pie

Here’s your mid-week InstaNom to get your over the hump:

Passion Fruit Ice Box Pie from Hart + the Hunter

Nothin’ tops passion fruit in my book. Nothin’. The tart, refreshing tropical fruit sweetens up many a dessert and drink in Hawaii but figures less prominently in dishes outside the 808 state–understandable but such a shame! So, naturally, I flipped when I saw a Passion Fruit Ice Box Pie Instagrammed by Hart + the Hunter pastry chef @sarahbearclaw as a Valentine’s Day special. Like the much-loved Lemon Ice Box Pie, this version featured a buttery, crumbly graham cracker crust and a pillowy meringue blow-torched to order but, in the middle here, sat the gorgeous passion fruit semi-freddo. Had the entire pie been placed in front of me, bad things would have happened. The next time this pie is on the menu at Hart + the Hunter, I recommend you run, not walk, there.

Update: Sarah just let me know that this beauty will be available all this week during lunch service!

Hart + the Hunter

www.thehartandthehunter.com

7950 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 424-3055

When I think of W. 3rd Street, two words come to mind: “bruncher’s paradise.” From Joan’s on Third to Toast to Doughboys, the stretch east of the Beverly Center certainly has no shortage of options for your brunching needs. To this list one may also add Simplethings Sandwich and Pie Shop, a newly opened sandwich and pie shop.

With its cozy and cute decor, an even mix of breakfast and lunch options, outdoor seating, and a little something sweet to finish up the meal, Simplethings seemed right up my alley.

For my meal, I ordered the hash ($9.00). The dish featured a hefty mound of cubed corned beef and sweet potatoes, topped with a poached egg and toast. Despite the hash’s simplicity and the inclusion of normally enjoyable ingredients, the dish was a complete disappointment. The sweet potatoes were extremely unevenly cooked; whereas some cubes were soft, others tasted as if they had not been cooked at all. Furthermore, as a whole, the combination of the meat and potatoes created a very unpleasantly dry dish.

J fared better than I with his French toast ($9.00), which was filled with mascarpone cheese and topped with blueberries. The mascarpone cheese and blueberries paired nicely together to create an interesting mix of tastes and textures. The already sweet dish, however, probably could have done without the kitchen’s addition of maple syrup.

Because Simplethings’ interior prominently features its dessert display case, we decided to also try their pie.

We ordered a mini cherry pie ($2.50), but were given a blueberry one instead. Upon mentioning the snafu, however, we were given our original order but invited to keep the blueberry. Sadly, both were awful. From the generic-tasting filling to the undercooked, impossible to cut crust that reminded me of an uncooked Pop Tart, nothing about these pies was enjoyable, and I ate only one bite of each. J and I were both baffled as to how a restaurant’s namesake could be so unappetizing.

After sharing my disappointment in my brunch with friends, one remarked that she quite enjoyed her sandwich from Simplethings. Maybe I should re-visit the shop and order a sandwich and just avoid the pie? Maybe. Probably not.

Simplethings

www.simplethingsrestaurant.com

8310 W. 3rd Street

Los Angeles, CA 90048

(323) 592-3390