Lunching out : Pie Garden Restaurant

Friday  was able to get away from work around 11:30.  I normally would have gone straight to lunch, but K. was willing to join me for the meal, so I delayed until her lunch break.  I wanted to try the new restaurant in Pearland on 518 just outside of Friendswood : "The Pie Garden".  I'd seen some less than flattering reviews of the place, so I was a bit wary, but I should not have been.  I was quite impressed with the food.

I ordered the Chicken fried chicken and K. ordered the Chicken fried steak.  With both meals, green beans with onions, mashed red potatoes, and a serving of cream gravy were served.  I got a little concerned at the length of time it took to get my food, and the servers (we were visited by several as we were sitting at the counter) were impressed we'd gotten our food so quickly.  So, length of time to get your meal may be a minor issue.

I really enjoyed all parts of the meal.  The chicken was nicely done with a nice, crisp breading.  The green beans had just enough crispness and the onions added a nice flavor. The potatoes were good too, red potatoes with the skin on, mashed well.  The cream gravy, while a little thicker than I would like was great on the potatoes and the chicken.

K. had much the same to say about her CFS.  She really, really like the potatoes.  I was amazed at the difference in the breading between the two dishes, but the steak was nice and tender. (K. gave me a sample).

We chatted with our waitress about the pies, cakes and breads.  She said that they are now making everything in house, but they are working through a supply of some non-fruit pies that they initially outsourced.  She brought over a small sample of some of the French pastries and they were all quite nice.  I had an almond croissant, a chocolate croissant and a couple of other items.

We then ordered a slice of Banana cream pie and Apple pie.  The apple pie was for my father-in-law.  The banana cream pie was for me.  I enjoyed my slice pretty well, I think it could have had a few more bananas in it, but the flavor was quite good.  The crust I was not so great, it seemed very heavy on the tongue.  Maybe it was a bit under-cooked?

The total bill for the meal, with two iced teas, the two entrees and the two desserts was about $32.  So, ok price-wise.

I'm a little concerned about the layout of the place and the decor.  When you walk in the restaurant, you see the pie case in front of you.  The French pastry case is on the far side of the restaurant.  There's a lot of traffic to dodge between the entry and the pastries, so it is not a journey I'd make without having sampled some of the wares.  The decor, to me, is a little confused.  The exterior is sort of Mexican, with the tile roof.  The interior has no real theme: laminate countertops, and a very bland color scheme.  Don't go in expecting something like 59 Diner.

Overall, this is a restaurant that shows some promise.  I expect to go back.