Be it dinner or dessert, Shoofly has a pie for it

"Pie makes everything better."

I emphatically second this sentiment, which is posted on a sign just inside the front door of the cozy Shoofly Pie Company in West Seattle, where it's possible to do a three-course pie pig-out.

		Meryl Schenker / P-I
	Kimmy Tomlinson, a former financial analyst who opened Shoofly Pie last summer, is doing a booming business. She's a butter believer, producing flaky, flavorful crusts.

Let's start with a caramelized onion galette, an open-face pie that cradles sweet browned onions. Then, for the main course, Shoofly's quiche quivers in creamy goodness. There also are homey pot pies, if you'd rather. And, for dessert, a caseful of temptations makes it nearly impossible to settle on just one slice.

Kimmy Tomlinson opened Shoofly Pie in July, and business is booming. The former financial analyst who once worked in the shoe division at Nordstrom did some soul searching before moving to the professional kitchen.

"I had a pie in the oven, and I think Martha Stewart was on TV," she said. "I was writing a cover letter for a job I wasn't all that jazzed about, and I just had this epiphany."

Lucky for Puget Sound pie fans.

Tomlinson is a butter believer, which makes for flaky, flavorful crusts. During winter months she turns to flash-frozen fruit for peach, cherry, blueberry and raspberry. Apple crumble pie gets a tart twist from cranberries. If you're craving lemon meringue, make plans to visit Shoofly later in the week. They appear on Friday and Saturday.

On the savory side, it's a tossup as to which pie flies highest. A slice of ham and Gruyere quiche ($4.50) was unbelievably tasty. I was sorry to see it disappear so quickly. But the chicken pot pie ($6) was wonderful, too, with chunks of white meat and veggies in a sauce seasoned with fresh thyme. (A beef pot pie has just been added to the menu.)

If you're eating in, the dining space is spare, tables are close together. On either side of me there were diners who had set up their adjunct offices, laptops open, bills spread out, making it feel more coffeehouse than cafe.

But I'd be content sitting just about anywhere when there's a slice of coconut cream pie ($4) in front of me. Or Key lime ($3.50). Or the deepest chocolate tart ($3.75).

And what about the signature pie? The shoofly ($3.50) has Pennsylvania Dutch roots, it's filling a combination of brown sugar and molasses. But it doesn't taste as sticky sweet as it sounds. It reminded me of a chewy cookie. Ask them to warm it up and add a scoop of vanilla.

Yes, pie does make everything better.