On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Graham Ave (L)
Metropolitan Ave-Lorimer St (G, L)
Loading...
"Why don't you like pie?" asked my friend, as we waited for the subway.
"What on earth are you talking about?" I replied indignantly. "Just the other day, the yelp community manager for Brooklyn needed help with his homework, and a google map lit up in my mind under the category 'pie', detailing locations of all the good places!"
"And," I continued "you'd be happy to know that we're at this very moment traveling to a bakery that specializes in great pies".
As the train continued on its journey and we did not disembark at Union Square, my friend got more curious: "So, where is this great bakery?" "Williamsburg". Seeing her eyes pop out in surprise (knowing my complete disinterest in the neighborhood), I nodded: "It's VERY good. Probably serves the best pies in the city - available commercially." (Qualifier inserted for the baking geniuses who counter: my home).
Truly, what a delightful bakery! The spacious seating area includes a long table in the middle, tables at the back, along with window seating at the entrance. In the center you will see the Blue Stove of the owner's great grandmother after which the bakery is named. While in its present reincarnation the only utility it serves is as a table for milk, sugar, spoons/forks, it is a reminder of the tradition of baking that's passed down generations in the family for the owner still uses recipes from her great grandmother.
After debating between the various choices we selected the Chocolate Bourbon Bundt cake and the Key Lime Pie, to eat on premises. As the friend swooned over the key lime pie, I savored the bundt cake. "So, how is it?" she asked. "Oh, you know, it's just a cake with a hole" I responded mischievously taking a dig at one of her favorite movies (My Big Fat Greek Wedding). As we swapped desserts, she smacked her lips with enthusiasm. "Oh, wow! This is also 5 stars! And together the two are just perfect."
Quite true! After many visits, these are my favorite items from the bakery. Excellent on their own, and complementing each other perfectly. The chocolate bourbon cake has bold flavors. It's moist, dense, and almost intoxicating as bourbon pours out of each pore, and yet does not overpower the taste of the chocolate. The light and creamy Key Lime Pie may not be as tart as the 'authentic' version at Steve's (in Red Hook), but is nevertheless a delight even if the traditional graham cracker crust has been replaced by a flaky pastry one. I quite like the experimentation. It may not be as interesting texturally, but it allows the crust to be lighter, almost savory, and helps cut the richness of the pies that have it.
Subsequent visits have involved the consumption of the Pumpkin pie: competent and fluffy even if the gingersnap crust doesn't have the promised crunch, and the Pear Cranberry Pie, which (when warm) was almost magical, but for the excess sweetness of the pears. The red velvet cake may have been positively disappointing, as were the rich brownies, but the bitter sweet Chocolate Mousse pie (with whipped cream) and the Molasses Pecan Pie (with brown sugar) are delightful versions.
I could understand why some reviewers have griped about the service, for one of the servers (male) ignored us for a long while, took his sweet time to engage in chatter, and was less than knowledgeable about the pies. However, this was more than compensated by the other (girl) who was courteous, attentive, and helpful.
If it weren't for the abundant whipped cream, and the lack of textural complexity, I'd say these are the best pies in the city. Still, I will stick with the assertion, as the community manager may have already submitted his assignment. Surely, he must have seen the same answer while copying the work of other cool kids? ;)
I'm not sure what's up with all the coffee spots on Graham Avenue but it's turning me off. The Blue Stove, Variety Cafe, and the Beaner Bar all have below average coffee and the coffee isn't hot enough. WTF
I don't care if people say "O it's such a cute pie shop or cafe".
Who the fuck cares if a cafe or pie spot is cute. Serve me up good hot coffee and quality shit.
I guess that I would really give this place 2.5 or 2.75 stars.
My friend and I went on a whirlwind tasting adventure on Saturday. One of the destinations was The Blue Stove which is a pretty top notch pie place in my book.
I had the Pear Cranberry pie and it was fantastic. It was a great blend of sweet, slightly crisp pears and tart cranberries. I was so taken by this pie that I want/need to make it for Thanksgiving this year so that others can experience the amazing flavors that were happening in this pie.
My friend got the key lime pie and I must say that I expect my key lime pies to be a bit more tart. This one was far too creamy for my taste but I've also been buying amazing pies from Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pies. It is hard to stack anything up to their key lime pies!
We were ignored by the two people behind the counter for a while. They always seemed to be cleaning something or doing something else. They would answer questions when asked but wouldn't come over to actually help get food for you. Needless to say, there was a lot of waiting around even though it wasn't very busy.
I'm slowly becoming an addict of this place. It all started with me moving into an apartment around the corner. Sometimes I have to intentionally take a different route to avoid walking past the Blue Stove so I won't be drawn in my the tasty sweet treats, rockin' coffee, and nice service. What can I say, it's my kind of place. Laid back, non-pretentious, great carrot cake and brownies, and not overly strong coffee. Sometimes I feel like I'm in a cafe or dessert spot upstate instead of Brooklyn, it's that laid back. I'd like to try alot more of their desserts before I give out the coveted 5 stars but it's looking good so far.
Great pumpkin pie. Different, though. Almost like a pumpkin mousse (sp?), and it has a ginger-snap crust. Whole pies are expensive -- $22 for pumpkin, $27 for apple.
I cannot stop going to this place, and it's becoming a problem. The inside is adorable - warm, cozy, comfortable, and the pies are mindblowing. You can tell the owners have put their hearts and souls into making it a dream bakery. Everything I've tried has been perfectly crafted - flakey, buttery, slightly salty crusts; rich, luscious fillings. Their cakes are smack-your-grandma good - buttery cream cheese icings, moist spongy cake....God. Please, someone, stop me.
I'm not sure what the complaints about service have been about; the staff have all been friendly and helpful to me, and honestly, when I'm dealing with some of the best desserts I've ever tasted, I don't really care. Haven't tried the coffee - again, that hardly seems the point.
Definitely try the key lime pie (creamier and subtler than traditional key limes), apple pie and red velvet cake. The pumpkin pie is stellar too.
The Blue Stove is a very welcome addition to Graham Avenue in Willamsburg. The real attraction here is the pies. I have tried several of the pies here (as they should, fillings change with what ingredients are available seasonally), and they are all excellent. The crust is always flaky and delicious. On occasion, the fruit pies have had a litte too much cornstarch, but this is really quibbling, as it is hard to find a bakery pie this good anywhere. Other outstanding items are the quick breads and the chocolate bourbon cake. The atmosphere is always good here, and it is a relaxing spot for a cup of tea/coffee and a snack.
The one issue that keeps me from giving the Blue Stove five stars is that they often have items that sit for a while and lose a lot of their freshness. I have had stale cookies and brownies here, a no-no for a bakery. I do hope they can learn to control inventory better, or maybe offer reduced prices for "day-old" goods.
To get to the Blue Stove, I have to hop on the Q27 bus, transfer to the 7 train at the very first stop (Mainstreet,) take it to Grand Central Station, transfer to the downtown 4, 5. 6 train, transfer to the L train at 14th St, get off at Graham Ave, and then walk.
Despite this insane commute, The Blue Stove is definitely worth the trek. I was surprised to find an empty bakery, but the man behind the counter was nice enough and sliced me a good chunk of Chocolate Bourbon bundt cake and a wedge of chocolate cream pie.
I took both home and shared then with my family. Amazing, they'd survived the journey, considering these two items were placed in a cardboard box fit for a 10" pie.
The chocolate cream pie was luscious and thick. I found that the chocolate custard was well-balanced with the whipped cream topping, while the crust was as flaky as an artist.
The bundt cake was my favorite of the two. It was just so dense and moist - it's as if it had been soaked in the bourbon overnight. The chocolate flavor was equally as intense, and was sure to have given me food coma if I ate it by myself.
With a pleasant atmosphere, cute decor, and a wide variety of pies, I can see myself making the 1.75 hour trip many times again.
This place is adorable. The pie crust is great. Of what I've tried so far, the cherry pie was the best. Too bad summer's over. I heart cherries. Anyways I think their prices are just a smidge higher than I think they should be but that won't stop me from coming here occasionally.
Best Birthday Cake Ever!! My lovely girlfriend surprised me with a chocolate cake from The Blue Stove this past weekend and it was really an amazing cake. I'm insanely critical when it comes to chocolate cake and this one was the tops. I used to get my birthday cakes and non-birthday cakes from Cheeks before they closed and this cake was better than anything from Cheeks (and from what I hear, a bit friendlier than the sometimes caustic Cheeks lady). At first glance, the two types of icing looks too thick and sugary, but when you taste it, it's obviously been thought through and excellent ingredients must have been used to create subtle hints of quality not found in most cakes. The only bad thing is that we consumed the entire cake in one weekend and probably gained 5 pounds each in the process. Goodbye Cheeks, Hello Blue Stove.
This nice thing about living around the block from The Blue Stove is the waft of freshly baked goods in your face, as they bake with the doors wide open when it's nice out! Heaven! I will admit, I was a little wary of the success of this place because every time I walked by (which is every-single-day) it seemed empty. But as the days have grown longer, the more people I see filling in this bright spacious "baker's studio".
And all I have to say about The Blue Stove's "production": APPLE. PIE.
The boyfriend ordered 2 slices of pie for $4 per piece (I think) and we basically got half a pie. Thick, buttery, crusty, fresh chunks of sweet and a little sour apples.
Sure they have a bevy of other wonderful treats too: red velvet, brownies cookies, you name it. They even have mini versions of the pies! Loads of loose teas, coffee and cider and even free wi-fi! But seriously, it's the apple pie I want!
FATTY WHOLESOME AMERICAN GOODNESS.
PS
I am putting my order for pies in early this year for the holidays, they are going to get bombarded!
This place opened in late winter and has quickly become a addiction.
The atmosphere is welcoming and open, come as you are. The staff always has a smile and the music is spot on. The pies are outstanding, you wont find anything better. I'll take the pepsi challenge on that. The Chocolate Bourbon cake should be illegal it's so good. I brought a quiche to my friends brunch and it turned 5 reasonably calm people into wolves fighting for the last fork full. I also noticed Enids is now carrying the blue stove's fruit pies for dessert. All around great addition to the neighborhood.
The roomies and I agree, awesome baked goods, but usually a buck or two too expensive.. but the same goes for a lot of places in this area, so I won't hold it against them and will definitely be back for more ham and swiss savory tarts. The inside is another example of a very well thought out space on Graham Avenue with a nice mix of materials/textures throughout and +1 for the neat books they keep on the counter for perusing.
The best pie in the all of New York. It cost $5, it was a big piece. 2 days ago I had a huge piece of chocolate bourbon cake (chocolate black out !!!) it was beautiful in my mouth and mind WOWZA ! I'm hitting Inexpensive because it is SO GOOD and the pieces are big. You could split a piece but not with me.
This is an edit: I've been back 4 more times, it just gets better..plumb pie!
Cute place, helpful staff but the desserts are lacking. I've tried their red velvet cake, strawberry shortcake and key lime pie and they're all meh. I used to love Cheeks even if the owner was a real b*tch. Cheeks was far superior to this place, too bad it's closed. If I want key lime pie I'll just head over to Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pies over in Red Hook. If I want chocolate dessert, I'll go to to Chocolate Room in Park Slope. There's also Baked (Red Hook), Cake Man Raven (Fort Greene), Sugar Sweet Sunshine (LES)... catch my drift? There are much better options in the city just not in Williamsburg unfortunately. Luckily, I'm not a lazy motherf*cker and will travel for good eats!
This is the embodiment of all my dreams. If I were able to bake, this is the place I would want to open - all I could say when I went in was "this place is so cute! this place is so cute! it's soooo cute!"
And the food is delicious! I tried the brownie, which I felt was more of a fudge consistency, and then a chocolate mousse cake that was so good I couldn't stop eating it. I definitely want to try more before I give it 5 stars, but I love love love this place and I am sure it will only get better as time goes on!
the best pumpkin pie you will ever eat. hands down. apple pie was delic as well. the chocolate cream pie looked amazing, did not try it, cash only which will deter a little biz, took home the chicken pot pie and was very hearty and the plumb pie was the best I've ever had.
Newly opened on Graham Avenue, this delightful bake shop offers a splendid variety of baked treats, handmade by equally delightful baker Rachael. The shop is beautifully renovated, including some choice pieces of antique kitsch (including an antique blue stove), and will surely become another extremely popular cafe spot on the street.
Within and above the display cases, one finds a selection of cookies, pies, cakes, tarts, and quiches - key lime, mixed berry, and leek and bacon and onion quiches, to name a few. The chocolate crinkle was a crunchy yet chewy brownie-like cookie, dusted with a light coating of powdered sugar. The bacon and caramelized onion quiche was light and not too chewy, with a flaky, buttery, and tasty crust - too often I find the crust is overlooked at bakeries, but at Blue Stove it's an integral part of the entire baked good experience. While I didn't try the "ranger" cookies (oatmeal, raisin, chocolate chip) or the red velvet cake, I'm sure I will take the opportunity to do so very soon.
There is also a fully equipped cafe ready to serve a variety of coffee drinks, a small selection of soft drinks, and freshly squeezed orange juice.
one of the higher compliments i can give a dessert is that it tastes homemade. with pie, it's the highest compliment i can give. it's tough to find good pie in new york and this pie tastes definitely tastes homemade.
it's unpredictable, in a good way. the pie selection rotates so if one day you go back for some pecan pie, you might end up with blackberry rhubarb instead. it keeps you on your toes. it keeps you sharp. it keeps you ready. for more pie.
---------
update: sometimes the orange flavor (which turned out to be zest) overwhelms the more delicately flavored pies, like the strawberry rhubarb. then i get really sad. but then they do things like heat up your pie for you if you want, if you are eating it there, which makes the crust so much better and all is forgiven. i just wish they'd skip the zest in the pies. they are zesty enough on their own.
Yummm.....
Crisco or no crisco, I would make love to this place if possible. Ignore the only one star review, because that person doesn't know what they're talking about. If you want Earth Balance, walk a few blocks to Bedford and have some of Penny Lick's tasteless treats, most of which aren't really even vegan but somehow taste like cardboard even still. I'm not knocking vegan baked goods, because that's what I do in my kitchen, but here at the Blue Stove, they do it right otherwise. It reminds me of home and the pies are so mouth meltingly delicious. Try the red velvet cake and the lemon ginger pie. Holy hell. I can't get enough of this place. I'm even willing to not get annoyed at the Brooklyn prices. Marry me, Blue Stove? PLEASE!!! The music is always at the right volume and Rachel, the owner, is super sweet, too. The coffee cake tasted like homemade coffee cake, thank you very much.
A friend brought over two pies last night from this bakery and they were SO good. I am a huge crust lover and the pie crust on these two specimens was better than most store bought pies I've eaten. Between three people we downed two small pies: apple and rhubarb. Both were really great and came with the cutest blue ribbons on top. Love it!
Welcomed addition to Graham Ave. Friendly country kitchen vibe. It's one of the few cafes where you can actually get a lighter blend of coffee as opposed to all the cafes around there that serve that tarbucks imitation brew.
Deep in the heart of Italian Williamsburg, I have found pie to nourish my Midwestern soul.
I am so excited to have the Blue Stove open on Graham Ave. Our wonderful neighborhood can always use more places, and the Blue Stove is welcoming and charming in atmosphere, with a comfortably competent and friendly staff. The two items that I have tried, the Killer Brownies and the Carrot Cake, were both delicious and more complex in flavor than one might think. Though I will admit that the carrot cake more strongly resembled a carrot bread with icing, it made an excellent treat paired with tea. I definitely plan to try other options, and enjoy the charmingly kitschy atmosphere.
the neighborhood just got a little fatter. and a lot more awesome.
Ho. Ly. Crap. No disrespect, but this pie is better than your mama's, yo auntie's, AND yo gramma's. Combined. For serious. The crust is flake-tacular, the filling is real fruit, in season, and in perfect sweet/tart balance. I have not yet had the quiche (that's next on my list), but savory tarts of mushroom and goat or ham and swiss are also divine. This place also satisfies my love of detail, with elegant vintage cups for your tea, or pretty blue "snack set" plates and cups for your pie/coffee combo. The atmosphere is real homey, complete with namesake blue stove for the coffee condiments, and adorable kerchiefed and pig-tailed proprietess running the show in the kitchen. Yes, $4.50 is a lot for a slice of pie, but you are getting at least a $1.50-worth of love in that slice, and that is a bargain.
I want this place to be better than it is. Nice inside--like someone took their great grandma's kitchen and turned it over to the staff of DWELL. (In this case that's a compliment). Nice gals behind the counter, and a sweet, doe-eyed, perpetual hazy-headed-seeming hipster dude too (tho I hope he wears a beard-net if he's baking). The Molasses pecan pie is the very best thing at this place. At one point I would've said 'in the whole world.' But then I went back. And tried it again. And tried other things. And what it comes down to is that it tastes like, in general, they're making things from mixes and then adding semi-homemade touches... The smell wafting out of this place is literally like the little steam-scent-that-turns-into-a-finger-and-drags-you back-to-it from cartoons, but too often the actual taste is more akin to the well-meaning co-worker who thinks Betty Crocker with booze added to the mix will make people like her/him more.
I had really high hopes for this place since I've been living in the neighborhood for a very long time and am excited to see all the small businesses opening up. However, I have tried this place multiple times and almost every time I am disappointed (I do kind of like the brownies though). I don't get the key lime/basic pie crust combo. I've never had it without graham cracker crust and now I know why. I am also not a fan of the whipped cream. The staff are great and the coffee is also real good. The idea of using apple bags is super cute and the ladies did a wonderful job at decorating the place. I hope they can fine tune their recipes because I would really like to see this place succeed!
Don't Forget the Holiday…
Hoboken, NJ
10% online discount for Yelp…
Neighborhood: Meatpacking District
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
