Slice of the Week

Last night, some friends and I went to see Hugo, the new Martin Scorsese movie (a delightful fantasy that you should definitely see by the way, but not the 3D version, which wasn't worth the extra $4, especially because the glasses were a bit headache-inducing for those in my party (me) who wore eye glasses along with the plastic 3D glasses)

But I digress. After the movie, we went wandering around Midtown Manhattan for some Friday night dinner, and ended up eating at Peter's Since 1969, a small home-cookin' joint in Hell's Kitchen. As far as I can tell, it's basically a (slightly?) classier version of the giant Boston Market chain, serving a small menu of rotisserie chicken/meatloaf/pulled pork and soul-food sides (potato salad, creamed spinach, baked beans, mac & cheese, etc.). I had never been to or even seen this place before (there are a LOT of restaurants on 9th Ave, hence the name Hell's Kitchen, and new places pop up and/or close down all the time), so I tried to get a little backstory from those behind the counter. Unfortunately, the two people I asked couldn't tell me how long this restaurant had been at this location, or anything else about the place, so I got a little dejected (and hungrier) and abandoned the interview project and commenced the eating project.

My dinner was great (pulled pork sandwich with some potato salad on the side) but again, I'm a pie blogger, not a pulled pork blogger. Luckily (for this blog), I had ordered a giant slice of sweet potato pie to accompany my dinner.

I was pleasantly surprised. While I again wasn't asked if I wanted it heated up (is this becoming a trend in the larger, casual dining world? I sure hope not. That would be sad.) I didn't mind as much as I did with the apple pie, purely because I tend to like my pumpkin and sweet potato pies not heated up. Still though. A girl likes her options. Especially when it comes to pie.

The pie itself (heated or not) was very spiced and flavorful, almost to the point of not being able to taste the sweet potato amidst the tangy tones of vanilla and nutmeg. I thought this was a nice change to a pie that can often just taste like a mushy, milky sweet potato, but their spice parings made it taste so much like a pumpkin pie that I almost forgot what I was eating. The bountiful flavorings also made tasting the crust near impossible, as they overshadowed everything else about the pie. The pie's texture was great, though. Sometimes pies made with squash family vegetables are so pureed and over-processed that they taste more like baby food than a pie, but that was not the case with Peter's pie, as it was hearty and almost chunky.

My two friends with whom I split the pie slice (Pie Blogger StayFit Secret #1 - share your pies) also thoroughly enjoyed it, but I need to do a little more consumer research on what effect eating free pie has on one's critique of said pie, before I accept their reviews as anything other than cursory considerations.

Peter's Since 1969 Sweet Potato Pie