Pie Night

This past weekend, we went out for a "Pie Night" in downtown McKinney. I must be my mother's daughter, because I do love a themed evening. For every party or get-together growing up, she was always intent on having a theme. I thought it was a little silly and unnecessary at the time (though I do have particularly fond memories of a watermelon themed birthday party), but now I find myself doing the same thing. I suppose we do turn into our mothers! Anyway, all of that to say that when my husband said he was in the mood for pizza this weekend, an idea struck. We would have a pizza pie for dinner and traditional pie for dessert - a Pie Night! It was one of my best ideas yet, if I do say so myself!

We kicked off the evening with a return visit to Cadillac Pizza Pub. Gosh I love this place. We started with a cold beer and a little baking dish of meatballs, blanketed in marinara and melted mozzarella, right out of the oven. Things were off to a good start. Our pizza was half Sporty Pepper (our favorite from our last visit) and half the special for the evening: a delicious Hatch green chile pizza. But as good as dinner was, dessert stole the whole dang show.

After a short stroll through downtown, we arrived at Emporium Pies. The menu is simple, just pies and coffee (from wonderful local roaster Cultivar Coffee). We sat down with French Press coffee and two slices: French Silk with a pretzel crust for my husband and the Could Nine for me. His was rich and  chocolate-y with a crunchy salty crust. Delicious. But y'all, the Could Nine. I don't even know how to tell you how good it was. In a beautifully flaky pie crust you start with a silky layers of caramel and then butterscotch custard. On top is a thick layer of brown sugar meringue, light, airy, and perfectly toasted. It was one of the best pieces of pie I have ever eaten. How lucky are we to have this just a few miles up the road?

So please come visit us in McKinney. We'll go get pie!