Thursday, May 7, 2009

vi's for pies - edmonton, ab

vi's for pies
13408 stony plain road
780.454.4300


It's seems I've had more reason as of late to be on the other side of the city, so I took the opportunity to stop in at Vi's. Dropping in on the late side of the afternoon (4ish), the restaurant was almost empty and the two staff didn't seem that interested in our entrance. We took this time to contemplate our choices, which was fairly easy as the display case was rather sparse this day. Finally a few minutes after our arrival our 'standing around look' was acknowledged and we quickly placed our order.


First up was a piece of sour cherry pie. The presentation wasn't anything spectacular, with the piece being cut rather sloppy, but as with all treats, it's the taste that matters. It instantly took me back to my childhood and visits to my grandparents farm. They had a cherry tree, and the pies I remember being made were just like this. The crust was nice and flaky, making a great base for the filling.


Next up was the peanut butter mousse pie (something I decided on trying after seeing this). I swear this slice of pie was as big as a car; it was massive and we called it quits before finishing. I liked that the mousse wasn't overly sweet and carried a good peanut flavor. The crust (puffed wheat?) was harder than I would have liked, especially at the edge where it was quite thick. This made any attempt to glide through the pie with one fork impossible, as we had to balance the piece with one fork while retrieving your bite with another.


This service for our visit seemed distant and lackadaisical. We ended up picking a table near the counter, only to find it and many others dirty. Our server didn't seem surprised, as she brought a cleaning rag with her when she delivered our goods but didn't stop to clean any other tables. Not leaving any real negative feelings, it also didn't sell me on returning any time soon. With the restaurant out of the way from my normal stomping grounds, I'll wait for another reason to be in the area before I would head back.

* Side story. A fellow customer ordered a piece of pie. When plating, the staff member ended up flopping the pie on it's side. Looking around to see if the coast was clear, it wasn't, she used her finger to flop the pie back over. After realizing she was "caught", she quickly turned red and 'cleaned' up the now mangled slice by slathering on the whip cream. Interesting cover up...

5 comments:

Court said...

A bit off putting. I used to hit up Vi's a lot when I live closer. I would walk and then tell myself that I had burned enough cals to justify a PB mousse pie. I don't think I ever managed to finish a whole piece by myself, but the second half makes for a tasty treat the next day.

Chris said...

It was slightly. I always hear great things, but this visit was very so-so. I will go back, I mean it's almost a classic spot. I just hope it isn't a sign or anything.

I don't even think I could have looked at it again the next day...oh who am I kidding, I totally could.

Maki said...

All you need is one bad employee to ruin an entire experience. Sucks. I haven't been there in a while but I've only heard good things of Vi's but maybe the boss was away so the mice were at play? who knows really.

Cheap Chicks And The City said...

We often frequent Vi's but never tried the PB moouse pie - will now have to try it! Next time you go back, we definately recommend the cheesecake - it's in our opinion, the best cheesecake in town. But I guess it's all a matter of perspective. I find that it's super cheesy and I like dense cakes. So it was a perfect combo! Let us know what you think next time you're there :)

Chris said...

Thanks for stopping in CHATH. If you like PB, you'll love a slice. I do like a good cheesecake, so I will check it out.

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