Vitesse98 wrote:Why would they go full cracker?

Never go full cracker.

=R=

Finally got to try the divisive biscuit. I can sort of see both sides of the argument: there's certainly none of the flakiness you expect in a really good biscuit. So maybe just call it a "butter cake" and everyone will be happy.

Except.... the one I had was unbelievably, borderline inedlibly salty. (Keep in mind, this is a ramen fiend talking.) Are they always like that, or did we just get a bad batch?

cilantro wrote:Finally got to try the divisive biscuit. I can sort of see both sides of the argument: there's certainly none of the flakiness you expect in a really good biscuit. So maybe just call it a "butter cake" and everyone will be happy.

Except.... the one I had was unbelievably, borderline inedlibly salty. (Keep in mind, this is a ramen fiend talking.) Are they always like that, or did we just get a bad batch?

I've never had the over-salting issue you describe, and I've had their biscuits many times, so I suspect it was just an anomaly. As for the lack of flakiness, I think that's a tad unfair - not all biscuits are flaky and there are types that are not intended to be flaky . . . a matter of personal and regional preference. While I ordinarily prefer only flaky biscuits, Bang Bang's are so good I make an exception.

Vitesse98 wrote: Why would they go full cracker?

Racist!

On Sunday, Bang Bang was subtly promoting their own bloody mary mix. A mason jar of mix with an attractive garnish was sitting on the counter begging inquiry. Sure enough, BYOV!

I also want to add that the outdoor space has really improved over the summer. Picnics tables, nice white umbrellas, and even some lawn style seating with halved wine barrels converted to low side/coffee tables. Someone should get in their with a decent camera; I thought about taking some shots, but didn't want to misrepresent it with my phone.

However, the most impressive part of this last visit, was the efficiency of the kitchen. The service at Bang Bang has gone from a clunker to a well-oiled machine. Every employee knew their role, and were quiet and swift about their tasks. If they had Sunday's high volume of customers 6 months ago, the line would have been out the door. In this case though, we had our biscuit, biscuit and gravy, and iced coffees within 3 minutes of parking.

I had dinner at a friend's recently and she's bought the "summer pie" from Bang Bang: Graham cracker crust filled with sage ice cream and topped with lemon curd. It was amazing.

Hmm...just noticed that--based on the description on their site--we were missing the berry compote. Not sure if that was the hostess's choice or an accidental omission.

SUMMER PIE - This is a frozen Ice Box Pie. We start with our graham cracker crust and then top it with equal layers of sage ice cream & lemon curd. Once frozen, we top this sweet, tart & refreshing pie with a local berry compote. Warning ~ this is a once-a-year-pie so get it while you can.

chgoeditor wrote:I had dinner at a friend's recently and she's bought the "summer pie" from Bang Bang: Graham cracker crust filled with sage ice cream and topped with lemon curd. It was amazing.

Hmm...just noticed that--based on the description on their site--we were missing the berry compote. Not sure if that was the hostess's choice or an accidental omission.

SUMMER PIE - This is a frozen Ice Box Pie. We start with our graham cracker crust and then top it with equal layers of sage ice cream & lemon curd. Once frozen, we top this sweet, tart & refreshing pie with a local berry compote. Warning ~ this is a once-a-year-pie so get it while you can.

Literally just finished eating a slice of this. Very nice, although I felt the lemon overwhelmed the sage too much.

I also noticed that on weekends they now serve cinnamon rolls and biscuits and gravy. Both were sold out by the time we got there, otherwise would have tried it.

fropones wrote:

chgoeditor wrote:I had dinner at a friend's recently and she's bought the "summer pie" from Bang Bang: Graham cracker crust filled with sage ice cream and topped with lemon curd. It was amazing.

Hmm...just noticed that--based on the description on their site--we were missing the berry compote. Not sure if that was the hostess's choice or an accidental omission.

SUMMER PIE - This is a frozen Ice Box Pie. We start with our graham cracker crust and then top it with equal layers of sage ice cream & lemon curd. Once frozen, we top this sweet, tart & refreshing pie with a local berry compote. Warning ~ this is a once-a-year-pie so get it while you can.

Literally just finished eating a slice of this. Very nice, although I felt the lemon overwhelmed the sage too much.

I also noticed that on weekends they now serve cinnamon rolls and biscuits and gravy. Both were sold out by the time we got there, otherwise would have tried it.

Were there, in fact, equal layers of sage ice cream and lemon curd as the described by BBPS? I'd estimate that there was a 2-to-1 ratio of sage ice cream to curd on the one we had, and three of us managed to polish off 3/4s of the pie in one sitting. I really want to try to recreate this pie at home.

Yeah, I'd say it was 2:1 at least, maybe even more like 3:1. It was still good, I just would have liked more sage flavor.

Nice to see all the posts on here. There are a few things I'd love to say.

First, we have not intentionally changed the graham cracker crust. It is a butter crust and should taste the same. If it tasted different, it is a fluke that should not happen. I'll check and make sure there isn't a mistake on our recipe.

Second, we have caved to vegans. Just kidding- we haven't and won't. Nothing is vegan on our menu and we don't ever have plans to make anything vegan. We match pies with the crusts we believe they fit in, and if they can be refrigerated or not.

Last year we put some of the fruit pies that required refrigeration in our leaf lard crust because we were novices. We've since learned that putting a lard crust in a moist cooler diminishes its quality. This year, we made an intentional decision to never refrigerate the lard crust. We decided that if the filling needed refrigerated, we would use the graham cracker rather than the lard crust so that we can keep that commitment. It has nothing to do with vegans/vegetarians. (Fortunately for them, they can now get certain fruit pies in a vegetarian crust.) We're still learning and tweaking recipes but the lard crust will never change. It's one thing we can promise won't change.

Third: funnily enough, i grew up in a florida cracker house on a farm in central florida. some of our recipes reflect my memory of my heritage. More of our food will reflect that heritage in the future... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_cr ... chitecture
hope that clears anything up.

thanks
dave

I had the pleasure of attending Bang Bang/Flesh for Food's Sideyard Supper goat roast on Sunday.

Bang Bang Side Yard Supper Featuring Flesh For Food's Whole Goat Roast!
Join Flesh for Food & Bang Bang Pie & Biscuits as we kick off Summer 2014 with the first in a monthly series of #sideyardsupper 's! Join us for an early evening summer whole animal roast in Bang Bang Pie Shop's charming side yard! Drew & Amanda from at Flesh for Food (Fleshforfood.com) will be roasting a whole goat along with house-made goat sausages paired with three savory sides, Bang Bang's signature scratch biscuits & of course PIE! Arnold Palmers & a house-punch will be provided & BYOB is encouraged to mix in.

The event will run in Bang Bang's side yard starting at 5:00pm on the evening of Sunday June 29, 2014. It will run into the food runs out or 8:00pm (whichever comes first)!

Live music will likely be provided & good eats, drink & fun will surely be had by all

The goat was from Catalpa Farms. The menu seems as if it might changed slightly from this description but included:
Bacon-studded biscuits
Plain biscuits
Roast goat with romanesco sauce
Goat sausage
Black beans (the only miss, IMHO...they were undercooked)
Pickled zucchini
Stewed escarole (I think it was escarole, and I think it was stewed...it could have been grilled then stewed)
Grilled corn on the cob
Stawberry shortcake
Two awesome punches, a yellow one that was refreshingly tart (maybe passionfruit) and a red one...they suggested we bring rum to add, which we did and which might explain why my memory of the red one is hazy

All this for the low price of $35. My friends and I all had a great time and will certainly go back for the next one.

I went there after hours recently for an event and was forced to watch everyone eat beautiful pie. They don't make any gluten free stuff and I have celiac's disease. So I drank iced coffee and enjoyed the company and the environment. It is a cool little place and I like how they run it with a limited menu. Everyone raved about the pie, and the owner offered to give me just a big bowl of compote which I think was thoughtful.

Bang Bang Pie & Biscuits, the popular breakfast and brunch spot in Logan Square, plans to open a second location in Ravenswood. Set to open in May at 4947 N. Damen Ave., it'll take over the spot formerly occupied by Dolce Casa, which closed in November.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct ... story.html

That's really exciting news. I live nearby and still haven't found a favorite breakfast place in the neighborhood. I think they'll give Over Easy a run for their money. I've always had good service at Over Easy, but there's something I don't like about their breakfast potatoes. I can't figure out if it's the oil they use, or a seasoning in them. I'm always mildly disappointed when I go there.

Got to say, Bang Bang makes one hell of a chicken pot pie. A real pot pie, with a top and bottom crust, made from butter and leaf lard. And the filling is delicious, with a good ratio of chicken to creamy filling. My only complaint is that it's a 5-inch pie . . . and I could've eaten a 10-inch version in one sitting. Sorry for not showing you an interior shot too . . . but I know how you could get your own.






The key lime pie was just fine. I prefer a more tart version and I also thought the crust was just a little too thick. A bit much whipped cream for my liking too. Still decent and with a nice texture, but I do prefer my own version.

BR: i, too, am a huge fan of bang bang's chicken pot pie, but i'm very relieved it isn't any bigger as i'd probably eat the whole thing and even the 5" is a rich meal....but, i've always found the delicious filling a little lacking in gravy. most pot pies usually have too much gravy and not enough chicken because, of course, it's the cheaper way to go but bang bang goes just a tad too far in the other direction. still the best pot pie in the world (what a glorious crust!, even the bottom is browned properly) but i actually mentioned my opinion to michael, bang bang's charming owner, when i ran into him in the neighborhood last week and suggested the pies could use just a soupcon more sauce and he seemed open to the suggestion...