"banana cream" news and stories

Either I don't eat out enough or must not pay much attention to the dessert menu, because even though I live in LA, I had no idea that banana cream pie was a city-wide obsession.

The third possibility here is that the reason I don't know about the trend is that it isn't a trend at all, just the New York Times' assumption that banana cream pie is a fad based on the presence of banana desserts at some So Cal bakeries and diner-type restaurants.

So, I'm not going to vouch for its trendiness in restaurants, but the rich, whipped cream-topped pies can be quite satisfying if you like cream/pudding-based pies, so the NYT's piece could come in handy if you are in LA and decide to go out looking for some. Clementine Bakery, Jin Patisserie, House of Pies and Apple Pan are all mentioned, but the Times' top pie pick is from Pie 'n Burger, in Pasadena. A similar recipe is included if you're of a mind to try baking your own version of the pie at home, although you would need a shortening-based crust (not a graham cracker one) to get even closer to the Pie 'n Burger recipe.

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Last summer, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, a Los Angeles-based coffee shop chain and Starbucks number one international competitor, offered banana flavored drinks, including a Banana Caramel Ice blended - their signature cold drink. The drinks were made with a banana puree and the chain stopped selling the seasonal drink at the end of the summer. According to the New York Post, Starbucks is launching a very similar line of drinks this summer at its US stores. The banana-caramel and banana cream Frappuccinos are already being sold at stores in Australia and New Zealand. Though some people miss the Coffee Bean's banana offerings, it is safe to assume that the fact that they are no longer on the menu is an indication that they were not entirely popular. Only at the end of the summer will we be able to tell how the drinks did at Starbucks. The drinks are scheduled to be released in May.

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