Eating The World

This past Saturday, Nov 9th, the Hoosier Mama Pie Company opened a second outpost in Evanston (1618 Chicago Ave). M and I had been anticipating the store’s opening for months, as we watched the construction progress in the brand spanking new Amli building. I mean, the sign in the window announced, “Pie and Coffee,” so how could we not be intrigued!? When we arrived at HMPC on opening day, there was a small line, but the staff seemed to be holding down the fort pretty well for a grand opening.

Along with pies, there is a full coffee menu by Dollop. To complement our pie we ordered a Mexican hot chocolate and a honey cinnamon latte (made with Metropolis coffee) – both of which were delicious. There are also savory food options including some hearty sandwiches and soups if you need something BEFORE your pie (we usually don’t). The space is bright and airy, with a very high ceiling, but the seating area itself is not that large. Instead, most of the space is given over to the massive pie-producing kitchen. The kitchen is a huge expansion from their original Ukrainian Village outpost. I think you could fit several of the UK Village stores in the kitchen alone.

At HMPC you can get whole small of large full pies, and also pies by the slice ($5 for a slice of sweet pie and $6 for a savory pie). At this time people were already pre-ordering for Thanksgiving, so you’d better get a jump on it if you want a full pie for a special day. There were a huge number of pies available, including: Chocolate chess, lemon meringue, key lime, pumpkin, sugar and more (though some were already sold out). Having a sweet tooth, we ordered a slice of chocolate chess pie and a slice of key lime. One thing that sets HM apart is their dedication to savory pies as well, and at least half of the menu was given over to meaty options.

The chocolate chess pie was basically a brownie in a pie shell. No one is quite sure where it gets the moniker “chess”, but it is perfect for those among us who have a major sweet tooth. The key lime pie was creamy and perfectly tart, with a very delicate meringue topping. Nothing sickly sweet here. We very much enjoyed our Hoosier Mama pies, and we are excited to live so close to a legitimate pie store. We certainly will be back to sample even more flavors.