15 Catt. 1: In re Dangerously Delicious Pies

CATTLEYA, J., delivered the opinion of the Cart. JEREMY, C.J., delivered a separate concurrence.

On a bright and brisk afternoon, we granted cartiorari to Dangerously Delicious Pies (“DDP”), the mobile maker of sweet and savory pies. DDP has once before been reviewed by this court. On our first visit DDP’s blackberry pie didn’t satisfy, but we ordered it at the end of an all-day food truck festival and the Chief Justice surmised that our slice would have been less disappointing had we ordered it earlier in the day. He left open the question of “whether a lunchtime pie [would] provide[] a more pleasurable experience.” In re Dangerously Delicious Pies, 4 Catt. 4 (2011). Truth be told, I was less enthusiastic than he to return to DDP’s window. In the words of Pride and Prejudice’s Mr. Darcy, “[m]y good opinion once lost, is lost for ever.” But like Jane Austen’s hero, I recognize this is a folly in my character, and so I put my past feelings aside and returned to DDP for chicken pot pie.

 I. STREET FOOD

Before reaching the merits of the pie, first I address whether chicken pot pie is “street food.” Pie fails our Eat Wonky test for street food. Dangerously Delicious Pies, 4 Catt. 4 (concluding that pie is not street food); In re Eat Wonky, 2 Catt. 5 (2011) (defining street food as “the kind[] . . . that can be cooked in front of you and [is] meant to be eaten with your hands, without forks, while standing up”). Because pie is not street food, there is no presumption of affirmance in this case, and DDP’s chicken pot pie must stand up on its own merits. See In re Big Cheese, 6 Catt. 2 (2012).

II. CHICKEN POT PIE ($7.50)

I hate to admit when the Chief Justice is right, but right he was to want to give DDP another try. DDP’s chicken pot pie was indeed a pleasurable experience, one with several surprises along the way. The first surprise was that it was actually a pie, with a top and bottom crust. This was no “cheat” pie made with a meager square of puff pastry on top. The second surprise was that the pie was stuffed (I mean, stuffed) with filling. I even blinked twice to make sure that I was seeing what I was seeing. Oh, I thought, a chicken pot pie that doesn’t require me to go fishing in a lake of thick cream sauce for a few chunks of chicken and a handful of once-frozen peas and carrots! Finally, a pie of substance! My hopes were high. But would it taste as good as it looked? Gasp! It did.

DDP’s chicken pot pie was made with “roasted chicken, potatoes, carrots, peas, corn, cream, and herbs.” The filling was delicious. The chicken was juicy and well-seasoned. It tasted of rosemary and sage. (I’m not sure whether there was marjoram too, but there should have been. Marjoram, most unfortunately, is an underused herb.) The potatoes were hearty, the corn was sweet, the peas and carrots were comforting. It was exactly what I needed on a chilly day.

Now about that pie crust. It wasn’t as buttery and flaky as I expected from a pie that was once featured on “Paula’s Best Dishes” (as in the Food Network’s Paula Deen), but it was good. It held up against the thick filling and didn’t sog. And unlike our first experience, the crust tasted fresh, not old and stale. Bottom line: The crust did its job well as a supporting player; it let the filling be the star.

As a final note, DDP’s served its chicken pot pie with a side salad (as it does for all of its savory pies). The salad consisted of mixed field greens with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. I would call the salad deceptively simple. The dressing was sweet and rich and better than your average balsamic vinaigrette. I enjoyed it almost as much as the pie.

III. CONCLUSION

Sometimes first impressions are wrong. I ordered and ate DDP’s chicken pot pie without regret. Darn fine pie. Even without the presumption of affirmance for true street food, the case is

AFFIRMED.

JEREMY, C.J., concurring.

This is perhaps my sister’s most cogent decision for it is in this decision she admits I am right. Indeed, I am generally right when it comes to matters of pie. I would add only that savory, like marjoram, is, “most unfortunately,” an “underused herb.”