1215 NE 65th St
Seattle, WA 98115
(206) 524-7082
www.piesandpints.com
Just like the name itself, the fare at Pies and Pints is simple and unadorned. The menu essentially consists of the aforementioned pies and pints, with a few staple comfort foods thrown in for good measure. But be warned: if you’re a fellow connoisseur of Marie Callender’s freezer to oven pies then you may be disappointed at first glance. The pot pies, cooked Australian style, appear delicate and petite on the plate. On my first visit I ordered a pie by itself, forgoing the options of fries, salad or soup and definitely lamented that decision when my meal arrived.
However, that regret was short lived, as just one of these adorable pies filled my stomach to capacity. The dough is chewy and inconceivably dense, while managing to contain an endless amount of your choice of savory fillings. While my standby is the creamy chicken (again, probably a remnant of my Marie Callender days), the lamb & potato and Mediterranean vegetable are also must haves.
When I finally did venture into the realm of side dishes, I wasn’t disappointed either. The fries are good, but pretty standard and less charred than I usually go for. The soup is by the soup. Now, I have a weird pea thing. I’ve been told it’s a part of my English heritage, but I LOVE peas. Almost obsessively. Many of my closest friends, on the other hand, bear an exaggerated childhood aversion to them. And yet I have no doubt that even they, and others like them, would fall for the split pea soup. While typically on the bland side, the split pea soup here is seasoned almost to excess. Split pea soup that is almost TOO flavorful, surely this will be the story to save the newspaper industry, as long as no one else blogs about it.
Apart from the conventional soup on the side option, you can also try the very Australian “pie float.” This entails your pie being served IN the bowl of soup. My dad spent a few years in Australia in his youth and remembers the dish fondly, but by a different name. “Oh, floaters!” he exclaimed delightedly when I happened to mention it. It took a few forceful reiterations before he accepted that “floater” did not appear anywhere on the menu. And there you have it, the closest I will ever come to toilet humor. Never again.
Many of the pints are imported, which can make for a weightier bill than you anticipated. Ultimately it’s worth it. The food is delicious and the pub is dark, cool and spacious, open into the wee hours of the morning with live music on select nights.
Located in Roosevelt, it’s definitely a trek from my place in the U-District, but when there are just too many culinary options available, sometimes all you really want is a pie and a pint.
by Nicola Fairhead
