Out & About #462 | Breath of Barrie Day 1: Pie Wood (Barrie South End)

​The semi-annual trip to Simcoe County resumes for another summer!
As a resident of the suburbs (with constant metropolitan influence), it is admittedly rare to find myself away from a screen and shops, even if the surrounding community poses more than enough opportunities to embrace it.

Major retail stores are spotted less frequently up north, and the same goes for the presence of public transit routes. Several of the roads do not intersect, which means travel time can be extended from a mere ten- to fifteen-minute drive to thirty minutes and beyond to cover the same distance.

​By the time we had exited the 400, it was already late afternoon. Issues with a bathroom leakage further delayed our scheduled activities.

The original plan of biking around the area was postponed due to time restrictions. Instead, we slathered on formulas of SPF 50 PA+++ and headed to the pool for some weekend getaway-appropriate Vitamin E exposure.
Vicious UV rays shone down upon us, leaving their mark in the form of noticeably darker pigmentation of the epidermis.

​For our first meal of the weekend, I suggested Pie Wood. Our experience at the downtown location had been wonderful: flashbacks of Big Quack and Tsunami resounded in my mind, distinctly vivid in spite of the fatigue I had accumulated from the early early morning 7 for 7 VLive Showcase.

​My companions were less excited at this suggestion, with the primary reason being that one member in particular was less fond of cheese than the rest of us. Gritting their teeth, they agreed to try Pie Wood's Mapleview location. 

We were seated on an empty patio on a slow weekday evening.

Gushingly friendly were the staff members, especially our waitress. She was more than happy to share her recommendations with us, even providing additional details on the Featured Soup - which apparently is swapped out for a new flavour every week on the account of the chef. Her descriptions relative to the size of the dishes were frankly not as on par with our petite appetites, though this was not a large issue.
I guess my only complaint was that utensil and napkin sets were forgotten even after delivery of our starters.

Drink orders were taken to start, followed by the delivery of salad and soup.

The Pie Salad was a more substantial portion than we pictured for slick fragments of chopped lettuce, arugula, and baby spinach. Coated profusely in a red wine vinaigrette that was more oil than vinegar, we picked at a few pieces before shoving the bowl aside. I have recently grown absentminded, carelessly neglecting the importance of specifying dressing on the side.

< Pictured above and below: Ginger Ale, Pie Salad, French Onion Soup, More Cowbell Pie, St. Lucia Pie (Light Cheese), and Nutty Pie >

​French Onion Soup was the specialty of the week. It proved exceedingly delectable with an utterly harmonious balance of sweet, softened onions, briny liquid, and crunchy chunks of bread. Instead of the standard pre-packaged croutons, the restaurant employed the inclusion of torn bits of bread for improved texture. Savoury as the base was, it did not veer into high-sodium territory. This was much appreciated as, generally, the topmost layer of stringy cheese can elevate the saline content to unfavourable degrees.
The consensus was that this rendition of French Onion Soup was undoubtedly the tastiest amongst all of our stops in Barrie, with mention to the fact that soups did not fall within Pie Wood's realm of specialty.

​Mains comprised of More Cowbell Pie and St. Lucia Pie. The former was constructed with a cheese sauce base, then topped with roasted potatoes, spinach, red onions, and more cheese in the form of Mozzarella and Parmesan. Appealing to the cheese-lover within me, More Cowbell hit the spot perfectly with its intriguing combination of vegetables and protein.
Spinach and of beef brisket are toppings that can rarely go wrong. Adding crisp roasted potatoes, mushrooms, and slightly cooked red onions (which I am normally not too affectionate towards) were astounding touches.

​St. Lucia was meant to be the less cheesy pick of the two. With a foundation of tomato sauce and tempting components of pineapple, double smoked bacon, and shredded coconut, this was a pie that all members of the party could appreciate. Pineapple on pizza has been a well-loved classic for decades, and the light dusting of coconut further assisted in enhancing aromatic properties. The gritty texture was subtle but perceivable - its presence not to be dismissed easily. Our waitress was also kind enough to offer substituting the layer of mozzarella with individual chunks of mozzarella (à la Queen Pie) or applying a thin, uniform layer (going "Light Cheese") instead, even though substitutions were strictly forbidden.
Personally, the base of the pizza was too salty for my preferences and not quite cheesy enough. The single basil leaf was pungent when consumed solo, but did not contribute significant herbiness to the dish as a whole.

​Famished as we were, majority of the pizzas were demolished in a mere twenty minutes. Next up was dessert.

Nutty Pie had caught my attention from the moment we had settled into our plastic chairs. Less nutty by means of traditional dried seeds and more by the abbreviation of my all-time favourite chocolate-hazelnut spread, the dessert was a sugar-laden take on pizza. Requesting to have ice cream served separate had been an informed decision.
Delivered to our table was a quarter slice of thin pizza crust slalthered with an abundance of Nutella. Dulce de leche had then been drizzled on top, followed by ripe banana slices and a dusting of icing sugar. It was delicious but admittedly sticky (read: a huge dose of diabetes) for those unaccustomed to Nutella. The dulce de leche was masked by the sweet spread, causing it to take on a more conservative role. Frankly, it could have been omitted entirely to increase a sense of cohesion.

​The miniscule scoop of ice cream was formidable even on its own: it was neither too sweet nor creamy, and even embodied distinct flecks of vanilla bean. Safe to say REDS' House Churned Bourbon Vanilla might as well be tied.

Conceptually, Nutty Pie was a solid end to a savoury supper. Presentation-wise, it failed to amaze; it appeared that someone had created a mishmash of leftover pizza dough and common pantry ingredients. With revised plating, I'm convinced that visual appeal will be enhanced accordingly.

​Given that we had been seated on the patio, we weren't aware of the ruthless blasts of A/C until washroom trips were made. Temperatures were much too chilly given the external conditions.
Washrooms facilities weren't as modern, but they functioned well for their age. Cleanliness levels could be improved. All toiletries were adequately stocked in the very least.

​It was brought to my attention that the Tsunami Pie no longer features a mild arrangement of toppings. This saddens me slightly, though only encourages me to expand my selection for the next visit.
Pie Wood currently consists of seven locations. The downside is that the closest one to home resides in Woodbridge.