UYE: ROTDC at Pieous

There is simply nothing that could have detracted from the perfection of this little UYE… Not sure it could have been improved upon in any way short of our tabs all magically being comped? But I have no qualms about opening my wallet for this place’s brick oven fresh pizza, pastrami (just pile it on a plate and watch it vanish) and fabulous wine selection AND deals (the $ 30 bottle for $ 18??? Two please.) add to that that we were celebrating our beloved Ardie’s well deserved ROTD and, *muah*!
I search for excuses to drive out to Pieous… But with a group like this of Unilocal fabulousness and with owners like Josh and the graciously sweet Katie, finding excuses isn’t very hard!
Brava, Ardie. I’ll join you at Pieous any time!

Sure, they called it Pieous, but instead they could just call it Deja Vu! Just 6 months or so ago, there were Unilocalers gathered for Mike C.‘s ROTDC, cowering for some sunlight on a chilly day on the patio. Today, many of the same usual suspects gathered, sipping some vino, having some salads, there to honor Ardie’s ROTD for the review he wrote from our visit before!
On to the pies. First there was the banana cream: Light and delicious. Then there was the coconut cream. The flavor may have been a little too subtle for me. The ice cream covered pecan pie could have been heated in the wood-​fired oven a bit, but was not lacking in great taste. But they did all look really pretty. We didn’t get to try the blueberry.
But the real stars of this UYE are the Unilocaly folks I shared two tables with.
Oh. And the Pastrami.
Seriously. That pastrami is the Franklin BBQ of smoked mea… errr… You get the idea.
And there may have been other menu items. My memory fails me in my advancing age.
I look forward to Keri B., or veek, or Beth D. inevitably getting review of the day, so we can do this again in six months.

When you’re blessed with great friends and gracious, wonderful hosts like owners Katie and Josh, ROTDCs are as easy as a piece of Pieous.
I can’t match the love and care Errol put into crafting his review of this event, so I’m not even going to try. But what I am going to do is to thank Amy, Beth, Blair, Darla, Errol, James, Joe, and Shannon for driving all the way out to BFE to help me celebrate my ROTD.
That’s the character of Austin Unilocalers. True friendship bonds held together by pie, wine, and more pie. Thank y’all for coming out, having a good time, and making me feel like I’m running with the big dogs once again. ROTDCs were meant for this.

I usually give five stars for the Elite events, ROTDCs, & UYEs I write about. My logic has always been I’m not reviewing a specific restaurant or venue, and these things are more about the people organizing & hosting them than the particular place itself. Why rain on somebody’s parade? And I pretty much thought all Unilocalers felt that way.
So blow me down with a circus clown, because that just ain’t the case: What I learned from Power Unilocalers gathered at YSB Nashville was that every single review we do must stem entirely from honesty & integrity, or we’re simply lying. Whether it’s an official Unilocal event or some newbie UYE, if we think it, we must write it. What’s good is good, and what’s bad is bad. Do not hedge, prevaricate, or play favorites. It’s the Unilocal moral imperative.
I’ve never heard it put quite that way before, and I really can’t disagree with the point. So I’ll embrace that philosophy from now on, starting with Ardie’s Pieous ROTDC. Remember, it’s all honesty & integrity from here:
1. For driving an extra 6.3 miles because I took a wrong turn — Zero stars.
2. For having an ROTDC in a pizza place when I don’t even like pizza that much — Zero stars.
3. For wondering why there wasn’t free booze & food because we’re entitled Unilocalers who deserve it — Zero stars.
4. For no one ordering a whole bunch of pastrami so I could pig out without ordering anything on my own — Zero stars.
5. For watching day-​drinkers merrily indulge themselves with entire bottles of wine while I didn’t — Zero stars.
6. For making me analyze why the coconut cream pie here wasn’t like coconut cream pie from other places — Zero stars.
7. For having a redonk good time squeezed between Beth & Amy taking selfies, and hanging with Melissa & Shannon for what seemed like the tenth day in a row — um, 6,486 stars.
I’ll have to average those numbers out. If you’re seriously some diehard Unilocaler with a degree from Honest Abe’s School of Review, consider taking a chill pill and lighten up. Ardie threw a fun ROTDC, we had a great time, and the only moral imperative from this event was, «Anytime, dude.» Now, let’s get out and enjoy the rest of the day.