to everything
Crushed sweet tart candy powder
Glazed doughnut skin flakes on my shirt
Heartburn with a smile

What kinds have you tried?

http://www.voodoodoughnut.com