Sweet of the Week: Lemon Meringue Pie at Longman & Eagle

Lemon Meringue Pie at Longman & Eagle:

Of all the pies, lemon meringue is a perpetual people-pleaser. Unlike other pies that are more tied to seasons, such as Thanksgiving-y pumpkin pie, summertime blueberry, and mince meat around the holidays, lemon meringue is a welcome dessert any time of year. It's tart sweetness has the capacity to liven up a cold-weather meal or refresh a hot one. There's never a wrong time for lemon meringue pie, and frankly when life hands you lemons, screw lemonade and make lemon meringue pie. Longman & Eagle is currently serving a sensational version of the pie staple, and true to L&E form, the pie simultaneously adheres to classic flavors and sensations while reinventing the wheel. 

(Lemon meringue pie at Longman & Eagle)

The impressive thing about Longman & Eagle is that the restaurant has a knack for capturing familiar flavors and turning them on their head in masterful new ways. Case in point, this lemon meringue pie. All the classic components are in place, but re-jiggered and re-arranged to encourage guests to get interactive and re-construct their favorite bites. First, the pie itself. Rather than a thick wedge of pie, the kitchen serves up three mini, perfectly sliced pieces, each one sporting a bright Big Bird-yellow hue. The tiny wedges are surrounded by dollops of meringue, treacly honeycomb, and burnt honey ice cream. This allows you to sample different bites each time, creating different combos or eating components on their own as you please. It's an engaging, delicious, and novel way to approach a pie classic. 

- Matt Kirouac