Z Pie, boss, Z Pie!

Forget the shoe stores and malls. Give me a shopping spree at Corti Brothers any day. If you want to find the neatest food items in town, this is the place.

While I don’t usually linger in the frozen-foods aisle, a boldly simple package caught my eye. (It helped that it contained the word “pie” on it.) What was this fabulous new find? A Z Pie to go!

If you’ve never heard of Z Pie, it’s a restaurant in Placerville, at 3182 Center Street. Begun as a weekend ski-resort project, Z Pie has been around for more than 10 years. Now it’s taking the concept statewide, with frozen versions of its famous pot pies. The Steak & Cabernet ended up in my basket, despite the warming temperatures outside. It’s rarely too hot to enjoy pie, in my opinion.

Z Pies makes breakfast, savory and dessert pies—covering all the day’s meals! While Corti seems to be the only Sacto store that has them, you can also find them at the Davis Food Co-op (620 G Street) and other locations from Aptos to Woodside. Check its site at www.z-pie.com.