Yes, it's National Pie Day. No, we don't know why it isn't a National Holiday. Yes, we're drafting a letter to address this degradation of our national food.
In the meantime, we're offering up a few of our favorites to guide you through your four-hour lunch in which you try each place. We anxiously await your report...
Norma's Cafe (photo above) in Oak Cliff is celebrating National Pie Day with a free slice of Mile-High Cream Pie. Flavors include coconut, chocolate, lemon and chocolate-peanut butter. "While supplies last." They opened at 6 a.m. and the tv trucks were on it early this morning. What are you waiting for?
The Mecca Restaurant on Harry Hines is a classic diner with greasy grub. Our suggestion is to start with the chicken fried steak served with two eggs, grits or hash brows, biscuits or toast. Then: PIE. On Monday's their dessert of the day is chocolate cream pie. Save room for one of their famous ginormous cinnamon rolls, too. Because every day is Cinnamon Roll Day.
Mama's Daughter's Diner is all about home cooking, and with five locations around town, they should be easy to work in, maybe even twice. "Mama" has been in the pie-pushing business at its original location on Irving Boulevard since 1958. The daily fresh pies include meringues, apple crumb and pecan, in addition to house-made fried pies. And Blue Bell ice cream, naturally. Where hot pie meets cold ice cream is my mostest favorite place on Earth.
This summer Highland Park Cafeteria ran a special that if you said "Calvin Coolidge" to the cashier, they gave you a piece of pie for free. The dealio was that said pres was in office in 1925 when HPC was founded. It might be worth a shot at a free slice on National Pie Day, but if they look at you like you've lost your wits, just mumble something about the Dallas Observer. That usually clears things up. They have meringues, fruits, buttermilk, chess and pecan.
Signs with hokey sayings mostly just annoy. But the Original Market Diner makes that right with their sign that reads "Pie Fixes Everything." Their best-selling is the coconut cream, but they have several fruit pies, a lemon ice-box, classic lemon, banana cream, chocolate peanut butter, chocolate silk and a few others. Hungry yet? They're on Harry Hines between Wycliffe and Market Center and on Mondays they close at 3:30 p.m., so take note and make haste.
