Freshly-baked, made-from-scratch pie comforts like nothing else can. Maybe it’s the warm, flaky crust and the rich fillings all blending into a special memory of family tables from years past. Whatever the reason, serving up a slice seems to make everyone slow down for a few minutes to enjoy. Holidays herald HIGH pie season, just take a look at the magazine covers lining the racks. If you don’t quite have the time or the inclination to roll out the dough in your own kitchen this year, sample the sweetness from some of the flakiest bakeries in town!
Pie Shop: Buckhead
Pie Shop celebrates pie-making as a classic culinary art, even offering some courses and internships for registered culinary students. The secret dough recipe bakes up a flaky foundation for traditional pies, gourmet creations, and vintage treasures. Well-developed recipes allow the flavors to play nicely together, without relying on too much sugar to spoil the party. Hand-crafted touches lend nostalgic flair to each pie and hint at the measured skill required for the delicate craft. Menus rotate seasonally to bring the freshest ingredients into the kitchen, but if there’s something in particular you’re craving contact them to place a special order. www.the-pie-shop.com
That Pie Place: Â Sandy Springs/Perimeter
A different spin on a pie bakery, That Pie Place strives to prove that pie is an anytime, anyday, any MEAL food. In fact, this isn’t a bakery, it’s a quick-service restaurant. Hungry pie lovers stroll in to find a layout similar to a sub shop, building individual pies instead of sandwiches. For a main-course meal pie, choose from the favorites listed on the menu or pick your own ingredients to fill an individual homemade crust, popped into the oven to bake fresh just for you. Dessert pies sweeten the deal in both traditional flavors (apple, cherry, peach, pecan) and signature specialites of S’more and Elvis pies. Only the all-natural best goes into those pies, including the crust recipe perfected for almost a year before serving. www.thatpieplaceusa.com
The Pie Hole: Roswell
You don’t ever want to shut THIS one. This quaint Roswell bakery peeks from a corner just off the square, homespun charm oozing from every corner of its single, simple room. Customers enter as a guest in the kitchen, shelves of fresh pies up front and smiling cooks rolling out dough on the counter while stoves glow in the background. Grab a whole pie to take home or just order a slice, sitting yourself down at the country-style farm table to enjoy the decadent treat. The menu reads as though straight from those faded recipe cards found in a grandmother’s cabinet, with a few updated twists baked in for good measure. (Turtle Pie ranked as a favorite at the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, and one taste confirms the praise.) Get those holiday orders in as soon as possible—this little kitchen gets slammed! www.openyourpiehole.com
Now that you know what’s cooking, the only thing left to do is decide on flavors and place your orders … oh, and pick up the ice cream to serve à  la mode!
