Feature

Thanksgiving Pies

Pilgrims and Indians. Lions and Cowboys. Celebrating the harvest and watching the Underdog balloon spiral out of control on Broadway. Yes, Thanksgiving is all that. But what it really comes down to is saving room for pie. Our choices for your table.

By Rob Patronite

Nice slice: Little Pie Company's sour cream-apple pie.

1. Kitchenette

Double-crust apple. The quintessential all-American, the kind that, left to cool on windowsills in cartoons, becomes fair game for enterprising hoboes.
80 West Broadway; 212-267-6740; $22.

2. City Bakery

Indian apple. Maury Rubin's brilliant cross between pie and old-fashioned Indian pudding (cinnamon, molasses, apples) has a crisp cornmeal topping and a touch of ginger.
3 West 18th Street; 212-366-1414; $24.

3. Sweet Chef Southern Styles Bakery

Though Amadou Diakite, the Sweet Chef, takes his moniker to extremes with his pecan pie, his sweet potato is unsurpassed -- smooth, balanced, and not too sugary.
122 Hamilton Place, near Broadway; 212-862-5909; $10.

4. Sullivan Street Bakery

Pumpkin crostata. Okay, it's more of a tart than a pie, and there's nothing particularly Italian about Thanksgiving except overindulgence. But this earthy, creamy, perfectly crusted crostata puts the pumpkiny competition to shame.
73 Sullivan Street; 212-334-9435; $18.

5. Little Pie Company

Sour-cream apple-walnut pie. As much a New York classic, if not quite as old-school, as Junior's cheesecake.
424 West 43rd Street; 212-736-4780; $25.