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Cinnamon Bun pie from Momofuku Milk Bar
My life revolves around mini obsessions that last around a week. This week is going to be pies. You figure that the food blogosphere would have made a big deal about pies by now. We all went gaga over cupcake places last year. It got to a point where I even at a cupcake after it fell to the ground. So far this year, it's all about sandwiches. One thing has gotten over looked, and it's just as simple as a cupcake and as tasty as a sandwich. Pies. Not pizza pies, which gets people excited... but dessert pies. Apple pies, blueberry pies, cherry pies, etc. I guess the Momo empire got us all hungry for crack pies. The pie revolution still hasn't really started. We should do something about that. I went to Momofuku Milk Bar and got a slice of pie yesterday. A cinnamon bun pie...
Usually I prefer getting cookies from Momofuku Milk Bar because they're two dollars, the cheapest item. Pies here are $5 dollars a slice, which appears to be the going price for pies these days. A patisserie in my hood also has pies for $5. Pricier than cupcakes, I wonder why bakeries don't peddle pies more often.
The one pie that caught my eye was the cinnamon bun pie. It's like a huge cinnamon bun. I had to have it. The lady behind the counter said to heat it up in the oven for seven minutes at 350 degrees. After photographing the pie for a bit outside, I took the pie home and popped it in the oven.
Cinnamon buns are great when it's warm. Like a normal bun, this cinnamon bun pie also exhibited very droolalicious characteristics after coming out of the oven. The frosting/icing looked melty and gooey. The cinnamon scent was pleasant. Warm bites of this pie revealed that the Momofuku Milk Bar had another hit on their hands. They also added some stuff on the top of the pie. It's the stuff you get when you go buy coffee cake or something, and there's those crumbly pieces on top. There was just one little itty bitty problem... this was not a pie. This was clearly a cinnamon bun that was baked in a pie pan, and then cut into slices.
Usually cinnamon buns are completely soft. This 'pie' exhibited crust-like characteristics on the bottom. But it wasn't like a real crust. It was just as if you baked on side of the cinnamon bun more and it got hard. If you just eat the innards of this 'pie' and don't eat the 'crust', you would just think it's a small cinnamon bun. Tasty yes, but it's not a pie. And apparently they also didn't convince Serious Eats - New York that this should exist in pie form. Delicious, yes. Pie, no. Next time I will try more traditional looking pies at Momofuku Milk Bar.
Tomorrow we'll have more pie goodness for you! Jonathan will chime in with a pie post from the second city. It'll be delicious. And I also have to find real pies to match his pie post. Hmm... pies....
Momofuku Milk Bar
207 2nd Ave.
New York, NY 10003
212-254-3500
Map
Sign up to the feed and never miss a post!Posted by Danny on April 14 2009 at 3:25 pm
Looks good, but wow, I think I need to go work out after just looking at that.
Jack on April 14 2009 at 3:48 pm
I know I am in the minority on this one, but in my humble opinion, this place is totally overrated and overpriced.
FN on April 14 2009 at 8:22 pm
@Jack,
Well the thing about NY is that no one gives you a huge portion, so you won't have to exercise for too long!
@FN,
It's totally valid point of view. And I don't think everything they make is worth while. The thing about price is...where else are you going to find cheap western bakeries in Manhattan? Yea, I love stuff in Chinatown, but if you want a cinnamon bun, the cheapest you got is probably $3.50? And who knows if it's good? Which bakeries are you into?
Danny on April 14 2009 at 8:59 pm
Once I went into a store that had a sign that said "pies by the pound," thinking that I would find dessert pies... turned out that the store sells pizza pies. It was very deceiving.
do you know if Bubby's pies are good? We must investigate.
Ang on April 14 2009 at 11:35 pm
Now that I've read your comment back to me, I take your point - almost everything in Manhattan is overpriced. Thing is, if it is really, really good, I don't mind paying up. But the cookies are just not that good - they are over the top, treacly-sweet, at least to my tastebuds. I also find it ridiculous to pay $6 for a milkshake that wasn't any better than the ones I get at McDo's.
In terms of very good (yet overpriced as well), I would rather spend at:
Baked
Trois Pommes
FN on April 15 2009 at 9:00 am
@Ang,
Is that place you're talking about on 4th ave by Union Square? Because I've seen signs like that before too...
@FN,
Ah... Trois Pommes. They have $5 slices. I was wondering about that. Since I can be very price sensitive, it makes me wonder when a Park Slope place charges the same amount as a Manhattan place. Maybe rent in Park Slope = East Village... Or maybe Trois Pomme ingredients are just a notch better. I'm not sure, but their pie is on my list too!
Danny on April 15 2009 at 11:41 am
I seriously agree with you. We need more pie love in this town! Let's start the revolution! Cherry pies are my favorite.
bionicgrrrl on April 17 2009 at 3:01 pm
When in doubt, make your own...
http://thegrumpytravels.blogspot.com/2009/04/doubters.html
FN on April 19 2009 at 6:38 pm
fyi, the stuff you get when you go buy coffee cake is called streusel topping, streusel, or just plain crumble.
Lena on April 21 2009 at 4:03 pm
Bubby's Pies are supposed to be fabulous but every time I go, I get distracted by fried chicke and forget to get pie. I think I had a slice of mud pie and it was OK but the test would be fruit pie I guess. Hmm actually maybe I'll order that for delivery today...
Yvo on May 5 2009 at 11:51 am
@Yvo,
Hmm.. well that says a lot about their fried chicken then! Mud pie must be popular, I see at the bakery in Park Slope too, and at Little Pie Company. Gotta try that one next time.
Danny on May 5 2009 at 1:58 pm
Yeah the chicken is pretty ridiculous. Mmm. They have pretty good southern style food there but I'm not a southerner and can't say it's authentic... but it's among the best I've had in NYC for that cuisine :)
Mud pie is too rich for me but that's personal preference
Yvo on May 7 2009 at 4:07 pm