Dish & Drink KC: Stuff your pie-hole at The Upper Crust and 92 Chicken

Harvest Apple Cutie Pie from The Upper Crust Pie Bakery. // Photo by Lauren Textor

Just like Grandma used to bake

Who can blame me if I’ve got pie on my mind with the holidays coming up? Last week, I reviewed MO Pie’s German Chocolate. This week, I devoured a Cutie Pie from The Upper Crust Pie Bakery. Next week? Who knows. 

The Upper Crust is run by a small team that’s spearheaded by owners (and sisters!) Elaine VanBuskirk and Jan Knobel who started out selling pies at the Overland Park Farmers’ Market.

The aroma of these made-from-scratch baked goods wafts through the door and into the street, luring in unsuspecting shoppers. They’re simply too good to resist. 

Flavors rotate based on the freshest available ingredients, but you’ll currently see spins on apple, blueberry, and chocolate. When I visited, a special plate of Burnt Sugar Frosted Banan Cookies ($4.25 each) sat on a dessert pedestal. Bags of Pecan Pie Granola ($20) and Pie Fries ($5) sit tantalizingly close to the register, along with the tip jar, which announces a monthly cause (November’s is The Humane Society of Greater Kansas City). 

Truly, the amount of options was enough to give me the sweats, especially since the cashier told me that everything was good when I asked for suggestions. I don’t doubt it, but come on! Help a girl out. 

Snickerdoodle from The Upper Crust Pie Bakery. // Photo by Lauren Textor

Finally, I settled on a Snickerdoodle ($3.15) and a Cutie Pie ($11), a mini version of the Harvest Apple. 

After snapping a few photos, I split the cookie in half with my mom. Snickerdoodles will always have a special place in my heart because my grandma used to bake them for us over the holidays. This one is medium-thick and soft with a generous portion of cinnamon sugar. In lieu of Grandma’s, this will certainly do. 

In addition to apple, the Cutie Pie contains tart cranberries beneath a walnut crumble top. The crunch-to-chew ratio is well-executed. Deliciously cinnamon-y and super fresh even after a night in the fridge, it’s worth every penny. Supermarket bakeries can’t hold a candle to the real thing, and I firmly believe that a step on the way to self-actualization is spending money on worthwhile things in life. Should you be able to afford it, seriously consider adding these pies to your list. Current flavors include bumbleberry, chocolate pecan, rhubarb, pumpkin, coconut cream, and peanut butter. 

If you’re as indecisive as I am, then mark your calendar for the third Friday of the month! Upper Crust offers pie flights (three slices for $13) once a month. Pre-orders are due by 5 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month, and hap-pie hour starts at noon. However, December is a black-out month due to the holidays, so bide your time until 2024. 

Unfortunately, Upper Crust has already sold out on pre-orders for the week of Thanksgiving, and pies are not available for walk-in pick-up that week. 

Upper Crust Pie Bakery is located at 7943 Santa Fe Dr, Overland Park, KS 66204.

Kkanpunggi Chicken from 92 Chicken. // Photo by Lauren Textor

A Better KFC

Korean fried chicken is all the rage in South Korea, where it can be eaten for practically every meal. After eating a cold KFC tender from 92 Chicken for breakfast, I get it. 

This simple street food is super crunchy and smothered in a variety of sauces, most often some combination of sweet and spicy. At 92 Chicken, you have a dizzying number of sauce options. You can order honey garlic, hot curry, yangnyum, hot barbecue, honey lemon, kkangpunggi, and more from the kiosks at the front. 

It’s not all chicken, though, despite what the name suggests. Japchae, a dish of stir-fried sweet potato noodles with vegetables, beef, soy sauce, and sugar (rice optional; $12.99), is popular both in Korea and here at 92. 

It’s $15.99 for a box of Kkangpunggi chicken tenders. The thickly-sauced strips carry me through three days. It’s a highly shareable portion, but even if you hoarded all of the prophesied 92 chickens for yourself, I wouldn’t judge. They’re also highly snackable. 

I found the Kkangpunggi to be more sweet and savory than sweet and sour, and I definitely wouldn’t consider them spicy, but I didn’t feel at all cheated by the quality or quantity overall. 

An $11.99 lunch portion, served Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., is also economical and perhaps more suitable for the average person. The five chicken tenders accompany a drink and a side. 

This simple yet clean quick-service restaurant’s Overland Park location shares a sizeable parking lot with several other Korean businesses, including Ssong’s Hot Dogs, which was featured in our Cheap Eats issue. 

92 Chicken has two locations at 10326 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, KS 66212, and 525 Wakarusa Dr., Lawrence, KS 66049.