Stopped at Bang Bang yesterday with family. We had the rhubard and the key lime. Both were good. Love the minimalisti kind of rustic antiquey ambiance which is not cutesy or fake. I did think briefly of Sweeney Todd when I was in there.

I think I'll be there this weekend. I can't turn down key lime! First: Ramova Grill. Then: Calumet Fisheries. Last: Bang Bang. Sounds like a fine day.

Yum. Keep in mind they do not always have key lime. I think they change the pies daily. They only had french silk, rhubarb and key lime when I was there. They also run out of things too as they are very small.

toria wrote:Keep in mind they do not always have key lime. I think they change the pies daily.

Key lime seems to be a stalwart on the menu. They have had it pretty much every day for the last two weeks.
But I suppose calling in advance couldn't hurt.

Bang Bang
773-276-8888
http://www.bangbangpies.com (click "Stuffs" link)

Yes I think key lime is often if not always on the menu. BBPS (Bang Bang Pie Shop) was on the Hungry Hound last night and they said they try to have a fruit pie, a cream pie and key lime on the menu every day. When they sell out, t hat is it so if you have your heart set on pie, do not go right before closing time.

I stopped in today thinking that they were open til 5 and I missed 'em by 15 minutes. They were sold out of Key Lime anyway. But I'll be back on Tuesday.

Delighted to see that Bang Bang was a full house this Tuesday morning, with tourists (I myself saw it advertised on the cab tv coming back from Ohare last night), neighborhood hipsters, and neighborhood non-hipsters. Walking in, the place smells amazing, really the best bakery smell I can recall having experienced.

The biscuit is indeed unexpected for those used to the crispy / flaky, but wow is that one impressive butter delivery vehicle. Seriously delicious, and I spent the whole time wondering how they suspend so much butter in so little flour.

Smore's Pie has a great (though probably too thin) graham crust, a tangy, not creamy (in a fine way) chocolate custard filling, and marshmallow fluff and demerara sugar added to order, fired with a brûlée torch. I found it a little too sweet, but very good.

Coffee, biscuit, side of candied bacon - make a morning of it (ideally with a walk to earn the butter)! Such a cute space, such a nice staff, such a quality product.

That is some damn fine Key Lime. Nice and tart. I'm glad I was able to get it before it disappeared. And they pack it up in recycled paper containers! I didn't remember to check to see if they have gift cards available...we have a friend who lives in Logan Square and that would make a nice birthday present.

I've had their pie twice now, and I think it's superb. They were serving strawberry, honey (custard), and s'mores. The s'mores pie is topped with marshmallow creme and smoked sugar, and then it's bruleed. They also have outdoor seating on picnic tables. The coffee, which is house-roasted, is very good.

Okay, so I used to think I only liked flaky biscuits, but I'd take these biscuit gems from Bang Bang over any flaky biscuit you could possibly offer me. Bang Bang has officially converted me. I swear I can sit around eating these biscuits all day long. Today, served with choice of two different jams - cherry-whiskey and I think blueberry-lavender (always love that black pepper-honey butter too).

Breakfast of Champions, Bang Bang Blueberry Pie.

I love pie for breakfast....fruit, fat, dairy, whats not to like. My pie of choice for breakfast is usually cold apple pie but this looks great. got to get back to bang bang soon.

Wow, just noticed the new and improved web site.

http://www.bangbangpie.com/

Think I'll begin a petition campaign for nectarine crumble.

That Summer Pie sounds freakin' awesome. I think I'll have to stop in for that.

BR wrote:Okay, so I used to think I only liked flaky biscuits, but I'd take these biscuit gems from Bang Bang over any flaky biscuit you could possibly offer me. Bang Bang has officially converted me. I swear I can sit around eating these biscuits all day long. Today, served with choice of two different jams - cherry-whiskey and I think blueberry-lavender (always love that black pepper-honey butter too).

Really? I'm also a flaky biscuit lover although I still love the biscuit at Sweet Maple.

Had a slice of the Nectarine-Peach pie this morning, and a biscuit....goddamn, they really know what they're doing in there. Delicious.

Dammit, I missed their sage ice cream/lemon curd pie. Did anyone get a chance to try this one?

I tried the sage ice cream/lemon curd pie and was very impressed. We live around the corner and buy our coffee beans there, so we keep up with the pie pretty well. Typically, I prefer their more traditional fruit pies (except the strawberry, which I found way too sweet), but the sage/lemon curd was a unique blend of flavors and textures that really worked well together. Just a great spot and what makes it even better is that everyone who works there is extremely friendly.

The fillings were just dandy, but crust was particularly exceptional on the Bang Bang Pie Shop peach pie with smoked sugar at the Barn & Company dinner last night. Looking forward to a visit soon.

Did a restaurant crawl today in the Armitage/California neighborhood with Gohan Lover. Ended up at Bang Bang about 30 minutes before closing. We lucked out and got the last slice of Chocococonut Pie. Someone had ordered it and never picked it up off of the counter, so it was offered to us (had to pay though.) I had just read about this particular pie in the Trib's Wednesday Good Eats section under "Eat This." The pie was fabulous. The crust was very interesting, not your traditional pie crust. It was cover with coconut and then topped with coconut-filled ganache and covered with a thick layer of sweetened whipped cream (we both agreed that the whipped cream could have been unsweetened to counteract the sweetness of the filling.) The top was dusted with toasted coconut. We didn't get a photo as we couldn't contain ourselves.

There is a lovely fenced-in side yard with tables for outdoor eating - probably won't be open much longer.

I brought the Chocococonut Pie to a dinner party a couple of weeks ago. I've had a number of fine-to-good pies from Bang Bang, but nothing that didn't make me wish it was Hoosier Mama that was within walking distance instead - that is, until I tried the chocococonut pie. This was thing I've had here that had me thinking about it hours, days, and weeks later. I normally go for fruit pies and was a bit frustrated that my host chose the chocococonut over the plum pie they were also offering.

It featured a single vegetarian shortbread crumble crust, a not too sweet chocolate ganache, fresh whipped cream , and toasted coconut on top. And it was just the right amount of salty to balance out the sweet flavors. Yes, slightly salty chocolate coconut pie.

According to the website, it was only available through the 23rd (they extended it due to the Tribune article) and they have not yet updated the pies for this week. On the basis of this pie alone though, I'll be returning to Bang Bang a lot more quickly than the 10 weeks it took me since my last visit.

Ms. Ingie wrote:Did a restaurant crawl today in the Armitage/California neighborhood with Gohan Lover. Ended up at Bang Bang about 30 minutes before closing. We lucked out and got the last slice of Chocococonut Pie.

Of course, this was all thanks to me. I was on my way around 3 and got lazy considering how many errands I had to run, and gave up.

I hope they bring this one back. Though I might just have to call in, because if they didn't update their website, maybe they're carrying it over another week. Cross your fingers.

Stopped in here last Friday, whoa. Biscuits were so good, I wasn't expecting it. Also the various accoutrements they had out to spread on said biscuits (multiple kinds of handmade butter mixes and fruit spreads) put it over the top. We got the Rocky Road pie and it was also pretty good. The filling was a bit too rich for me and I don't like chocolate pies as much generally, but the crust was really fantastic. If I were to go back, I would make sure to order ahead of time so I could get a pie flavor I know I would like more, but even with a flavor I don't typically like, I really enjoyed this pie. Repeat visits guaranteed.

I hope the owners of bang bang are still checking this thread, because I wanted to know, is there a reason why you won't take advanced pie orders for specific flavors of pie? This would greatly increase the frequency at which I purchase pies from you. My gf's brother is having a birthday party next weekend, and he had tried a pie we bought from here previously and wanted us to get one for him, but a specific flavor. When we called, the Bang Bang employee told us that we couldn't specify the flavor, only choose from the flavors available. Since there are usually only 3 flavors, and last time my 3 choices were all pies that didn't really excite me, I am a bit disappointed with this policy. I understand that if we give you only 1-2 days notice, expecting you to be able to make any pie flavor you've ever made is totally ridiculous. However, I think that if I gave you enough notice (5-7 days or whatever is realistic for you), it would be nice to select a pie, not necessarily any flavor you've ever made but perhaps a list of pre-approved ones. If I could order your key lime pie any time I wanted with enough notice, I might never go to another pie shop, including hoosier mama who I love.

I think you'd have better luck contacting the shop. They're pretty quick about answering emails.

Pie Lady wrote:

Ms. Ingie wrote:Did a restaurant crawl today in the Armitage/California neighborhood with Gohan Lover. Ended up at Bang Bang about 30 minutes before closing. We lucked out and got the last slice of Chocococonut Pie.

Of course, this was all thanks to me. I was on my way around 3 and got lazy considering how many errands I had to run, and gave up.

I hope they bring this one back. Though I might just have to call in, because if they didn't update their website, maybe they're carrying it over another week. Cross your fingers.

Wait, you ordered a pie and didn't pick it up? I'm confused.

pairs4life wrote:Wait, you ordered a pie and didn't pick it up? I'm confused.

Never. I was going to drop by for a slice of that very pie but didn't have time.

Suiname wrote:I hope the owners of bang bang are still checking this thread, because I wanted to know, is there a reason why you won't take advanced pie orders for specific flavors of pie? This would greatly increase the frequency at which I purchase pies from you. My gf's brother is having a birthday party next weekend, and he had tried a pie we bought from here previously and wanted us to get one for him, but a specific flavor. When we called, the Bang Bang employee told us that we couldn't specify the flavor, only choose from the flavors available. Since there are usually only 3 flavors, and last time my 3 choices were all pies that didn't really excite me, I am a bit disappointed with this policy. I understand that if we give you only 1-2 days notice, expecting you to be able to make any pie flavor you've ever made is totally ridiculous. However, I think that if I gave you enough notice (5-7 days or whatever is realistic for you), it would be nice to select a pie, not necessarily any flavor you've ever made but perhaps a list of pre-approved ones. If I could order your key lime pie any time I wanted with enough notice, I might never go to another pie shop, including hoosier mama who I love.

My guess is that they can't know if they'll have a specific ingredient on hand. They're not buying fruit from Jewel or Whole Foods, or even a restaurant supply store or necessarily a distributor: they're mostly buying from farmers, who do tend to run out of fruit. They also can't ask the farmer to send 2 pounds of blueberries, or whatever, just for one pie - they're buying 50-100 pounds of produce at a time, or more, to get a price that allows them to keep their pies at ONLY $26. It sounds crazy, but that's how it is.

We intended on making caramel apples all the way 'til Thanksgiving, but the apple crop from MI was hurt so much this year that our supplier is already almost out. We managed to cook and freeze some for our Apple Pie truffle, but still .. I am really bummed we aren't going to do any more caramel apples. They are delightful.

Katherine_84f wrote:My guess is that they can't know if they'll have a specific ingredient on hand. They're not buying fruit from Jewel or Whole Foods, or even a restaurant supply store or necessarily a distributor: they're mostly buying from farmers, who do tend to run out of fruit.

That's a good point, though they probably could still offer chocolate pies and the like that don't require fruit. Anyways, I'm going to email them and see what they say, will update.

Pie Lady wrote:

pairs4life wrote:Wait, you ordered a pie and didn't pick it up? I'm confused.

Never. I was going to drop by for a slice of that very pie but didn't have time.

That makes sense. Got it.