The Craving: A Piece of Pie

1) Johnnie's Pastrami Restaurant

Sometimes it's even more fun to find a craving at a place where I'm not expecting it. Case in point: Johnnie's Pastrami Restaurant, coined "The Leaning Tower of Pastrami," has pieces of pie that are pure, sugary bliss. Flavors include: apple, blueberry, cherry and other seasonal switches. I inhaled the cherry pie immediately following my purchase.

For under $5, I got a fix for my sweet tooth, which somehow didn't sour amongst the smells of hot pastrami. My slice of pie, with a scoop of ice cream, must have melted away my sense of smell in that case. Maybe I was distracted by the nice ambiance; I was seated around several families, and it made sense; this is the perfect place for every family member's craving, conveniently located within one local place.

The price of a slice of pie: $3.95.

Johnnie's Pastrami Restaurant, 4017 Sepulveda Blvd.; (310) 397-6654

2) Gyenari

I came here for happy hour and left with melted whipped cream and half of a slice of Banana Crème Pie. Again, the element of surprise played its part when I entered the Korean BBQ restaurant to find a heavenly-sounding pie on the dessert menu.

The smooth vanilla banana custard was topped with bananas and a single strawberry, but by the time I managed to stop eating to take a picture of it, it seemed that only the graham cracker was left. Now that's what I call a happy hour, for an unexpected reason: perfect pie!

The price of a slice of pie: $7.

Gyenari, 9540 Washington Blvd.; (310) 838-3131 

3) Fraiche

Maybe I was a impressionable young kid when I first heard the Shakespeare play reference, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet," but I know that the Torta Della Nonna that I had last week was indeed a piece of pie. Fraiche is known for being a fancy spot where the price is paid for a French-language restaurant that literally translates to "Fresh and Cool."

With fuji apples, pine nut streusel and a scoop of mascarpone ice cream, I closed my eyes and tasted apple cobbler. I mean cobbler in the best aspects that come to mind when using that word: warm, sweet and flavorful. This is one dessert that was not taken home; there simply wasn't any left.

The price of a slice of "pie": $10.

Fraiche, 9411 Culver Blvd.; (310) 839-6800

4) Bella Vista Brazilian Gourmet Pizza

When I stepped in for my slice at the all-you-can eat home of Brazilian Gourmet pizza pie, I wasn't looking for a dessert pie--the sweet, chocolatey, strawberry-topped dessert pie found me. Called the Brigadeiro Com Morango, each slice tastes of velvety chocolate with a trace of condensed milk, hit with a dose of healthy sugar in the form of the aforementioned strawberries.

I wish that I would have known how good it was going to be, I would have saved room for more than half of one slice.

The price of a slice of "pie" as a part of the all-you-can-eat meal: $12.99.

Bella Vista Brazilian Gourmet Pizza, 10826 Venice Blvd.; (310) 558-2374

5) Essential Chocolate Desserts

Sometimes I want my pie, and I want to eat cake, too. With the risk of being called a ding dong, I am going to take creative license and call anyone who argues against the addition of Gourmet Ding Dongs on this list a "square." If chocolate, espresso and generous filling don't convince that this square-shaped delight is as sweet and savory as pie, it's easy to order one of many pies available at Essential Chocolate desserts. 

Some ordering possibilities include: Chocolate Pecan Deep Dish Pie, Lemon Meringue Deep Dish Pie, Chocolate Fudge Deep Dish Pie, Chocolate Fudge Tarts and more. If the square-shape of the Gourmet Ding Dong doesn't convince on looks alone, maybe the price will help seal the deal.

The pies range in price: $30-$43.

Gourmet Ding Dongs: $5 each.

Essential Chocolate Desserts, 10868 Washington Blvd.; 310-287-0699.