Drive-By Pies — Restaurant in Brookline

Well, I wanted to like this place and the apple pie I bought there, but I just couldn't. There were 3 main problems.

1. the crust was extremely bland. It could have used a good bit more salt (if there was any in there to start with), a bit more sugar, and/or a bit of butter or lard. As it is, when it bakes, it all just dries out, becomes a bit cardboard-y, and it's lack of flavor stands in the way of enjoying it.

2. I asked them about the risk of the pie having a soggy bottom; they assured me their pies never had this problem. Well, this one had a distinctly soggy bottom. I've tasted pies with soggier bottoms, but not many; and this one was not acceptable.

3. The filling was not sweet. This is largely a matter of personal preference, so I'm OK with however sweet they choose to make it, even though I'd prefer a sweeter taste. But still, the filling was dull, unable to overcome the deficiencies elsewhere. I asked if they used cinnamon in it and they said they did, but I certainly couldn't taste any. But the main problem was that it was pretty close to being a "stewed pie", meaning the different components in the filling had not been given a chance to do any combining while in the oven, with the result that there was a large quantity of more or less naked (and not sufficiently cooked, to my taste) apples inside sitting in a bit of watery juice. But there was no combining of these things into an interesting mixture inside the pie, unfortunately. (I'd asked them about this problem too before buying the pie, and they clearly didn't know what I was talking about when I mentioned the risk of a stewed pie.)

I still like the "spirit" of the place, and would like to try something else there just to be sure. But I had to throw this pie out after the second piece (having eaten it just to be sure I had understood it correctly the first time); it just wasn't worth keeping. C'mon guys: you can sit down, analyze the situation, and do...

Drive-By Pies is the most consistently amazing bakery. Some of my guests to whom I've served these treats are esteemed (and picky) food professionals--and they rave over their excellence as much as I do. My family especially loves the pear-salted caramel pie but we also go nuts for every single pie we've ever tried, which is I think every pie the shop makes! The crust is perfection, 100 percent of the time. The fruit pies and the cream pies are never too sweet and the freshness and texture are always exactly right. The cookies are also a dream, as are the bars and the brambles and the sandwiches and...everything. The owner and staff are helpful, thoughtful, and friendly. If only I could recommend Drive-By Pies with more...

I wish I could give this place a better review but to be honest it's just not possible. I will start with the expensive $10+ breakfast sandwich that only comes with two pieces of bacon making it very bready and feeling a bit ripped off. Next is how often they don't care to be stocked with what is on their menu making ordering a Russian roulette game and ending up with not what you wanted most of the time. I offered up this information to the worker/manager and was met with a really angry response and defensiveness and a bad attitude towards me whenever I go in since. I don't think I will be going anymore even though...