Coffee & Treats in Back of the Yards

Fresh-baked pies will always smell like home for me. Every holiday growing up, my father put my sister and I to work on one or two. His grandmother had owned a pie shop back in the day, and we followed her recipes, which called for lard crusts and sugary fillings. As we cleaned up after, the kitchen would fill with the scent of baking apples, pumpkin, or blueberry, depending on the season. That meant a lot of delicious dessert pastry, but also a lot of work. Luckily, you won't have to labor in a kitchen to get the pies in this roundup on your plate, and you don’t have to go to your parents’ house, either. From key lime and pumpkin to raspberry-mint chess, here are nine pastry circles that make it feel good to be (not) home. – Nathalie Lagerfeld Mushroom and Kale Pie from Pleasant House Bakery (Bridgeport | 964 W. 31st St.) In the world of Chicago pies, there’s got to be room for a savory dimension, and Pleasant House has the local market roped. With a buttery smell in the air and a mom-and-pop feel from across the counter, I chose this meat-free version and my companion chose the steak and ale pie. Both heaped more food than it seemed could physically fit inside their flaky, crispy crusts, and I found that I immediately unlearned whatever it was that frozen grocery-store pot pies once taught me about how a savory pie should taste. It took but a fork pierce to release the aroma of all three mushroom varieties in their salty, creamy, white-wine-and-parmesan filling, and watching the stuff ooze onto the plate was pure bliss—almost as much as eating it. Winter is coming, but I’m pretty sure the more I eat here, the less my belly will know it. – Sandra Kofler Lemon Meringue Pie from Gilt Bar (River North | 230 W. Kinzie St.) I'll admit I was skeptical of this “diner-style pie” when I saw it on the menu. Most trendy, upscale restaurants serve petite desserts antithetical to a diner’s generous portions. As such, the massive pie slice and its mile-high meringue caught me off guard in the best possible way. On my first bite, the light, sweet meringue perfectly balanced the tart lemon custard in both texture and taste. Not long after, I stared woefully down at an empty plate as I licked the spoon. It tasted like the pies my mom used to make, but maybe just a teensy bit better. — Michelle Schuman Strawberry Rhubarb Pie from Bennison’s Bakery ( Evanston | 1000 Davis St.) I have a hard time with crusts, of any sort. I remove them from everything—toast, pie, even Pop Tarts. But Bennison’s pie was delicious from top to bottom. The thin, moist crust, sugar-coated along the edge, made me clean my plate for the first time ever. The fruit-to-crust ratio achieved perfection by putting the emphasis on fruit. The strawberries had intense flavor, and large chunks of rhubarb added texture to a thick, slightly applesauce-like filling. Better even than the pie, Bennison’s staff made my experience pleasant. Frannie, a staff member, worked with me and a friend as we picked our way around the pastry counter, choosing macaroons, cherry slices, and donuts. She offered suggestions about her favorite bites and didn’t try to rush us once, despite the crowd. – Stephanie McDaniel Apple and Pumpkin Pie-lettes from It Tastes Like Love! (Online or Saturdays through October at the Downers Grove Farmers’ Market) Last weekend, I visited the farmers' market to pick up some fresh, local veggies…and bought pie instead. Whoops! But these fall pie flavors looked too delicious to resist, so I picked up two pie-lettes, or mini pies: pumpkin for me, apple for my husband. Both had buttery, flaky crusts. The pumpkin one was Thanksgiving incarnate: warm spices, a hint of ginger. The apple pie, however, made the bigger impression. Its brown-sugar-and-butter topping melted in our mouths—and the filling, made with fresh Michigan apples, truly sang. As cute as the pie-lettes are, I may just have to spring for the full-size version of that apple next time. – Rachel Matuch Plum Pie from Bang Bang Pie Shop (Logan Square | 2051 N. California Ave.) This was the first slice of pie I’ve ever had at Bang Bang Pie Shop, and it didn’t disappoint. The very thin crust was sweet and flaky, the way you’d expect on an almond croissant. But what really impressed me was the fruit filling—not at all mushy, and definitely not too sweet. I’m not sure, but I also thought I detected a hint of nutmeg in among the plums—maybe the chef’s way of tipping his or her hat to the fall season. – Nathalie Lagerfeld Chocolate Chess Pie from Hoosier Mama Pie Company (West Town | 1618 W. Chicago Ave.) I love every piece of pie I’ve ever had from this tiny shop’s talented baker, which is good, because she provided the desserts at my wedding. As luck and toasts would have it, my wife and I only got to sample one of the five types of pie we had at our reception. So, we resolved to work our way back through the kinds we missed on each anniversary. This year, we revisited the chocolate chess pie, which is really more like a fudge brownie that happens to be in a pie crust. The bulk of the filling is a dark, cake-like chocolate, so moist it might be mistaken for cream or mousse. It's pretty bitter, but a delicate sprinkle of powdered sugar offsets it with a little sweetness. The crust itself must be made the old-fashioned way, with plenty of lard, as it is at once flaky and chewy. This treat goes well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side, but really requires no more garnish than a fork. – Zach Bosteel Raspberry-Mint Chess Pie from Patchwork Pies (Pilsen | 2230 W. Cermak Rd.) It was almost impossible not to want three slices of this pie. Who am I kidding: if left alone in a room with it, I would have eaten the whole thing. Patchwork Pies is a small two-person operation with seasonal pies for sale by pre-order only (around $30, depending on the pie; patchworkpies@gmail.com), but their goods are the kind of stuff you bring somewhere to impress. The custardy raspberry-mint chess pie is at once sweet, tart, and creamy with flavors that work so well with one another, you’ll be placing bets on what it is you’re tasting (spoiler: that’s lavender in the shortbread crust). The bakers work herbs into just about every pie they make, and get their inspiration from seasonal ingredients, whether it’s apple, dried figs, and brandy in winter or rhubarb and botanical gin in summer. – Sandra Kofler Apple Pie with a Slice of Melted Cheese from Mars Cheese Castle (Kenosha, WI | 2800 W. Frontage Rd.) I was skeptical of this whole “cheese on pie” thing, but I’m willing to admit when I’m wrong. The cheese really held the pie together and wasn’t intrusively salty. The apples were just the right level of sweetness, and bits of caramelized sugar and lard in the crust gave it a nice crunch. The pale blonde Belgian ale I was drinking (Delirium Tremens from Huyghe Brewery) helped me cope with the amount of time the pie was taking off my life. – Cody Braun Key Lime Pie from First Slice Pie Café (Andersonville | 5357 N. Ashland Ave.) Not everyone equates key lime pie with autumn. But for me, a particularly memorable Thanksgiving dinner has forever linked the two. Luckily, First Slice Pie Café serves key lime pie all year long, so I was able to indulge my craving. I found the filling to be the perfect tart level, but its pudding-like consistency was not stiff enough for me. Once I got past my mouthfeel issues, though, I began to notice how the cream topping—which tasted freshly whipped, with just a hint of sweetness—played against the lime’s tartness. The graham-cracker crust was crumbly, but did not completely fall to pieces, which I realize is a pet peeve of mine. And though it seems a little silly to complain about a cookie crust being too sweet, I am going to complain that the cookie crust was too sweet. But, overall the pie was highly enjoyable, or in the words of my 2-year-old companion, “Num.” – Emily Donelan Photos: Mushroom and Kale Pie and Key Lime Pie: © Andrew Nawrocki, Groupon; Apple and Pumpkin Pie-lettes: © Rachel Matuch, Groupon

To try what might be the tastiest french macaron in the city, head to Greektown. Yes, to Greektown. It’s called a Louie’s Cookie, and after baklava, it’s Pan Hellenic Pastry Shop’s bestseller. Named for Louie Manolakos, who opened Pan Hellenic in 1974 with his wife, Helen, the cookie is Louie’s take on the French-style macaron: two chocolate-and-walnut meringue cookies with a soft fudge middle. Louie and Helen were originally from Greece, where they first honed their pastry-making skills, but they came to Chicago via Quebec. This explains the macarons and other French pastries in the family’s shop, which serves Greek specialties ranging from kourabiethes (almond-butter cookies covered in powdered sugar) to savory spanakopita (their famed spinach-and-feta pies). These days, the Manolakoses’ grown children, James and Athena, make most of Pan Hellenic’s sought-after pastries and other Greek specialties. Their mother still rules the kitchen and works in the back every day, but Louie passed away in December 2012. When I stopped in at the shop on a rainy spring afternoon, James explained that his father worked until he was in his 80s, bringing his “big personality and work ethic” with him every day, never cutting corners when it came to his business—or his pastries. James now handles his father’s beloved chocolate cookies, but Athena took over the baklava. “My dad learned to make baklava from a guy that he worked for in Sparta when he was 13,” she said. “According to my father, this guy was the pastry chef for the king of Greece back in the day.” Then she laughed. “We don’t know if that’s true or not.” Athena is an expert when it comes to baklava. She can tell immediately if the butter was put on afterward—a major no-no. “I’ve seen that and think, ‘Don’t do that,’” she said. Along with the traditional baklava, she also makes the shop’s popular chocolate baklava, which she created in a moment she modestly refers to as “a happy coincidence.” You won’t catch her snacking on her baklava, though. She confessed she hasn’t eaten a piece in nearly 15 years. That admission was barely out of her mouth before she hopped out of her chair and headed behind the counter to serve a new customer. I sat content with the coffee and the pastries they gave me: baklava, Louie’s Cookies, and melomakarona—a spiced honey-walnut cookie with just a hint of lemon zest and cinnamon. James, who had left our conversation to talk business with a maintenance man in Greek, returned and took over her seat, barely skipping a beat: “Now, where were we?” This would be the routine for the next hour or so, as both Athena and James were friendly and forthcoming but always focused on their customers and business, jumping up as soon as someone came in. Probably 7 out of 10 customers are regulars, James said, and that was obvious from his ease with everyone who walked in the door. It’s no wonder he’s comfortable at the family business—he’s been in and out of the shop since he was a teenager. “Greek daycare,” he said with a laugh. Although James learned his work ethic and pastry-making skills from his dad (“My pastries speak for themselves,” he said), there is one notable trait that did not span generations—Louie’s love of tavli, or backgammon. Whenever Louie wasn’t busy working, he could be found playing the game with his friends at Pan Hellenic. James, however, hates the game, explaining that the first time his dad tried to teach him, he almost threw the dice at his father. You won’t see any regulars playing these days at Pan Hellenic, but not because of James’ sentiment toward the game. Without Louie, James said, “it’s been suspended indefinitely. That was the rule, anyway. No one was allowed to play unless he was playing.” Though Louie might not have been the best backgammon instructor, he and Helen have passed on something far more valuable to their children: resilience. In February 2010, a four-alarm fire destroyed Costas, a popular Greek restaurant down the street. Pan Hellenic was on the tail end of the damage. “It burned our butts, so to speak,” James said. The family had to shut down for five months. “It was the first time we’d ever closed for an extended period of time,” he said. “It’s hard to get people back in the door after that.” But that’s exactly what they did after reopening. And as the remaining family keeps making the Greek specialties that have kept them open for so many years, they’re also thinking about the future of the business. “We are totally committed,” James said. “We have a lot of room to grow.”

From left to right: a Korean red-bean ice bar, Korean Samanco, and Japanese mochi ice cream As summer heats up, Americans celebrate warmer weather by licking ice-cream cones or by belting out ice-cream truck melodies at karaoke. But elsewhere on the planet, folks cool down with frosty treats that make the familiar ice-cream cone seem downright boring. Below, we explore kulfi, bào bīng, and other chilly desserts enjoyed throughout the world—and tell you where to find them in Chicago. Korea: Samanco (and other red-bean desserts) Korean chefs have long incorporated red beans into desserts, giving their sweet treats an added depth of umami. Among the modern interpretations available at supermarkets are red-bean ice bars (pictured at top of page, left) and fish-shaped Samanco wafers (pictured above and at top of page, center) filled with a winning combination of vanilla ice cream and red-bean paste. Find both at Joong Boo Market (3333 N. Kimball Ave.). Learn to make a Korean soup with ingredients from Joong Boo and a recipe from a TV host. Japan: Mochi ice cream Mochi (pictured at top of page, right) takes the form of petite globes with two layers: an outer “skin” made from pounded sticky rice and a luscious ice-cream interior. In Chicago, find mochi at Treasure Island Foods locations across the city. China: Bào bīng Street vendors in Taiwan famously sell bào bīng, a confection of fruits, jellies, and other toppings piled over heaps of shaved ice. Often, the dessert is finished with a swirl of creamy condensed milk. Try it for yourself at Vora (1028 N. Clark St.), where diners can choose from additions such as lotus seeds, coconut milk, and mini tapioca. Philippines: Halo-halo This vividly hued Filipino dessert (pictured above) combines components such as leche flan, jackfruit, and ube (purple yam ice cream). In Tagalog, “halo-halo” literally translates to mix-mix, since the parfait-like cup is meant to be mixed vigorously with a spoon before it’s eaten. Try it for yourself at Isla Pilipina (2501 W. Lawrence Ave.). See a breakdown of halo-halo’s eight ingredients. Turkey: Dondurma This creamy, slow-melting Turkish dessert has an almost taffy-like texture thanks to the thickening properties of orchid flour and mastic tree resin. It’s hard to come by in America these days, since its popularity has led to a decline in Turkey’s wild orchid populations (and a ban on the export of orchid flour). But in recent years, people have savored the exotic treat at Taxim (1558 N. Milwaukee Ave.) in Wicker Park. Find out which restaurants the Taxim’s chef goes to for authentic dishes. India: Kulfi Kulfi shares characteristics with American ice cream but is denser and creamier. That’s because, unlike ice cream, kulfi is never whipped with air. Instead, it’s made by condensing sweetened milk through a slow-cooking process and then freezing the milk in tight molds. Popular flavors include pistachio, mango, and rose. Try it at Tahoora Sweets & Bakery (2345 W. Devon Ave.) or Rangoli (2421 W. North Ave.). Photos by Andrew Nawrocki, Groupon Shop Groupon for local deals on coffee and treats in your city.