Snohomish Pie Co. a great addition to Mountlake Terrace’s menu

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — Call it the city’s foodie block.

Located in the West Plaza, the shops there include the fabulous Double DD Meats, which has been around since I was a kid; a branch of Romio’s Pizza; the Diamond Knot Brewpub, where my Terrace High class is meeting for our reunion in August; and now, the Snohomish Pie Co.

It’s a section of my hometown that I like to visit.

A mainstay in Snohomish for nearly 20 years, the pie company opened its Mountlake Terrace store on Pi Day (3.14.15) to great fanfare. They even ran out of pies that day.

Now that the pie company folks have settled into a routine, they are serving crowds of regulars.

A week ago, a group of retired guys finishing their lunch specials included former city manager Bob White, former police captain Stanley Krahn and Vic Sood, a former city councilman, a founder of Community Transit and, perhaps most importantly, the father of Nalin Sood, the boys basketball coach at Terrace High.

This illustrious trio, seated over in the corner, told the staff they’re happy to have the shop in town — a new place for their lunch dates.

The men generally praised the food, though White believes his wife’s homemade pies are probably better.

I understand the sentiment. My mom’s pies are the best in the world. If you love pie, and I do, you probably have someone in your family who really knows how to make them.

That said, however, there can be no doubt that Snohomish Pie Co. bakes great pies at its Mountlake Terrace store. Each pie yields six slices, a decent size.

But let’s save dessert for last.

Walk into the shop and you’ll quickly note the delightful decor. Mismatched chairs, table tops made from salvaged wood, enamel ware dishes, old pie boxes, light fixtures made from old commercial beaters and tin pie plates, the beautiful chandelier constructed from old rolling pins and signs such as “Apple Pie Counts as a Serving of Fruit.”

Right. Back to pie in a minute.

If you come at breakfast time, the huge cinnamon rolls are $5.25. Good choice, unless you are like me and you love pie for breakfast. A slice is $4.25.

At noon, the lunch special is the way to go.

It includes a large half sandwich, a generous cup of soup and a slice of pie for $10.25. Purchased separately the meal would cost nearly $14.

The lunch meats and cheeses come from DD next door and the fluffy sandwich buns are baked in house.

I had turkey and my husband had ham. The other choices are roast beef or just cheese.

The sandwiches were tasty and filling and went well with the soup, which that particular day was Ivar’s clam chowder. The shop’s soup of the day obviously is brought in, but this was the best Ivar’s chowder I’d ever tasted. Maybe they added extra cream?

Whole sandwiches ($9.50) and bowls of soup ($5.50) are available for people who are famished.

The special, though, includes that slice of pie, which perfectly completes the meal. It’s doubtful that you will want more.

After all, it’s about the pie, right?

I ordered a slice of chocolate pecan, which was not overly sweet and had plenty of nuttiness to balance the chocolate. My husband said it was like a truffle. His pie was strawberry rhubarb, a juicy blend of sweet and tart, with a lovely flaky crust.

If you come in just for pie, you can make it a la mode for $1, or you can really go for it with a pie and ice cream shake for $5.75. Big cookies are $1.50, and the restaurant serves soda, juice, milk and drip coffee.

Whole pies are $18.85. Available most days are apple, apple crumb (a pie company staff favorite), apple berry crumb, marionberry, strawberry rhubarb, raspberry, cherry, pecan and chocolate pecan. Seasonal pies include peach, blueberry, peach blueberry and pumpkin. Whenever possible, the fruit comes from local or regional farms.

Sugar-free apple pie is available when ordered two days ahead.

Cream pies are $26.95 and are available only Friday through Sunday. Arrive before noon if you want cream pie, including raspberry cream, coconut cream, banana cream, chocolate cream, Key lime and lemon cream with raspberries.

Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @galefiege.

Snohomish Pie Co.: 5602 232nd St. SW, Mountlake Terrace, 425-582-8018

Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Closed Mondays.

Alcohol: None