The Pie Place, Pittsburgh

The Pie Place
Local pie shop in Houston, PA (about 10 mi. south of Pittsburgh)

The Pie Place is exactly what it says it is. Out in the countryside of western PA, you would imagine they make a pretty good pie, and you'd be right. The pastry is tasty and flaky (and probably really bad for you), the fillings are numerous and delicious, and the people are quite friendly. It's not a restaurant, just a place where you can buy pies (no longer ice cream, though the kid behind the counter and I agreed that a nice vanilla ice cream would be a great thing for them to have on hand). They have all sorts of fillings, regular sized pies as well as mini pies, and smaller pastries, as well as "gobbs," which appear to be a western PA specialty--think moon pies without the chocolate coating, only freshly baked with real cake.

We got an apple and a blackberry pie that were both so good we contemplated whether we could freeze a pie and get it back to the Bay intact. Regretfully, we were unable to, but if you are ever near Houston, don't miss a chance to get a pie at The Pie Place.