(Credit: Shelley Rauch, Special to Metromix)
Featuring seating both indoors and out, the ambience is no longer cramped and dark. Rather, it has that fast casual look with exposed, black-painted pipes, bright walls and unconventional lighting fixtures. There are free-standing tables and plenty of spacious booths, many dotted with tiny vases of fresh flowers.
I walked in with my husband and friend, hesitating for a moment in confusion — was there no waitress? We quickly came to the realization that you place your order at the counter, and wait for it at a table of your choice. We stood some minutes more contemplating the many varieties of pie. Pizza ran the gamut from simple cheese to a gussied-up $30 version laden with seafood. Pies, both pot and shepherd, also made a showing, along with soup and salad. And oh yes — plenty of sweet fruit and sticky nut pies. It was round food heaven.
We chose a well-lit booth and chatted amicably until the food began to arrive rather oddly out of order. Our 12-inch Sicilian pizza ($17) consisted of marinara, cheese, pepperoni, Italian sausage and salami, each seemingly placed in almost perfect geometric precision. The meats were OK, the cheese was OK, the sauce was OK, while the dough just seemed off. It wasn't terrible, but certainly not the flagship offering that I'd been hoping for.
Next came the 5-inch "individual" soy-ginger duck breast pot pie ($7.25). Oh, pot pie, how I hated you as a child, but that may have been different had I had tasted this creation! The golden, flaky crust cradled the typical mixture of celery, onions, carrots and peas, and was augmented with leeks, shiitake mushrooms and slices of that rich, tender duck breast. It was comfort food gone gourmet, and in the best of ways.
Last came my small house salad ($4). All the basic suspects — mixed field greens, onions and cucumbers — were accounted for, and exquisitely fresh. The peach vinaigrette, made in part with collected juices from pie-bound berries, was unusual and refreshing.
While placing our orders, we noticed a few samples of the deservedly famous pecan pie sitting out. It's been years since I've had one (at the original location), and this was just as deliriously sweet and tasty as I remembered. We decided to each get a slice ($4 each) to take home and test out.
Tart red cherry was a two-crust pie that wasn't as tart as I would have liked. The Boston creme (a special pie of the day) was a bit of an oddity, with an almost spongy texture that detracted from the chocolaty topping. But the bumbleberry, which my friend instantly dubbed the "schnozzberry" was a hit all around. Bursting with juicy sweetness and ripe flavors, this one was just right.
Jamestown Pie Company has come a long way, and while there were a few missteps with their signature product, I still must agree with their slogan: round food IS good food (although the salads are no slouches, either).
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