📍 Four & Twenty Blackbirds, New York City

I was walking to the G train, ostensibly to head home, after breakfast. I looked up bakeries and cafes nearby. I wanted a sweet bite. I saw a pie shop called Four & Twenty Blackbirds. I had been once before but that was years ago. There’s something about this time of year (November/December) that makes it feel like pie season.

I can appreciate the layout. It’s a corner lot with large windows letting in a ton of light. Wooden chairs and tables on both sides with the center kept clear. It wasn’t too crowded with about half the seats empty. The counter was nice, this finished natural wood had all the unevenness you would expect from wood that didn’t come out of a factory.

Above the counter were two blackboards, both with names of pies. One was for pies they sold by the slice and another was for pies they sold whole. By the time we arrived, one of the whole pies was already sold out as the chalk was erased. There were multiple people behind the counter and each person seemed to enjoy being there.

My order was a Salted Caramel Apple Pie and a cup of coffee. My friend got the same. They have the pies for slicing right behind the counter. One person took our order and another sliced our pie. They offered whipped cream and ice cream but I declined. The coffee came straight out of a carafe. When she put the coffee cup down, I thought it would fall as it was placed on the uneven counter.

The pie was served at room temperature. The first thing I noticed was how buttery the crust was. The curst was structurally strong, especially towards the edges, but maintained this phyllo-like flakiness that I appreciated. The crust didn’t disintegrate. The top had sugar crystals. It brought some sweetness but I found the crunch from it more interesting. The bottom of the pie crust was almost candied and had a tiny bit of chew, no doubt from the caramel.

The filling consisted of thinly sliced apples. Where the pie was sliced, it looked like they went in a thousand different directions. Closer to the slice's center, there were clear layers of apples laid like roof shingles. Each piece was a similar thin but not too thin thickness. The apples maintained their shape and bite but remained tender. There was no mushiness here.

There was a strong apple flavor accompanied by salted caramel. If you like the tart-sweet apple flavor, you’ll get some of that here. This is a distinctly different flavor from more spiced pies that are heavier on cinnamon and nutmeg. The caramel brought warmth you might have found with spices in other pies. The salt acted as a counter to highlight the caramel flavor without a salty taste.

As a composed bite, there was a textural journey from crunchy sugar to a buttery and flakey crust that turned a bit chewy before reaching tender thin sliced apples. That progression elevates what a pie, especially one filled with fruit, can be. It’s a slice of pie that you’ll want to take your time with. It doesn’t hurt that they’ll refill your cup of coffee as often as you want.

📍Four & Twenty Blackbirds
439 3rd Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215

If you enjoy reading these as much as I enjoy sharing them, please consider buying me a coffee. I might just write about it. ☕ Buy me a coffee.