Gimme a High 5 for National Pie Day

Ahead of National Pie Day tomorrow (funny…we thought it would be on 3.14), a couple of your crack (pie) SunBreak staff checked out the new High 5 Pie on Capitol Hill.

And the neighborhood smells great.

You've been able to get some of these pies at Fuel Coffee and other cafes, but now Dani Cone has opened a dedicated 2,100-square-foot bakery and café to sell her Flipsides, Cutie Pies, Piejars, Piepops, and other handmade treats right at the baking source.

There's some counter seating with lookout to Union and Madison, but we perched at the handcrafted pie-shaped butcher block table--now if the table was also a lazy Susan, that would have been extra cool!--to sample some sweet and savory pies.

My favorite: the caramel pecan petit-5 ($1.50), which is a bite-sized delight. It offers a perfect marriage of crust and filling, whereas the Mile Wide pie ($90, estimated to serve 40 or more people) was heavy on the filling (albeit enjoyable, as it was not too sweet, and not at all syrupy). Added bonus: the option to heat your pie in a convection oven and/or have it a la mode.

Look carefully beyond the sweet petit-5s in the photo above, and you'll see another favorite: the li'l smoky roll-ups. With hot dog, cream cheese and bacon action, they're also known as "squealers," and they're a very recent addition to the menu.

Audrey enjoyed the sweet pies (obvs), but liked the savory ones just as much. A handful of broccoli mushroom cheddar and potato dill cheddar veggie petit-5s could easily act as a meal. There's also the authentic-made Frito pie (the baking manager is Texan), as well as a new ham and gruyere. And the breakfast pies (egg and cheese, et cetera) sound VERY tempting.

Cone talked about pie as a "memory trigger" and said she wants to provide a place where people can "come together and share that." Her pies promise to be creative and seasonal (we like the sound of the apple/cheddar/rosemary, for example) and sometimes silly (there was a Fruit Loops cream pie in the showcase).

With cupcakes, pie, and ice cream all available in close proximity, there's ample opportunity for a sugar rush in Capitol Hill at virtually all hours of the day. Can jello and pudding shops be far behind?