One of the nice things about writing a food blog is that it
gives the Four State Food Critic an excuse to take Mrs. FSFC out to dinner for
“research purposes”. In an effort to try
out new spaces, we walked into Flying
Pie Co. on a whim recently, eager to try any new food eatery in
Hagerstown. It is located next to the
Maryland Theatre in the downtown “Arts and Entertainment District” corridor.
(Image Credit
– yelp.com)
(FYI – this is one of two Hagerstown locations. The other is an "express" location on JFK Drive out by the Meritus
Medical Center and HCC).
The restaurant space is large, with wood floors and high
exposed ceilings. One side features a
wood fired oven, which is the feature of most of the dishes served here. The other side houses a long wooden, counter
bar area plus more seating. Exposed
string lights give the place a funky, urban feel, which is great for
downtown. The FSFC was also surprised to
discover that there is also a complete Irish Pub-style bar downstairs in the
basement area (but we’ll cover that another time, except to say that no one
seems to know how to pour a proper Guinness down there).
The menu consists of salads, sandwiches, and of course –
wood fired pizzas. They also utilize the
wood fired oven for their entree offerings of cedar plank salmon and
steaks. Mrs. FSFC and I started with an
appetizer of roasted red pepper hummus, which was served with wood fired
flatbread and assorted veggies. The
hummus was spicy and satisfying, and the flatbread had just the right
consistency.
There are fifteen different wood fired pizzas to choose
from. We settled on the “Goat Herder”,
which had goat cheese, spinach, Roma tomatoes, red onion, basil pesto, and
extra virgin olive oil (or EVO – if you’re into trendy acronyms). The pizza was tasty with a good crust. The spinach seemed to be just added to the
top after the pizza left the oven – the FSFC would have preferred it had been a
little wilted from the heat, but that’s a personal preference. The pizza and appetizer together were plenty
for a party of two. Flying Pie Co. also
offers patrons the chance to be a “Sauce Boss”, where you can actually go
behind the counter and make your own pizza.
It seems a little kitsch, but kids might enjoy it (we didn’t see anyone
back there other than employees while we visited). A small kids menu is also available.
Flying Pie Co. offers a selection of seasonal desserts and
there is also a full bar with several craft beers and a medium wine list of
about ten reds and ten whites (available by the glass). The FSFC had a wonderful “Smutty Nose Scotch
Ale” to satisfy his beer craving.
Service was adequate and the room was surprisingly empty for a Friday
evening.
Flying Pie Co. is a nice addition downtown Hagerstown’s list
of food choices. Check them out prior to
a Maryland Theatre performance or if you’re downtown around lunchtime. Public parking is available at the Arts and
Entertainment Parking Deck across the street (behind Bulls and Bears restaurant).
The Four Star Food Critic Review
(Each category has a possible “best out of 5” rating)
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Price: $$-$$$
Service: 3
Overall: 3
Flying Pie
Co. is open daily (except Monday) at 11:00 AM and has two Hagerstown locations:
“Wood Fired” location
43 South
Potomac Street
Hagerstown,
MD 21740
(301) 739-4372
“Jersey Style” Express location
11205 JFK
Drive
Hagerstown,
MD 21740
(240) 625-9025
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