Pie Barn at Vala's

Wednesday, October 10, 2019

Pie Barn at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch

12102 S. 180th Street, Gretna, NE

Where we went:

We have cheated on this blog once or twice before. Sometimes it is a location that is much more bar then it is grill, or a place that is technically outside of the City of Omaha. Well tonight, we made the ultimate cheat. We figured, hey, it is Halloween (well almost), and we wanted to visit a Nebraska staple for a great time around Halloween. We went to Vala’s Pumpkin Patch, and had dinner at the Pie Barn!

What We Ate:

The pie barn has a very limited menu for regular food, Erik and Kyle both had their Chicken Pot Pie, but they also serve a small variety of sandwiches. However, although they offer savory pies, the real main dish at the pie barn is, PIE! Kyle had the apple crumble pie, while Eric had two different pies, the Salted Caramel Apple and the Chocolate Caramel Turtle, one of their daily specials. Our other companion for the evening went for the Triple Berry Streusel Pie.

The Food:

The savory chicken pot pie was good, Eric enjoyed it much more then Kyle did however. That isn’t to say Kyle didn’t like the pot pie, he just feels that, everytime he eats a pot pie, he makes it out in his head to be better than it actually ends up being. This goes for almost every pot pie he has ever eaten. It was clear that the crust of the pie had been made with a lot of butter as the butter taste was quite strong. Eric was also surprised by the surprisingly strong taste of butter, but it didn’t seem quite like butter- maybe like some kind of margarine undertones to the crust of the pie. It was rather distracting, but even this oddity couldn’t undermind Eric’s love of chicken pot pies in general. A word of warning, though, the Chicken Pot Pies were lava-hot inside. We had to break the top crust so that the filling could cool off a bit before we could really dive in.

The REAL pies, however, were amazing! Kyle’s apple crumble pie was delicious, the crust was rich and tasty and the apples were fresh with a strong cinnamon coating to them. Eric’s Chocolate Caramel Turtle was absolutely decadent. It was so good and so rich, that it was difficult for Eric to finish, and he insisted that the others try this amazing pie. It almost tasted like eating a brownie batter pie. Eric’s Caramel Apple Pie (a la mode) was decent. However, it was served cold, and it’s always a tragic missed opportunity when an a la mode pie is served nearly as cold as the ice cream accompanying it. It still tasted good, but Eric was just baffled why a baked pie wouldn’t be served warm. The a la mode came in a unique way, however. Apparently The Pie Barn has pre-scooped ice cream . . .errr . . . scoops. When he requested his apple pie a la mode, the lady behind the counter just reached down and picked up a little blob of ice cream from somewhere below and plunked it down on the pie.

The Atmosphere:

The atmosphere of the Pie Barn mimics the atmosphere of the rest of Vala’s: very country/woodsy. The barn itself is very new, only being built a few seasons ago. The entirety of the inside is made up of new exposed wood, with a completely open kitchen and cafeteria style dining. When you walk in, you immediately get in line, order your normal food at the counter, get a tray, and follow the line to the end of the counter, where you pick up your pie. Then walk over to the registers.

The true feature of the Pie Barn is the roof. Above the new structure is a historic old barn roof that was taken from a barn that was being demolished. The age of this structure is obvious just by looking at the contrast in wood from the new section to the old. This is very much the focal point of the structure.

Service:

With this being cafeteria style counter service, there isn’t much to stay about the service. It was fast, and everyone seemed very friendly. They were all clearly enjoying their seasonal jobs. Many, I believe, come back and work season after season. But other than quick ordering and paying, we had very little contact with the servers.

In the End:

Although the savory pies and sandwiches are offered at the pie barn, you really go for the pie! It would be nice if the pies could have been warmed up a little, especially since the pot pies are already kept at scalding temperatures, you’d think that some of the baked pies could also be kept warm, but the amount of food traffic that the Pie Barn receives (which only increases as Halloween approaches), means it’s understandable that the service focuses on speed and getting customers through the line as efficiently as they can.

Stepping away from the food for a moment, if you are in the Omaha area during October, think about making a stop at Valas. Yes, there are pumpkin patches all over the country this time of year, but we believe Valas is by far the best. From a haunted, farmhouse, to a corn pit, a talking dragon show, giant pillows to jump on and, what Kyle enjoyed the most, a storybook land that, in its own way, is one of the most funny/scary things there, you will have hours of fun. It’s almost more like a seasonal Fall Amusement Park! There are countless other shops and snack places at Vala’s as well, so bring your appetite! Just be prepared to walk, not only around Valas but also from your car to the door, parking is difficult during the height of the season.