KLP 7: California Pizza Kitchen

The California Pizza Kitchen entry is the first of this blog that comes from a national chain.  Pictured at left is the slice of key lime pie I had at the location in Ann Arbor.

Presentation: Relatively plain presentation.  Like much at California Pizza Kitchen, the presentation puts the emphasis on the food, but is essentially unadorned.

Crust: Graham cracker crust.  A bit thicker than some of the other crusts and reasonably fresh tasting, considering that it's likely not made on site.

Filling:  It's difficult to tell from the picture, but the filling is a very light green, as opposed to the more common yellowish green.  The initial taste is good, a strong citrus.  Unfortunately, there's a less pleasant gritty mouth feel and slightly chemical aftertaste.

Topping:  The topping seems to be pure whipped cream.  Very nice flavor, good complement to the pie.

Original elements:  The color of the filling is a nice contrast with the usual color of key lime pie.  It was subtle and pleasant.

Traditional elements: The traditional graham cracker crust is good but not great.  It doesn't really add to or subtract from the overall experience.

Rating: Three limes. Generally quite good, but the grainy texture and chemical aftertaste of the filling keep it from getting four limes.

KLP 6: Weber's Inn

Weber's Inn is an Ann Arbor institution.  The hotel is lovely and the restaurant has a nice assortment of steaks and mainstream American fare.  The key lime pie is one of half a dozen desserts on the menu.

Presentation: A not very exciting presentation, especially immediately following the Quarter Bistro's flamboyant plate.  Light dusting of graham cracker crumbs was pretty.

Crust: A thin graham cracker crust.  No distinctive flavoring, but fresher-tasting than some of the other pies.

Filling: Very flavorful.  The menu boasts that it uses Florida key lime juice in the filling.  It shows in the amount of flavor.  One of the better fillings in this group.

Topping:  A dollop of a topping that I couldn't identify.  Thicker than whipped cream, softer than fondant.  Decent taste, reminiscent of sweet butter.  Probably some type of mousse.  I asked the waiter and he didn't know, so he went off to the kitchen to ask.  No one there knew, either.  Probably not a good sign.

Original elements:  None.  Like Weber's itself, this is all about the traditional elements.

Traditional elements: This one had all the traditional elements.  Graham cracker crust, custard filling, dollop of topping, strawberry on the side, dusting of lime zest.  All there, all about as you'd expect.

Rating: Three limes. Unlike the Quarter Bistro pie, this one looks unexciting but tastes good.  Too bad the presentation of the Quarter can't be combined with the strong flavor of the filling of this one.

KLP 5: Quarter Bistro

The Quarter Bistro, on Ann Arbor's West side, serves a great Sunday brunch.  The menu is drawn, as the name implies, from New Orleans traditions.  Great oysters, including the best oyster shooters in Ann Arbor.

The key lime pie is beautifully presented.  I had seen it in the display case on several previous visits, but hadn't gotten to try it until tonight.  I was predisposed to love it, based on its presentation.

Presentation: Very unusual.  The top layer is very evenly textured whipped topping.  Not entirely whipped cream, something lighter.  The flowers on top are lovely.  The multi-colored gel that serves as a border is striking as well.

Crust: As with several of the other entries, the crust was not a strength of this pie.  It was a thin graham cracker crust, with nothing particular to recommend it.

Filling: Excellent texture, very light.  Unfortunately, the flavor of the filling was not very pronounced.  I was hoping it would be more flavorful, but it didn't leave much of an impression.

Topping:  About two inches of the lovely whipped topping previously mentioned.  Great mouth feel.  Like the filling, though, not as much taste as I would have expected.

Original elements:  Topping and plate border.  Visually, this pie is hands down the most beautfiul.

Traditional elements: The Quarter Bistro entry is very unusual.  It's hard to call any of the elements traditional, other than the graham cracker crust.

Rating: Three limes. Lovely to behold, but somewhat disappointing to the palate.  A good choice, but not quite as good as Northpoint, which is to date the best of key limes pies I've sampled.

KLP 4: Carson's American Bistro

Carson's American Bistro off Plymouth in Ann Arbor has a nice bar, a good menu, and very good service.  They do particularly well with vegetables, not easy to do given the number of meals they serve every night.

Carson's has about half a dozen desserts, of which the key lime pie is one.

Presentation: Fairly bland presentation.  The strawberry on top was tasty, but nothing fancy.

Crust: A thin graham cracker crust that tasted stale.  Not a good crust, unfortunately.

Filling: Decent flavor of limes.  The consistency is somewhat gelatinous, but basically good.

Topping:  Other than a light dusting of lime zest and the strawberry, there was no topping.

Original elements:  Unfortunately, none.

Traditional elements: This key lime pie is pretty straightforward.  One could say that it's all traditional, but it just feels uninspired.

Rating: One lime. Not a particularly good key lime pie, surprising since the entree portion of the menu is quite good.

KLP 3: Northpoint, Dexter

North Point in Dexter is located downtown.  If you were a local, you'd say it was next to the Dairy Queen.  For the rest of us, it's on Main Street between Baker and Central, across from the gazebo.

Their key lime pie is excellent, one of the best I've tried.  Interesting presentation, great crust, tasty filling, real whipped cream topping.

Presentation: The sprinkling of confectioner's sugar over the pie and on the plate looks like a fine dusting of snow.  Maybe it's a little over the top, but I like it.

Crust: Walnut crust is one of the things that sets this pie apart.  Substantial without being too heavy and not as overly sweet as some graham cracker crusts can be.  It's a wonderful crust.

Filling: Good citrus flavor.  Not as strongly lime-y as some others, but very good texture and mouth feel.

Topping:  Another excellent part of the experience.  Nice dairy flavor, sweet without being overpowering.

Original elements:  The walnut crust.  Unusual, tasty, good texture.

Traditional elements: Filling is very much the traditional key lime pie filling.

Rating: Four limes. An excellent key lime pie and a great way to finish your meal at North Point.

KLP2: Grand Traverse Pie Company

Grand Traverse Pie Company serves many varieties of pie; their Lakeshore Berry pie is particularly good.  It's a nice place to have a quick lunch.  A clear step up from fast food.

The key lime pie, though, is not a particularly strong entry. Here's how it fared:

Presentation: I got mine to go.  It's pictured at left sitting on my kitchen table still in its 'togo' container.  Even when served on location, though, the presentation leaves much to be desired.  No fruit or garnish of any kind.

Crust: Very thin graham cracker crust.  Not much taste other than sweet.

Filling: Good flavor of lime, but not a strong presence.  Inoffensive.

Topping:  A low point.  Medicine tasting fake topping, didn't add visually or to the taste.

Original elements:  None really.  About the only thing that sets this pie apart from the others is that it's easier to get it to go.

Traditional elements: The color and consistency of the filling matches the traditional way in which this dish is served.

Rating: One lime out of four. Not a good example of how key lime pie should be made.  Grand Traverse Pie company makes much better pies and other restaurants make much better key lime pie.

KLP 1: Carlyle, Ann Arbor

Carlyle Grill on Jackson Road in Ann Arbor is a fine place to have a drink and dinner before seeing a movie at Quality 16 theatres. It's spacious, not terribly loud, and has good service.

There are only four desserts on the menu; key lime pie is one. Carlyle's entry is pictured at left. Here's how it fared:

Presentation: A fairly traditional presentation. Pie with twist of lime on top, whipped cream on the side with a strawberry for decoration.

Crust: A flavorful graham cracker style crust. Notes of ginger and cinammon gave it interest.

Filling: Authentic flavor of limes was a strength of the filling. Texture of the filling was a bit more solid and rubbery than it might have been, but was generally good.

Topping: Is it still topping if it's off to the side? I guess so. Pretty basic whipped cream topping. Good, but with nothing particularly interesting about it.

Original elements: The flavoring of the crust was unusual. Unexpected and a good complement to the citrus of the filling.

Traditional elements: Presentation was standard for this dish. Comforting, but would have benefitted from some spark of originality in presentation.

Rating: Three limes out of four. Satisfying, flavorful both in the strong citrus of the filling and the unusual notes of the crust.