With the glorious months of fall in full force, we embarked on a mission: find the best pie within a 25 minute drive of McLean High School. We visited four places, three bakeries and one grocery store for comparison. Two of the bakeries were dedicated to solely making pies, while the final bakery specialized in all desserts.
Livin’ the Pie Life – 3/5
The Livin’ the Pie Life Apple Caramel Pie was not a pie from first glance, but rather a mixture of different components haphazardly thrown together. The unproportional crust to filling ratio contributed to an unshapen form and made the pie feel very reminiscent of a pudding. The first bite of the pie had a strangely overpowering lemon flavor. The apples faded into the background, but when they were present, they were somewhat grainy. The best part of this pie was the crumble on the top and the perfect balance of sweetness. The inside of the bakery was warm and inviting. There was no seating inside, but a few tables were available outside. Priced at $6.50 per slice, it was not overly expensive for a single piece. The biggest downfall of this location was the lack of availability of pie slices. While the menu was shown online, pie slice flavors were only shown in-person and were on a first come first serve basis. Located 14 minutes away from Mclean, this bakery was one of the most accessible. The pie itself was remarkable, but not in many of the ways it should have been. This pie shop shows a lot of promise, but it unfortunately did not quite live up to our expectations.
Founding Farmers – 4/5
With a price of 12 dollars, this pie slice was easily the most expensive. This small bakery is located within the Founding Farmers Restaurant, which made it chaotic inside. While no seating is offered indoors, there are multiple tables outside to eat at. At an 11 minute drive from McLean, this pie would be one of the easiest and quickest to get. This pie was our second favorite option. It was a large slice, and came with both ice cream and caramel. The crumble on the top of the pie, which had a cheesecake-like taste, was a nice touch. Our only complaint about this pie is that the crumble was so good that it became the star of the show and overshadowed the apple flavor.
Acme Pie Company – 5/5
From curb appeal alone, we likely would have passed by the Acme Pie Company without noticing it, if not for our map directing us to the small building. After entering the narrow bakery, we were first welcomed with an odd assortment of pinball machines dispersed among a collection of tables. Despite the unusual decor, we went further into the building and easily ordered our single slice of apple pie from out of the display case. We were truly glad we did when we tasted the sheer perfection of this pie slice. The apple shone in this pie: it had texture, but was not too crunchy, sweetness, but not overly so. The crust perfectly accompanied the filling of the pie and was just the right thickness. The top of the pie included a subtle sprinkling of large granular sugar which provided a texture change. This pie was the least expensive of all of the options we tasted, coming in at just $6. While the drive might be a bit on the long side at 23 minutes, we assure you that this delectable fall treat is worth the extra commute.
Wegmans – 2/5
We really wanted the Wegmans Mini Apple Pie to be delicious. This grocery store location is close to McLean and is more easily accessible than the other locations. For only $7, we bought the entire small pie. Alas, this pie was a disappointment. The flavor was sickly sweet and each individual component, such as the cinnamon, was overpowering. The crust was similar in consistency to wet cardboard. The biggest downfall of this pie, which forever cemented its unfortunate flavor in our minds, was the aftertaste. The pie’s final taste after each bite was a mildly chemical and strangely metallic combination that was far, far worse than the initial cough syrup flavor. The saving grace of this pie was its outward appearance, which featured a cut out heart on the top of a perfectly baked crust. This pie was without a doubt the prettiest of the options, but unfortunately it was just that: all style and no substance.
Of the four pies we tasted, the Acme Pie Company Apple Pie is the best because of the flavor, cost and visual appeal of the pie. This pie encapsulated our vision of a perfect fall slice of pie.
