HP_031518

30 | March 15, 2018 | The highland park landmark Dining Out
hplandmark.com
Quick Bites
Ringing in Pi Day the right way
Staff Report
March 14 is more than
the eve of the Ides of
March, the anniversary of
Julius Caesar’s untimely
demise. It’s 3/14 ... 3.14 ...
Pi Day.
Whether you think of Pi
as a mathematical constant
or the 1998 film by Darren
Aronofsky, it’s worthy of
celebration. I mean, who
really needs an excuse to
indulge in a slice of pie?
To celebrate, editors
from 22nd Century Media
made like Special Agent
Dale Cooper and got down
with some slices of pie.
We sampled pie from
our respective coverage areas
and reported back with
what we found.
Ice Box Pie — Bluegrass,
Highland Park
Sometimes the best
things happen by accident.
Those best things, as
Bluegrass owner Jim Lederer
discovered, sometimes
come in the form of
pie.
In 1995, one of the
chef’s at Bluegrass wanted
to whip up a pie for a party,
but wasn’t sure what to
make, Lederer said.
It was “the best thing
ever created by accident,”
Lederer said.
Thus, the Ice Box Pie
($8.95 large, $4.95 small)
was born.
The Ice Box Pie is a
served-cold pie with a graham
cracker crust, toasted
pecans, house-made caramel,
shaved chocolate, caramel
cream and a non-dairy
whipping cream filling.
The non-dairy filling
makes it an easy decision
for those with an aversion
to lactose, but Lederer said
dairy lover’s like it all the
same.
Over time, the pie’s
creator tried improving
it, but was never able to.
Sometimes, Lederer said,
you’ve just gotta stick with
the original.
Bluegrass, 1636 Old
Deerfield Road, is open
11 a.m.-2 p.m. for lunch
and 6-9 p.m. for dinner
Tuesday-Friday, and 5-8
p.m. Saturday-Sunday. It
is closed Monday.
For more information,
visit BluegrassHP.com.
Story by Xavier Ward, Editor
Key lime pie — Valley
Lodge Tavern, Wilmette
“An American tradition.”
Those three words are
how Wilmette’s Valley
Lodge Tavern simply describes
its Key lime pie in
the restaurant’s menu.
“It’s a very popular item
and people love to order
it after a good meal,” said
Cris Pazmino, general
manager of Valley Lodge.
The Key lime pie is
topped with meringue,
which juxtaposes the tart
center, by adding sweet
flavor. A lime wedge is
placed on top. Most bites
will also include the taste
of macadamia nuts, which
are mixed into the meringue.
While lime gets most
The Ice Box Pie ($8.95 large, $4.95 small) at Bluegrass
comes with a graham cracker crust, toasted pecans,
house-made caramel, shaved chocolate, caramel
cream and a non-dairy whipping cream filling. Xavier
Ward/22nd Century Media
of the headlines when
it comes to this particular
dessert, and rightly
so, don’t sell the graham
cracker crust of Key lime
pie short.
Valley Lodge Tavern
is located at 1141 Central
Ave., Wilmette and is open
11 a.m.–11 p.m. Monday-
Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight
Friday-Saturday and
11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday.
For more information, call
(847) 920-5675 or visit
valleylodgetavern.com.
Story by Eric DeGrechie,
Managing Editor
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