Braised Pies — Attraction in Town of Wappinger

If I could give Braised Pies 100 stars, I would. Whenever I pass the store, I insist on stopping by to see what they have and what we can try. We have sampled our way through so many menu items - the sausage rolls (which are a must-have, absolutely incredible), Nutella swirls, lemon blueberry scones, honey apple cake, Cornish patties, lentil and curry pasties, spinach and feta pasties, blueberry blintz, the steak and ale pie (also a favorite), the scouse pie, the banoffee pie, several varieties of muffins - everything is incredible. Sue is so friendly, easy to talk to, and she makes us feel like old friends whenever we walk in the store. Her staff is so sweet and knowledgeable. There’s always a little sample of something new on the counter for a customer to “have a chew.” You can dine in and enjoy a chat with Sue, her family, and the rest of the staff, you can take your order to to go (and they will give you instructions for how to cook the food at home to ensure it is fresh when you are ready to eat), or have an event catered. They catered my birthday party this summer and were very accommodating to entertain our guests - she customized her menu items into individual portions to feed a group of more than 30 people. To put it in perspective, we walked in the door yesterday for 2 items and left with 10 for the weekend. Their business is unlike any other in the area - you will try something new that you’ve never had before and come back for more and then some. I cannot recommend this place enough - if you’re looking for somewhere new, charming, interesting, and delicious, please stop by - you will NOT be...

I had a remarkably and refreshingly human time stopping in to Braised yesterday afternoon. The staff behind the counter demonstrated themselves to be astute, charismatic and genuine that goes beyond the customer-service worshipping, sycophantic trappings of dining and retail of the 21st century. They notice the little things. The way one carries oneself, behavior around other customers the gestures you’ve made habit for so long you can’t rightly recall whether you did it in the first place. My interactions with madams Yaya and Sue felt both respectful and refreshing, whether giving anecdotes about travel, shared snippets about family, earnest talk about what’s good for the mind, coated with neighborly care. I would even go as far as to say it was a beam of sun poking through on an otherwise heavy rain cloud of a day! That being said: most conversations are ameliorated by the aroma of simmering herbs and fresh vegetables, roasting of sausages and the decadent buttery umami of puffed pastry.

The vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie I had was nothing short of a fresh treat, especially as someone who never really cared for versions I’ve had in the past! A 6 inch, personal pie, densely packed with juicy mushrooms, hearty beans, finely diced carrots and celery in an ambrosial gravy sat neatly beneath a seasoned mashed potato peak dusted with toasted cornmeal didn’t just hit the spot. It knocked it flat out and curbed my usual craving for a midnight snack. Braised is a serious breath of fresh air and definitely worth the commute across town given their gifts they brought from...

Just got back from our first visit, and first experience with English food. My wife and I each got the Small Shepherds Pie. We saw Chicken Pot Pie on the in-store menu, but it was sold out by the time we arrived. Lots of other interesting choices, some of which didn't appear on the website menu. BBQ Pork and Mac looked good but I wanted something I hadn't had before. I don't know what authentic English Shepherds Pie is supposed to taste like, but man, this was fabulous. Potato topping and meat/veg filling were perfectly seasoned. I thought $20 for the portion size was a bit pricey until I started eating it. It's a very filling meal, and if it hadn't been so delicious (and I had a bit of discipline), I could have easily split it into two portions and been satisfied with both. We picked up a bunch of other items to take home, and have already sampled the apple turnover, which was also very good. We did dine-in, which is available but a bit cramped. Next time we'll opt for takeout. Very friendly service too - as we were not familiar with the cuisine the person who took our order graciously answered all our questions. Looking forward to a return visit, hopefully we can get there before the chicken pot pie runs out. Always a pleasure to support a good local business.

UPDATE: The sausage roll is also delicious, with flaky pastry and mild (not hot or spicy) sausage with just a hint of...