Pecan, blackberry, chocolate meringue and more: Here's the 'Pie Capital of Texas'
Not to disrupt your vacation plans, but a bakery south of Austin is now famous for pie.
Texas Pie Company in Kyle has gone from a small-town bakery to a famous Interstate 35 stop that has made Kyle the "Pie Capital of the World."
Yes, I know. There's plenty of great pie here. I am not slighting the honor of the Carshon's Deli chocolate meringue or the Paris Coffee Shop pineapple cream.
But for a world-class pie, drive three hours south.
Julie Albertson of Texas Pie has been baking 30 years. When she won a recent statewide H-E-B Grocery contest, city leaders decided to fork up some cash and register the "Pie Capital" nickname.
I stopped for a lunchtime sandwich and pie last week on the way to San Antonio. After that trip, I timed my departure from San Antonio to get back to Kyle before the 4 p.m. Saturday closing time.
Let me list a few of the 24 leading civic attractions in Kyle: lemon chess pie, coconut chess pie, chocolate cream pie, strawberry-peach pie, cherry crumble pie, blackberry pie, southern pecan pie and almond-coconut "Almond Joy" pie.
Besides 24 flavors of pie, Texas Pie also serves chicken pot pie at lunch Fridays.
The Almond Joy pie is distinctive. But the chess pies have that southern/East Texas flavor, and the blackberry is a stellar fruit pie.
Weekday lunch specials include dishes such as King Ranch chicken casserole or meat loaf ($7.45), so make it a lunch stop heading south.
Texas Pie Company opens at 10:30 a.m. daily except Sunday, and closes at 6:30 p.m. weekdays, 4 p.m. Saturdays. You could stop work now and go today, unless it's Sunday.
Her pie crust is sold frozen at H-E-B stores as a "dough puck."
It's at 202 W. Center St. in Kyle, a quarter-mile west of Interstate 35; 512-268-5885, texaspiecompany.com
Enchiladas today, burger deal Thursday
Reminder: It's the week for anniversary specials at the Barriga family's timeless Fiesta Mexican Restaurant, marking 40 years in south Fort Worth, and also at all Tommy's Hamburgers & Grill locations, marking their 35th year.
Fiesta is at 3233 Hemphill St., 817-923-6941, facebook.com/FiestaMexicanRestaurantTX.
▪ Tommy's is working up to a big special Thursday: an original Tommy's burger will sell for $2.35.
Tommy's has moved often, but the current locations are at 5228 Camp Bowie Blvd.. near Merrick Street, 817-569-1111; 2455 Forest Park Blvd. at Park Hill Drive, 817-920-1776; and 1736 Mall Circle close to Ridgmar Mall, 817-759-9088; tommyshamburgergrill.net.
New menus, patio shade at Brewed
Brewed, the south side breakfast-dinner cafe, has added a new menu for lighter midafternoon service and also for late-night Friday patrons.
From 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and also at 9 p.m. Fridays, .the new Brewed happy-hour menu will feature bacon-wrapped chicken skewers, bacon-cheddar poutine and candied-serrano cornbread waffle bites.
Brewed also has upgraded its patio to add more shelter from the sun.
If you've never tried Brewed, it has a wide-ranging menu of breakfast and lunch daily; open from breakfast through dinner Tuesday through Saturday, breakfast and lunch Sundays; 801 W. Magnolia Ave., 817-945-1545, brewedfw.com
This story was originally published June 23, 2018 at 11:22 PM with the headline "Pecan, blackberry, chocolate meringue and more: Here's the 'Pie Capital of Texas'."