Bud & Marilyn's coconut cream pie is worth a try

Amid all this recent talk about the resurgence of pie was a nagging sense of loss.

Matyson in Rittenhouse closed in July, and with it went the restaurant's signature coconut cream pie, which featured a macadamia-nut crust and chocolate ganache.

No joy in pieville.

If you want another slice, you have to travel more than 2,800 miles to Calistoga, Calif., where Sonjia Spector - who founded Matyson with her husband, Matt, 12 years ago but later sold it - own a restaurant called JoLe. As it was at Matyson, the coconut cream pie is a bestseller.

But while no one is making the Matyson pie locally right now, there is a worthy replacement.

You'll find it the new Bud & Marilyn's, the retro-American at 13th and Locust Streets in Washington Square West.

During menu development over the summer, chef/co-owner Marcie Turney had been testing all sorts of desserts, which are a major part of the menu. (The restaurant pays homage to the old-fashioned eateries of the Midwest, and waistlines, fat content, and calories are hardly the issue.)

Pastry chef Kristin Moorer was charged with creating a superior coconut cream pie. "We wanted it super high and light," Turney said. "She probably made 13 or 14 versions."

Her final version has a graham crust flavored with Madras curry, which imparts a spicy/sweetness, balanced with honey, flour and Maldon salt. Over the top, Moorer finishes it with chopped-up sesame candy and toasted coconut.

Tasty, right?

When Matyson closed, Turney said, its kitchen staff went job-hunting, and pastry chef Sonya Bravo joined the staff. Just for kicks, Bravo baked a Matyson pie to compare with Moorer's.

How did it do? The proof is on the menu.

Turney laughed. "Ours blew that thing out of the water," she said.