As a fan of Green Chile Kitchen I wanted to like Chile Pies, but so far I'm under whelmed. That was also the case with my first visit to Green Chile Kitchen when it originally opened. I couldn't wait to try New Mexican food right here in California, but the green chile verde I had ordered was so hot, I became ill on the 2 block walk home. It took months before I went back in and ordered roasted chicken just to be on the safe side.
They deserve credit for sourcing out interesting drinks like the very tasty Sprecher root beer, and more credit for serving Three Twins ice cream, which I had heard very good things about, since it started being manufactured. The small selection of the ice cream being offered was slightly disappointing, maybe 10 at the most. Since the ice cream is all natural, the colors weren't very diverse either, but after trying their Lemon Cookie, I don't care what it looks like; it's delicious. I also give thumbs up to the cardamom, salted caramel and coffee flavors. I hear their ice cream and pie milkshakes are equally good, but have yet to try one.
I digress, their main claim to fame is pie, so I stuck to my original mission and ordered one of their pot pies. On observation, it looked like a decent size for the price ($7) and the crust was very appealing. It was such a unique idea for a stand alone restaurant that Chile Pies already had my vote for support, now was the test of fire, trying a pie to see if I could truly support it with continued patronage. Not so much. While the chicken filling was nicely cooked, chunky and combined with some carrot and red skinned potato, the sauce lacked much flavor. Even though green chilies were part of it, they didn't lend much flavor either. I believe it was under seasoned. That beautiful golden crust literally "didn't bring much to the table", not to the pie anyway. Even with the extra sauce, there was no wow factor. My final criticism is that it needed more filling, no matter what the taste, it seemed skimpy to me. I walked by a month or so after eating this meal and noticed that the pie being served was much smaller than those in the above photos. Eating less of it for the same price does not make it taste any better.
On my next visit I went back to try the Frito pie that I kept hearing about. I think it must have been invented in the 1960's when housewives were making casseroles from anything and everything that came from a can, box, or bag. It seemed to make enough of a hit with New Mexicans, that Chile Pies added it to their menu. I have to admit that is was much better than the chicken pot pie and was fun in a nostalgic, weird food sort of way. Chile Pies has a presence in the neighborhood, but it seems to be more about their fruit pies and ice cream than anything else, but that's enough reason to return. Their Boysenberry Pie Ala Mode definitely satisfies a sweet tooth. They now serve the same green chile stew and chicken posole that you can get up the street at Green Chile Kitchen and I have nothing but very good things to say about both those dishes.
| 601 Baker St @ Fulton St San Francisco CA 94115 (415) 614-9411 |
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