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    Pie & Cake Restaurant Fight

    Pie and cake restaurant fight has Houston chefs and foodies choosing sides

    Marene Gustin
    Marene Gustin
    Aug 17, 2014 | 10:24 am

    Pie, pie me oh my. Nothing tastes sweet, wet, salty and dry all at once, o’ well it's pie. Apple! Pumpkin! Minced an' wet bottom. Come to your place everyday if you've got em' Pie, me o my I love pie.

    Remember Andie MacDowell singing that little ditty from the film Michael?

    I’m not a huge sweets fan but on the occasions that I do go for a dessert, I prefer pie to cake. Because pie can be all of those things mentioned in the Pie Song. I like pie with ice cream, just like Sally in When Harry Met Sally.

    “But I’d like the pie heated and I don’t want the ice cream on top, I want it on the side, and I’d like strawberry instead of vanilla if you have it, if not then no ice cream just whipped cream but only if it’s real. If it’s out of the can then nothing.”

    Now that’s pie perfection. And others agree.

    "There are too many different ways for pie to turn out. You're not always sure what you’re going to get. But with cake . . . well, it’s just a unicorn in food form."

    “I like pie because you can serve it warm and a la mode,” says Ruben Ortega, executive pastry chef for Backstreet Cafe, Hugo’s and Caracol. “I like peach pie and blueberry pie the best!”

    And since this is National Peach Month, I’d say get yourself a slice of peach pie with a big scoop of vanilla on top.

    I'm not much for cake. I can’t even remember the last time I ate a piece of cake. And I don’t know any songs about cake except for that one where someone left it out in the rain and I’m pretty such they’re not singing about a real cake.

    But cake does have its fans.

    Take chef Shannen Tune of the new Revolve restaurant at Hotel Derek:

    “Cake! Always cake, it’s fluffy, fun and accountably delicious. There are too many different ways for pie to turn out. You're not always sure what you’re going to get. But with cake . . . well, it’s just a unicorn in food form. A trusty, magical dessert sure to please any sweet tooth!”

    And it doesn’t get any sweeter than cake for Ooh La La owner and baker Vanessa O’Donnell.

    “I love, love, love icing,” she says. “So cake for sure! Any day of the week. My favorite cake flavors are classic vanilla with vanilla butter cream icing and hummingbird.”

    Hummingbird is an old Southern favorite, a cinnamon layer cake made with crushed pineapple and covered in cream cheese icing and crushed pecans. But I still prefer pie. It’s never Thanksgiving morning without a cup of coffee and a slice of cold pumpkin pie while watching the Macy’s Day Parade on TV.

    But if you still want cake, here’s Ooh La La’s recipe for hummingbird cake.

    Hummingbird Cake
    Ooh La La Dessert Boutique

    2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter
    1¾ cups all-purpose flour
    1½ cups granulated sugar
    ½ teaspoon salt
    ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    ½ teaspoon baking soda
    2 eggs
    1 teaspoon vanilla essence
    1¼ cups mashed ripe banana
    1 8-oz can crushed pineapple

    Grease and flour two 8' or 9' cake pans. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper.
    Preheat oven to 350°F.

    Place butter in a medium microwave safe bowl and microwave for one minute. The butter will not melt completely. Whisk butter until it is smooth and liquid. Set aside to cool. Place all dry ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together.

    Add eggs and vanilla to melted cooled butter. Whisk together by hand until the eggs are completely incorporated into the butter. Add mixture to dry ingredients and combine well using a rubber spatula.

    Add pineapple and mashed banana and mix gently until just combined. Pour batter into the prepared baking pans.

    Bake cakes for 20 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean when inserted in the center of each cake.

    Cool pans on cake rack for 15 minutes. Unmold pans by inverting them on rack. Remove parchment and cook cakes completely.

    Cream Cheese Frosting

    1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
    1 pound cream cheese, room temperature
    1 pound confectioners’ sugar (3½ - 4 cups), sifted
    1 teaspoon vanilla essence

    Beat butter and cream cheese in a mixer with paddle attachment. Add one cup confectioner’s sugar at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat frosting until smooth.

    To frost cake, place one layer on serving platter or cake tray. Spoon frosting on top and smooth with a spatula until it’s about a half inch thick. Top with second cake layer. Frost top and sides with remaining frosting. Decorate sides with toasted chopped pecans, if desired. Refrigerate cake until it's ready to serve.

    Since this is National Peach Month, I’d say get yourself a slice of peach pie with a big scoop of vanilla on top.

    peach pie slice with ice cream
    Pillsbury.com
    Since this is National Peach Month, I’d say get yourself a slice of peach pie with a big scoop of vanilla on top.
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    rumor no more

    East Coast-style Austin pizzeria confirms plans to open in the Heights

    Eric Sandler
    Dec 4, 2025 | 11:14 am
    Home Slice Pizza Heights location rendering
    Courtesy of the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture
    A rendering previews Home Slice Pizza's new location in the Heights.

    One of Austin’s pizzerias is expanding its presence in Houston. Home Slice Pizza has claimed the former Mapojeong space in the Heights (602 Studewood) for a new location that will open in the fall of 2026.

    Founder Joseph Strickland tells CultureMap that Home Slice wanted to add a second Houston location that would build on the success of its Midtown restaurant that opened in late 2022. Unlike Midtown, which is counter service and offers limited seating, the Heights location will offer full service, an expanded menu, and cocktails, which is in line with Home Slice’s North Austin location.

    “We saw a lot of synergy in North Austin and the Heights,” Strickland says. “They have a similar feel, a lot of families, a lot of people looking to get together in big groups. There’s also a robust bar scene on White Oak that we’re happy to be part of.”

    Strickland says Home Slice had several requirements for a new location, including a larger dining room than Midtown, a decent-sized parking lot, and enough kitchen capacity to serve both dine-in and larger to-go orders. Not only did they find the right building, but they established a productive relationship with the property’s owner, Revive Development, the Houston-based firm that also owns properties that are home to Loro, Squable, Camaraderie, and the Stomping Grounds development in Garden Oaks.

    “It was hard to believe at first. The more we talked with the Revive folks, there was a lot of alignment and opportunity for us to expand what we’re showing Houston,” Stickland says.

    Home Slice is working with the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture to renovate the building. Strickland notes that it will require some extensive changes, including removing the butcher shop that was installed as part of its iteration as Ritual, a steakhouse that closed in 2021. Assuming everything goes according to plan, the restaurant should open sometime in the fall of 2026.

    Home Slice Pizza food spread Home Slice serves New York-style pizza.Photo by Garrett Smith

    Once open, Home Slice will serve its East Coast-inspired menu of New York-style pizzas (whole or by-the-slice), hot and cold Italian deli sandwiches, salads, and desserts — all of which utilize dough or bread that’s made in-house. In particular, the restaurant is known for its white clam pizza, as well as classics such as pepperoni and mushroom or sausage with ricotta and roasted peppers. In 2024, the Houston Press awarded “Best Sandwich” to the restaurant’s Italian Assorted, which is made with ham, dry salami, capicola, genoa salami, vegetables, provolone, mayo, and oil & vinegar.

    Critically, the Heights Home Slice location will add wings to the New York and Sicilian-style pizzas, salads, and sandwiches that the restaurant serves in Midtown. Inspired by the wings served at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, Home Slice keeps its wings simple — medium or hot and served with a house made blue cheese dressing. “It goes with our pizza quite wonderfully,” Stickland says.

    He hopes that the the wide-ranging menu, flexible menu, and late night hours will appeal to Heights locals, people patronizing the nearby bars on White Oak, and anyone else looking for a slice and a drink. The larger location and full service should make home slice an option for date nights, office happy hours, any just about any other occasion.

    “We hope the neighborhood will be happy to have another offering that’s like ours, where you can bring a first date or your office or go by yourself. We offer all those experiences,” Strickland says.

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