Pie and White Castle - July 1, 2010

This was the last week of my first class this summer! Two new classes start next week! Although I still have to finish up some writing by tomorrow, schoolwork isn't my real excuse for not posting much lately -- it was extremely hot and humid here last week and my Metrocard ran out of money, so I mostly was lazy, kept to myself, and read too many comic books. But I'm excited for the weekend ahead and have a couple awesome things on the agenda!

Today, I walked up to south Park Slope-ish and had delicious pie at Four & Twenty Blackbirds, located on the corner of 8th Street and 3rd Avenue in Brooklyn. Though they sell some breakfast items / pastries and coffee, the shop is mainly about PIES! The dude at the counter told me that they normally have 3-5 different kinds of pie every day -- the kinds they make depend on what ingredients they have, what's fresh / in season, and what they feel like whipping up that day. I love that mystery / surprise pie element, because it means you just have to go there and see what they have: there are lots of chances to try new pies!

I was with two friends so we each got a piece from a different one of the three pies-of-the-day and shared. The apple pie had a marvelous crust, and tons of thin apple slices layered and stacked for a thick, but still light, pie. The blueberry and strawberry pie was delicious, and had really fresh fruit -- the dark berry juices made the crust lattice on top soft and sweet, so that it broke apart in your mouth. The buttermilk chess pie was like no pie I've tasted before! It had an amazing fluffy custard sort of filling, with a flavorful / spice (?) kick. All the pies were superb, and weren't overly sweet, sticky, or heavy. DELICIOUS.

(Pies, from left to right: buttermilk chess, blueberry and strawberry, apple)

Walking back home, Liv spotted a White Castle and my heart stood still -- those tasty sliders are, by far, my favorite fast food. I got even more excited when Liv said that she'd never eaten one before. O, soft delicate squishy bun made slightly wet by burger juice! O, super-thin square of hot meat sprinkled with onions and pickle! (And, in this case, a dab of ketchup -- hmmm, the White Castles I've had before (in Illinois, quite a while ago) have never included ketchup, but it was just as tasty with as without.)

(Liv, trying her first White Castle burger)

Overall, a successful day!

BOOKS!
Reading: Heartbreak Soup (Gilbert Hernandez), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 2 (Alan Moore), Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Paulo Freire), Infinite Jest (David Foster Wallace)