At Pie Room, fancy meat pies make for a solid Beverly Hills lunch - Review - Los Angeles - The Infatuation
"If you find yourself at lunchtime loose ends in Beverly Hills, try a fancy little meat pie. An Australian meat pie, to be precise, at Curtis Stone’s casual-enough restaurant that didn’t used to be casual at all. Up until 2024, Stone was serving a hoity-toity prix fixe menu and called this place Maude. The space hasn't really changed aside from a new pastry case at the front, so it might feel strange to dine on pies and croissants brought to you by servers in uniforms, but this is Beverly Hills, after all. photo credit: Andrea D'Agosto The meat pies are excellent, like if Marie Callender went to culinary school. Sure, they’re more expensive than the standard in Melbourne, but it’s hard not to be swayed by the crunchy butter crust. A single pie is more than filling for a solo lunch, though there are also sandwiches on the fluffy sesame seed bread from Stone’s Hollywood steakhouse and butcher shop Gwen (which originally hosted this pie-and-sandwich concept as a pop-up). These sandwiches are good enough to steal the show from their butter-crusted counterparts, and we’d recommend prioritizing one. The all-dressed-up italian sub called The Grinder is our pick. At night, The Pie Room loses a little steam. It calls itself a wine bar, but closes at the very non-bar hour of 8pm. They even have a weirdly secret dinner menu, branzino and all, if you’re one of the few people who dares come in after work—which we don’t recommend, unless you’re into completely empty restaurants. (During one dinner, someone walked in, loudly asked, “What is this place?” and walked out.) While the charcuterie and wine options are totally fine, The Pie Room is its best self at lunch with one or two other people, possibly in an official work capacity. You’ll hear mother-daughter combos cooing over rye pastrami croissants, and investors interrupting their pitches to point out how pretty the pies are. Food Rundown Cottage Pie There are many pies at The Pie Room—duh—and this one is the pick of the litter, waiting behind the display case to be plucked from obscurity. A fancy little shepherd’s pie, the red-stained beef-pork bolognese filling is topped off with creamy mashed potatoes artfully singed at the edges. photo credit: Andrea D'Agosto Chicken & Leek Pie The closest thing to an American-style pot pie here is subtler than the other options, but the gooey, rosemary-scented filling is no less luxurious. Wagyu Pastrami & Rye Croissant Think of this like a reuben croissant, with ultra-tender pastrami and the russian dressing turned into a béchamel sauce studded with dill pickle and sauerkraut. photo credit: Andrea D'Agosto Citrus Monkey Bread Dusted with a zingy citrus sugar and dense with layers but light as a cloud, this pastry itself feels like a paradox. You won’t want to share this one—get two. photo credit: Andrea D'Agosto The Grinder Sandwich This was the enduring hit of Gwen’s previous sandwich pop-up, and that’s because it’s a perfect italian sub. Featuring cold cuts made at the chef’s upmarket butcher shop, just the right amount of pickles, and a surprisingly sharp chili mayo, it’s salty and abrasive in all the right ways. Confit Duck Ragu Pancetta Sandwich “Confit Duck Ragu Pancetta” is a lot of cooking techniques for one sandwich, but it works. Rich and fragrant with spices that conjure Christmas trees and cozy sweaters, crunchy slices of fennel add just the right amount of tang. photo credit: Andrea D'Agosto English Peas, Mint & Bacon Chewy and flavorless even with the flecks of bacon, this isn’t as refreshing as it sounds. Don’t let it distract from the food that comes out of the oven. photo credit: Andrew Ryce Loup de Mer This isn’t on the menu, and it’s probably one of the best things that will ever come out of that kitchen. Two slices of branzino pan fried to a satisfyingly brittle crisp, it comes with a light beurre blanc sauce that surrounds a velvety carrot puree like a castle moat." - Andrew Ryce
