Takeout: Strawberry pie

May 14, 2008

Ze Mean Bean's pie, costing $5.30 a slice, was nearly perfect. (Sun photo by Rob Kasper / May 8, 2008)

May and June are the prime months to enjoy fresh strawberries. One of the most inviting spots you can find strawberries is nestled in a pie, sometimes in the company of rhubarb, another gift of spring.

Sniffing out the local crop of strawberry pies last week, I found some good ones. Two were paired with rhubarb; in one, the strawberries stood alone.

Best Bite

>>>Ze Mean Bean

Address // 1739 Fleet St.

Phone // 410-675-5999

Hours // 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday, 9:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday

I have eaten a lot of strawberry-rhubarb pie in my day, and this one was close to perfect.

Strawberries rested on delicate pieces of rhubarb and peeked out from underneath a tender lattice crust. The flavor featured the sweet-sour tension between the fruit of the strawberry and the tartness of the rhubarb. For those so inclined, a dollop of sweetened whipped cream rested on the side of the $5.30 slice.

The pies, I am told, are made by Ann Dornic, the mother of the owner, Yvonne Dornic.

Also Tasted

>>>Dangerously Delicious Pies

Address // 1036 Light St.

Phone // 410-522-7437

Hours // 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday

Rhubarb rules in this marriage with strawberries. The crisp crust was sprinkled with sugar, yet this pie, at $5.50 a slice, stressed the tanginess of the vegetable over the taste of the berry.

>>>Best Pie Co.

Address // 13600 Annapolis Road, Bowie

Phone // 301-860-0620

Hours // 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday

Not since the days of the old Haussner's restaurant have I seen a strawberry pie like this one. It features the fruit in a solo, if somewhat soupy, performance.

This small, family-owned operation bakes pies using fresh fruit and sells them whole, not by the slice. The 10-inch strawberry pie I got for $25 was fresh from the oven and still warm. The fruit was genuine, but the filling was too sweet for me.

Know of a good carryout place? Let us hear about it. Write to rob.kasper@baltsun.com.

Recipe search