Honeypie

Cute n' cozy eatery in Bay View

Honeypie isn't shiny and new. It's been around since 2009 and is now considered a Bay View staple. I hadn't been there for a couple of years (blasphemy!), but the stars aligned this past weekend and brought me back to that homey Bay View hot spot boasting scratch-made, Midwest-inspired, locally-sourced food and "critically acclaimed pies baked in house." All that and the cutest logo in Milwaukee. 

We got there around 7:30 on Saturday and were greeted with a 30-minute wait. No problem at all — we enjoyed a beer at the bar. The place is very small and cozy with one row of booths, some window seating, and the bar (which you can eat at if you like). We were eventually seated by the window. Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs by then, so we ordered pork fries to start: shredded BBQ pork, cheese sauce, pickled jalapeños, green onions, and bacon over hand-cut fries. As our waiter said "Best thing on the menu" — and yeah, it was damn good. 

For the main course, Adam went for a Cubano sandwich, our friend Joel had the porkslaw sandwich, and Joel's girlfriend Vanessa chose a caesar salad with chicken. I had a bite of her salad and let me tell you something: I never knew caesar salad could be something remarkable, but at Honeypie it was. They toss kale chips into the mix, and I know what you're thinking: kale chips = hipster gimmick. But they truly added this delightful crunch that I'm still craving days later. Plus, the caesar dressing was exceptional. 

I had the mac n' cheese. It's baked and topped with buttered bread crumbs, green onions, and crumbled bacon. Sounds like a home run, right? Some folks rave about the Honeypie mac n' cheese, but I wouldn't get it again. I found it kinda bland under all that tasty topping. Still, I'm glad I tried it, otherwise I'd always wonder. 

With all this heavy food in our bellies and plenty leftover, there was sadly no room for that critically-acclaimed pie. Not that it mattered — by that time on Saturday night, most of the pie was picked over. Lesson learned: If you go to Honeypie for dinner, order dessert first. There'll be a better selection, and you'll have room to enjoy it.