Buttermilk Pies


Revival Market (6.5): Thanks to a mixup, we ended up with two pies from Revival Market. The same flaky crust surrounds a soft, slightly gelatinous buttermilk custard that is bronzed on top and veritably melts in your mouth. Some thought the creamy filling was bland against the mild crust, though others found the slight acidic tang pleasing. Buttermilk pie lovers will love this pie.


Mighty Sweet Mini Pies (6.4): This pie had a generous amount of crisp, sandy crust to its creamy and custardy buttermilk filling. Although the vanilla-scented custard was very sweet, this pie lost points for a slightly bland flavor profile and a very eggy filling. Whole pies are $17.


Vinegar Pie from Underbelly (3.8): With a relatively thick, soft, shortbread-like crust, the famed vinegar pie (essentially, a blinged-out buttermilk pie) resembles a tart more than a pie. Still, this pungent dessert has been the longest-standing one on the menu (since the day Underbelly opened), so we included it out of curiosity. The thick, gelatinous curd of the buttermilk pie, spiked with vinegar, tasted excessively pungent to most tasters even when it was eaten alongside the brittle, which supposedly causes a chemical reaction that makes it taste like lemon. It unfortunately received the second-lowest overall scores in the tasting. However, several tasters liked it — so I just recommend trying a slice yourself before investing in a $45 whole pie.


Lemon Chess Pie from Not Jus Donuts (3.2): This cute bakeshop’s true specialty is sweet potato pie — however, it was sold out the day of the tasting, so we sampled the lemon chess pie with pecans. Unfortunately, this pie received the lowest overall scores owing to a filling that had a fishy aftertaste and an overly gelatinous consistency, as well as a thin, crispy crust. Slices are $4.50; whole pies are $16. Despite the poor scoring of this pie, I hold out hope that the sweet potato pie is outstanding.

Fruit Pies


Cherry Pie from Moeller’s (7.1): This pie had a standout crust — the gorgeous, thick lattice was perfectly bronzed and tasted like a tender, flaky sugar cookie. It had the highest overall marks for crust, though some tasters were less than enthusiastic about the sweet and very syrupy cherry filling. Overall, this would be a gorgeous, picture-perfect and delicious addition to any gathering. At $13.25 for a whole pie, this is a steal.