Search this site

American Pieways reviews

YOUR GUIDES TO GREAT PIE




John Forsyth is a book author and world traveler with discriminating tastes and a storyteller's heart. He and his wife, Jennifer, are traipsing along America's backroads and "pieways" in search of good desserts by the slice and sweet stories. You can find all of their reviews linked from the home page.  Here's to good eating and good reading.
"There are lots of jokes involving pies; they’re funnier than other foods, somehow."
-- The New York Times, June 15, 2009


OUR RATINGS





One slice: You’re in danger of suffering pie withdrawal, and no alternatives in sight.



Two slices: You used to think this was good pie, before American Pieways set you straight.




Three slices: If pies came out of your oven this tasty, you’d start a bakery.




Four slices: Buy another slice to go, ’cause this’ll still be good in the morning.



Five slices: Whoa! Redraw that vacation itinerary to include this pie.





Six slices: Member of the Holy Church of the Flaky Crust.

CONTACTS

 

Airline Snack Bar, Beddington, ME

Route 9
Beddington, Maine
(207) 638-2301
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

In one of those non-guidebook moments that make our pie travels truly worthwhile, Jennifer came out of this tiny combination rest area/supply store and said, in almost a mumble, “This place has pies.”
    We had only stopped for drinks and a pit stop about an hour out of Bangor. We were headed to Eastport with its quiet coastal charms and early bedtimes. But then Jennifer came out of the Airline, situated here on Route 9 since the late ’60s, and suggested a second look at the pie case inside, and that was all she wrote.
   
Frank and Maryann Janusz (pronounced Janis), ex-pats from a New Jersey town not far from where we were currently living, had in three years of ownership put together a cozy, welcoming highway stop halfway between Bangor and the eastern end of the country. They work as hunting guides and do some bear trapping and tagging and other outdoorsy stuff in their spare time here in one of the wilder corners of the country.
    Maryann was in the back doing some pie baking when we went in. Frank was holding forth by the 15-stool counter about how he’d almost got the donut making down pat. We split a slice of the custard pie. Although the bottom crust had gone mushy by mid-afternoon, it was delicately spicy. Even Chloe the pie dog enjoyed it later in the parking lot.
 

Treats for the pet



Our dog Chloe samples the custard from a to-go box.
   A hand-written list on a whiteboard gives the day’s selections: apple, blueberry, coconut custard, walnut cream and the top sellers, chocolate cream and graham cracker. Some are family recipes, and some Maryann has picked up from other sources.
    The Januszes also make whoopie pies, Maine’s state dessert, and sent us off down the road with two frozen ones. They’re essentially balls of chocolate cake with whipped cream filling. After a couple of those, we felt like tracking some bears.




Sign in|Report Abuse|Print Page|Remove Access|Powered By Google Sites