Pie 'n' Burger

tonight was a night i've been waiting for, for quite some time. i took two of my best friends to one of my favorite eating spots called Pie 'n' Burger in Pasadena. oh man, how i love this place! the meals are definitely something to write home about, but that's not why this blog exists.

so this is a popular spot amongst a number of the dudes i work with. we often manage to sneak away for a lo(ooo)ng lunch every once in a while on Fridays to prep ourselves for a food induced coma. being that i've eaten here several times, i knew better than to stuff myself to the brim (like i accidentally did the first time), but since it was my friends' first time i gave them a fair warning. the reason for this is because once you've thrown in the towel, slumped back into your chair, and unbuttoned your pants to breathe, the waitress takes this as her cue to come drop the bomb "ready for pie??" :0) this is my favorite part.

if you've never been to this mom-n-pop style diner, they will hand you the pie menu complete with seasonal pies, cakes, and even shakes and malts! they all look and sound so good, i have a hard time selecting which one to devour, so i end up always relying on ol' faithful: cherry, warm, a la mode. every time, people! while i have tasted some of my friends' delectable choices, the picture you see above is why i keep coming back (and there's tons of other pie photos on yelp!). this perfectly warmed combination of sweet with a bite of tart is uncanny next to the flaky, buttery crust. and it's LOADED with cherries. and i'm not talking about that toxic glowing goop you generally find in mass-manufactured pies. these pies are definitely made with... love. and while you'd think this is enough to visit for, take another look at that photo above! notice the pie to ice cream ratio. i think the scientific measurement of that portion is called a "heap". it's a vanilla-flavored ice cream that comes out of a giant, brown, cardboard vat. you know, the kind you have to lean into and scoop from your shoulder. so it's not like it's a gourmet ice cream that's made on the premises, but it certainly has a sense of wonderment that reminds me of childhood birthday parties or ice cream you'd get at a carnival. it is delicious. also, the nice thing about this ice cream is that it keeps pretty well while sitting on top of a warm piece of pie. so as long as you dig in quickly, it won't end up a soupy mess to wrestle with your fork... for the most part.

anyway, go eat it. and it's cash only, Sucka!

FAQ #1

Q: what is CaliCreamery about? desserts?? ice cream???

A: heck yes. while CaliCreamery is a blog to inform you about places to find delicious desserts all over California, it is designed specifically for all things frozen dairy! this includes ice cream, frozen yogurt, gelato, frozen custard, and all things related!

if you're looking for an amazing quiche recipe, don't look here. if you're looking for a place to meet women, don't look here. if you're looking for some interesting artwork, don't look here.... but check out my other blog for that.

in any case, this is only the first of some of the questions i've been getting about this blog. soon, i'll address another of your questions. be sure to check back and share this blog with anyone you know who might be able to benefit from knowing where to find frozen happiness.

Slater's 50/50

so tonight was the pilgrimage to Slater's 50/50 in Anaheim. it took me a while to get here, but thanks to my brother sending pics to my phone when he goes AND the persistence of a dear friend (and knowing all the right things to say to get me there), tonight was the night that i built an AMAZING burger. i also got to name it, so mine was called The Zoo! i'll let you imagine what it must've been like. and while building your own customizable burger is something to make the venture for, the only way to cap it off is with a customizable milkshake!! (.....if you have room for one.)

the great thing about these shakes is also the worst thing, which is that all the shakes are begun with a vanilla ice cream base (for only 5 bucks). this is great because having a milkshake made with real ingredients makes it real delicious, ALTHOUGH, shakes made with real ice cream tend to thin out much quicker. some people might like that it makes the shake easier to drink, but i like the straw to collapse from the suction against the thickness of it. in any case, what comes next is adding your choice of fifteen different items to mix into the vanilla shake. you can choose as many as you want (for $0.50 each). what you see above was my lovely concoction of pumpkin pie and Nutella! it was quite sweet and rich, i won't lie, but it was pretty fantastic. they throw the real elements right into the blender. so what happened was when i took sips of my shake, i'd get a mouthfuls of vanilla shake, chunks of pumpkin pie filling, and and globs of Nutella every time! it was pretty outrageous. i had some great ideas for other options as well, so i'll definitely have to make some return trips.

(un)fortunately, it looks like there's only one Slater's, but this means you can be certain that quality is maintained at every turn. be sure to click the link above so you can take a look at the possiblities of combinations on the menu!

Bruxie

WELP! i've done it. the blog i've always meant to start is finally underway! for my first post, i'd like to introduce you to the milkshake of the astoundingly popular, Bruxie in Orange County! WOW, this thing was pretty righteous:



so i went to Bruxie a bit earlier this evening with my pal who founded Sasaki Food Time for a frosty treat on such a warm Southern Cali evening. it was a perfect Saturday evening for shorts and Bruxie was a madhouse! we knew we were there for dessert, so J opted for the seasonal shake of the month (which was a fresh California Strawberry shake made with old-fashioned Wisconsin custard), see below:



while it looks and sounds amazing (which Jason can attest that it was), those of you who know me know that i will RARELY pass up a chocolate milkshake. it's my vice! also, you can assume this thing was pretty amazing just in the fact that i took the time to make it my first official post on this blog, even though i consume enough shakes to make the average 5'8'' person end up 316 pounds. it was deceptively frosty given that it wasn't very cold to the touch. in fact, i was kinda bummed when they first handed it to me. i thought it was going to be a little temperate and melty. but, NOPE. what was also nice was that the chocolate flavor was very rich, but didn't taste like vanilla shake mix that had chocolate syrup added like you'd expect at fast food chains like McDonald's. although, i must specify that it is in fact syrup added to the shake, but the shake is made from frozen custard. so it's a different beast altogether. BUT THEN.. to top it off, whipped cream like you never had!... unless you've been to a gourmet place that hand-whips fresh creme. because that's just what it was! not the crap that Starbucks hoses your drink down with that sprays out of a can. i'm talkin thick, rich, vanilla-y creme.

so how does one make this experience better? well you know how much i love to pair things, so my order was accompanied with Bruxie's fresh, piping-hot waffle fries. oh man, get outta here!

new frontiers

some of you will remember when i first started this thing in 2009. back then, it was called The Ice Cream Diet. now i think things are finally getting underway...

updates coming soon! stay tuned!


-k.w