Dangerously Delicious Pies

With 3 locations across the city, and a food truck that sells sweet crusty happiness on weekdays at a corner near you, Dangerously Delicious Pies have made quite a name for themselves. The logo, a huge white pie and two crossed bones resembling the "Jolly Roger" pirate symbol in front of a black background, might strike you as odd at first... until you find out that the owner is a heavily tattooed rock guitarist from Baltimore, and it all makes sense.

Their creations are highly original to say the least, with a list of 25+ sweet pies, as well as several savory ones and quiches. The bestseller is the so-called Baltimore Bomb, loaded with specialty cookies from - you guessed it - Baltimore that "melt down and swirl into a sweet vanilla chess filling". I extracted this quote from the takeout menu, which further increased my appetite with detailed descriptions of flavors such as french toast, roasted apple cinnamon chess, or strawberry rhubarb. All pies are made from scratch, literally, and with fresh seasonal ingredients. - Mixers and machines are banned from their kitchens. 

I was extremely eager to try a specific pie that I had been daydreaming about ever since I heard of its existence: Pancake batter. In fact, I was so eager that, when I realized that the food truck was closer to home but did not have the pie of my dreams on the menu today, I decided to travel from one side of DC to the other to get it. That is what you call commitment, dessert lovers! So I ended up at Union Station, where Dangerously Delicious Pies can be found on the lower level, just to pick up a slice and take it back home with me... I had considered eating it right there, but it was lunch time and I have never seen a station as busy and crowded as this. 

Union Station is obviously stunning and buzzing with energy; you see banker-type well-groomed gentlemen rushing from one place to another, long lines of exhausted and cranky looking people waiting for their trains, noisy families in the food court, tourists examining t-shirts and souvenirs, and individuals just like me, who stand and pause in the middle of it all and feel a bit lost. But it's so much fun! I will make sure to return for some of the other places serving cookies and crepes and ice cream... who would have thought that so many shops and gastronomic options would fit into a train station!

One lady who was waiting in line with me was obviously very excited to be there as well. She told the girl behind the counter - and anyone who would listen - that she usually didn't get many chances to visit the "dangerously delicious" shops so she now had to try a variety of savory and sweet pies. I wish I had the capacity to eat more of these enormous slices, but one makes the perfect lunch portion. Since they didn't offer the plain pancake batter pie I happily agreed to blueberry pancake batter. Doesn't your mouth water at the mere sound of that? Now, the pies supposedly taste wonderful with fresh whipped cream, but to me that just seems like a big portion of calories that can easily be avoided.

From what I know after having reveled in every single bite of this pie, it did not need whipped cream. Maybe the fruit pies that are covered with crust go well with it, but this one... Did it taste like pancake batter? Oh yes it did! That means it was amazingly moist and sweet, and a reminder of my childhood when I preferred to eat desserts before they were baked. Actually, that statement is wrong. - I still love desserts before they are baked. Don't get me started on the warm cookie dough they used to serve at Pizza Hut in Germany...  

I tried the pie both cold and after a minute in the oven, and the taste was great either way, but I think I'd recommend eating it warm because the consistency is so different. In its cold state, the pie looked and felt a bit like cheesecake. Once I heated it up it got a nice mushy texture and tasted more intense. I cannot highlight enough that it really, really had a syrupy pancake batter flavor, which seems too awesome to be true but makes this an unusual breakfast alternative. The blueberries were a good fit, added some color, and started a movie in my head in which I was being served a big plate of hot pancakes with fresh blueberries and sugar on a Sunday morning in bed. Yummm..

The crust was nice in terms of consistency, chewy (in a good way) around the edges and thin at the bottom, but I am not sure if it was meant to be sweet?! I sort of expected it to be, however in the end I think it was the same crust they use for savory pies as well. Not bad, but... this sweet pie might have tasted even better with a sweet crust.

Brownie Points: 3 out of 3