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Yelp Reviews CBS 5 "Eye On The Bay" CBS 5 T.V. segment on Peasant Pies KPIX Channel 5 Eye on the Bay May 2006 View Video (peasant pies appears near the end)
One of the city's best bargains! Excellent European-style hand-held
pies at unbelievably low prices. Breakfast, savory and dessert
flavors, made fresh daily. If you've never had a Peasant Pie
fresh from the oven you're missing out. For under $5, two savory
pies will probably fill you up, but you'll want to try one of
the awesome dessert pies as well. Tom's level of integrity in
healthy, delicious, and affordable food is a rare, precious thing.
August 1994 As if sunny weather and a decent bagel source weren't enough incentive to move to this baby-stroller-infested neighborhood, now there's an authentic culinary magnet that is indomitable, unsurpassed by any sniveling high-falutin' gourmet rival in any neighborhood: Tom Peasant Pies. Whether it's a sumptuous calamari pie munched while perched upon a stool at the clean and simple counter space, or a variety of vegetable-stuffed savory pies procured for a picnic in Golden Gate Park, these delectable delights are mouthwatering gems. Handmade assorted vegetable combination pies freshly baked with healthful olive oil include red potato, onion, and rosemary; and mushroom, zucchini, and basil. Using only the freshest ingredients, the fruit pies are reminiscent of the best Parisian patisseries, except that innovative elements like fresh mango distinguish Tom Peasant Pies as a wholly unique and imaginative San Francisco original. At $2.25 apiece, even the most pauperous of peasants can afford a taste of heaven.
Best Cheap Eats
May 2006 Peasant Pies is proof-positive that fast food does not have to be junk food. Born of a business model combining nutrition, value and a fun way to eat in take-out style, Peasant Pies is a completely unique food establishment in the Inner Sunset, tucked just outside the bustling area of Irving Street, near 12th Avenue. Though roughly the size of a McDonald's cheeseburger, Peasant Pies are anything but a mass-produced burger. Dubbed the "hand-held meal," a Peasant Pie looks much like a petite chicken pot pie. The savory pies are hand-wrapped in a crisp, hearty whole wheat crust and baked early every morning. Inside they are stuffed with a carefully chosen selection of vegetables, meat and seafood fillings. With more variety of flavors than pot pies, and a much healthier nutrition profile than calzones, Peasant Pies really have no comparison. With its first store opened in 1993 in Noe Valley, founders Ali Keshavarz and Gérard BuuLong's shops have withstood the test of time. The shops have a strong and established customer base; according to Keshavarz, over 80 percent of customers are repeat customers. UCSF's Mission Bay may host a third store, as Peasant Pies is still under consideration for a slot at the new campus. Buulong, a Cordon Bleu-trained chef provided the original inspiration for Peasant Pies, having been familiar with a similar local specialty of the French port town of Sète, which has developed over the years a reputation for creating delectable octopus, tomato and onion-filled pies called tielle. Together with Keshavarz, a gastronomist at heart with a Master's degree in organic chemistry, the two partners developed the concept, ultimately deciding on a pie shape and came up with a medley of flavors to please all palates. Keshavarz prides Peasant Pies on being a casual, friendly place. "You can call ahead and ask that pies be saved for you," he said in a phone interview, explaining that the stores typically sell out of the pies toward the end of the day but that employees will gladly set aside your favorite pie at your behest. The Inner Sunset location — which opened 10 years ago — typically makes between 200 and 275 pies daily. "We're not corporate guys," says Keshavarz. "We don't wear suits and ties," he laughs and continues, "We're in there at five in the morning making the dough." Pies are reasonably priced at $2.55, or $2.35 each for two or more. They are ideal for a healthy lunch on-the-go, but they are open early for breakfast and hours extend into the evenings hours if one has a supper craving too. For those unable to make it to one of their two locations, Peasant Pies can also be found at Whole Foods, Rainbow Grocery, Mollie Stone's and other gourmet supermarkets. The menu of savory pies contains 10 varieties, with numerous vegetarian and vegan options. Generally, pies contain about 300 calories with little fat or cholesterol and substantial amounts of fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals. They do contain substantial amounts of sodium, between 20 and 50 percent of recommended daily allowances. For the indulgent, there are also sweet pies that are similar to fruit tarts. Even more, they offer a Pie of the Month to keep the menu fresh. Here is a review of a several of my favorite savory pies on the regular menu: Spicy Clam Tomato Sauce Curried Potato Yam Zucchini Cheese Mushroom Basque Beef Peasant Pies is one of those establishments one might never venture into due to its unfortunately odd name. That would be a shame because Peasant Pies boasts a bevy of delectable edible treats. Try Peasant Pies and open your taste buds to deliciously healthy fast food.
January 2006 The Golden Gate Bridge and the hairpin bends of Lombard Street have been the setting for many films. But this US city has much more to offer, as David Wilson discovers 1 Ruby Skye... 2 The Exploratorium... 3 Peasant Pies If you have time to visit only a few attractions, along with the Golden Gate Bridge, ensure you go to Peasant Pies. The shop front is modest - and so is the price of the pies. Mostly vegetarian, they puncture the assumption that meat-free means bland. Mouth-watering options include tofu black bean veggie, curried potato yam, zucchini mushroom cheese and spicy clam tomato sauce. The shop also offers luscious sweet pies, all at 1039 Irving Street, Sunset. Also at 4108 24th Street, Castro (www.peasantpies.com).
March 2005 Okay, so. Peasant Pies. A self-contained meal. Inexpensive. Highly nutritious -- high in fiber, low in fat, lots of vegetarian and vegan options. Bursting with fresh ingredients and full-bodied flavors from tangy feta to earthy Moroccan lentils to clams in a spicy tomato broth. A pillowy crust, almost sweet, that surrenders easily to your molars. Freshly baked every day in Noe Valley. Mr. Food Musing's favorite food. My nemesis. See, Mr. FM has this friend, Ali Keshavarz. They’ve known each other since long before I came onto the scene, back in Mr. FM’s bachelor days. Ali, one of the owners of Peasant Pies, introduced Mr. FM to these wonderful savory treats. And Mr. FM promptly got himself addicted. (What is a Peasant Pie, if not the ultimate bachelor foodie food? No muss, no fuss, no plate or fork or clean up required, unless you count brushing the crumbs off your shirtfront.) On our second date, Mr. FM served up a few plump pies to me. (He also cooked for me on our first date, a dish he’d had in a café in France and learned to recreate. Isn’t that romantic? Notwithstanding the fact that he was in France with another woman when he first ate it. I’ve never met her but I feel certain she is far less pretty than me. Right? RIGHT???) Ahem. Pardon the aside. So anyway, he had been telling me all about his beloved Peasant Pies and how scrummy they are and how he really couldn’t wait to make some for me. “Make” some. So I came over, this time without a bottle of wine (the last one ended up in the trash. Unopened. He has champagne tastes and it was a lowly bottle of BV merlot. Like Miles from Sideways, Mr. FM won’t go near merlot with a ten-foot pole.) And so, we feasted on peasant pies. They were good. They were delicious, in fact. (My favorite was the spinach feta, or maybe the zucchini mushroom cheese, although later I would come to love the chicken potato veg and the Moroccan lentil with equal gusto.) And I told Mr. FM I liked them – gushed might not be the right word - but I was delighted to have eaten them and I let him know that. I didn’t realize what I had done. As our relationship progressed and we began having more and more meals together, the Peasant Pie began to take on a less welcome role. Whenever I would ask Mr. FM what he wanted for dinner, or when he knew I was tired and didn’t want to cook, he’d have one answer at the ready: “We could get a few Peasant Pies from Mollie Stone’s.” Now I like the Peasant Pie as much as the next guy, but after a while some variety is nice. And so is hearing the person you love most in the world request your own personal recipe for spaghetti carbonara by name. But, more often than not, what I heard was Peasant Pie. And one day, having asked what Mr. FM wanted for dinner and yet again hearing that he wanted a Peasant Pie, I did what any even-tempered, hot-blooded cook would do. I mocked The Beloved Peasant Pie. “Peasant Pie, shmeasant shmie. Can’t we ever eat anything that requires cooking? At least boiling some water?” Mr. FM just looked at me. (Maybe he was admiring my newly “mussed” hairdo.) “But Peasant Pies are really good, and they’re healthy. Don’t you like them?” he asked, bewildered. And in a fit of pique, I might have – might have – said that I did not, in fact, like Peasant Pies. I might even have thrown a spatula across the room (hey, it was so long ago, who’s to say what really happened?) Unfortunately, the next time we saw Ali and his wife, at a bonfire for a friend’s birthday, my proclamation came out. And I was very, very ashamed. You see, I love the Peasant Pie. I really do. I just felt like my cooking and, by extension, myself, had to compete with the Peasant Pie for love. And all I wanted was a fair slice – okay, the biggest slice - of Mr. FM’s adoration. Thankfully, we’ve mended fences over the Peasant Pie. Ali just laughed when I explained what led Mr. FM to think I didn’t like his pies, and then hand-delivered an entire box of ten of them to our apartment not long after. I think I ate more of them than Mr. FM did. Peasant Pies, San Francisco, 4108 24th Street @ Castro, 415-642-1316
April 2006 Peasant Pies Luckily, we work right near Peasant Pies - a true asset for a start-up company. Not only are their pies delicious and healthy, they fit right into our poor start up budget as two pies go for $5.10 (each pie is a little smaller than a sandwich). If you live in San Francisco, or find yourself here, stop by Peasant Pies for lunch. You’ll probably see us there.
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