HOLLAND — Over the past year and a half, your favorite taste testing duo — Sentinel photographer Cody Scanlan and reporter Mitchell Boatman — have set out to try a variety of foods in Holland, from Popeye’s vs. Chick-fil-A to barbeque restaurants to Chinese food to extreme milkshakes.
But, as our regular readers know, Cody has taken a new job with a sister paper in Iowa. That means our taste test series, at least with this duo, is coming to an end.
Before he left for Iowa, Cody and Mitchell set out for one last taste test. Well, it was actually three last tests tests in a span of two days, but this is the official grand finale.
We had to send Cody off with something near and dear to Holland, and we thought there was no better place to turn than Russ’. After very briefly considering trying everything on the menu, we settled on trying every flavor of pie available at the iconic restaurant.
Not every pie in Russ’ repertoire was available when we placed our order — which was probably a good thing, in retrospect — but we were still able to try eight different pies.
So, one last time, here’s what we thought:
Coconut Cream
Cody: Creamy, coconutty, what more can you ask for? I’m a big fan of the toasted coconut shavings on top. It adds a much-needed texture to the slice.
Mitchell: Nice and smooth texture on the pie itself. The toasted coconut shavings on top bring some additional flavor while adding texture.
Pumpkin
Mitchell: It tastes like fall and would be perfect for Thanksgiving dinner. It’s a classic pie done right. The flavor and texture are both what you’d expect.
Cody: Personally, I’m not a big fan of pumpkin pie. I think it’s the texture that throws me off. However, the filling set nicely and had a good pumpkin flavor with a hint of spice.
Caramel Apple
Cody: This slice was the most visually appealing slice we tried. The caramel sauce, nuts, and whipped cream made for a nice addition to a classic apple pie. This one was one of our favorites.
Mitchell: The experience here compared to a normal apple pie is like a loaded baked potato compared to a regular baked potato. The original is good, but the deluxe version is great. A really tasty pie.
Apple
Mitchell: It’s another classic done right, no complaints. We probably should’ve tried the original before the caramel apple, but apple is a timeless classic for a reason. I do think this pie, more than any other we tried, would benefit from being warmed up or served hot.
Cody: We tried the caramel apple right before this one, so to be fair to the regular apple slice, I’ll try not to compare it to its fancy counterpart. That said, apple pie is a classic for a reason. Whole slices of apple in a gooey filling. Nice cinnamon notes inside a well-baked crust. What’s not to like?
Strawberry Cream Cheese
Cody: The toppings carried heavy on this one. There were more strawberries than actual pie. The pie itself was light but still had a cream cheese taste.
Mitchell: You’d be forgiven for calling this cheesecake, because that’s essentially what it is. That’s not a bad thing. The pie itself is very light, pillowy even, and there’s a generous amount of strawberry topping.
Peanut Butter
Mitchell: The first words out of my mouth were “holy cow.” This is peak pie. A very light, whipped texture loaded with peanut butter flavor, with nuts adding texture and chocolate syrup adding some additional flavor. We expected a lot of this pie, and it delivered.
Cody: I think we have a winner with this one. The peanut butter flavor is instantly noticeable with the first bite. The filling has a nice whipped quality and the toasted nuts add some much-needed texture. A lot like the coconut cream pie from earlier.
Pecan
Cody: Nice brown sugar taste and crumbly pecans. A good choice for Thanksgiving. I liked the level of sweetness paired with the salty pecans.
Mitchell: Pecan pie is my personal favorite kind of pie, so I had some bias coming into this one. Russ’ version gives just what I’m looking for with a sweet, but not too sweet, taste and some varied textures.
Snow Cap
Mitchell: This one feels like it’s better in concept than in reality. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good, but it’s not my favorite. I’m not sure how I feel about a brownie being the base of a pie.
Cody: I was looking forward to a brownie pie, but this one was the most disappointing of the eight we tested. The brownie is a little dry and there seems to be more whipped cream than pie.
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Final Ranking
Cody: Peanut Butter, Caramel Apple, Coconut Cream, Cream Cheese, Apple, Pecan, Pumpkin, Snow Cap
Mitchell: Peanut Butter, Pecan, Caramel Apple, Pumpkin, Coconut Cream, Apple, Cream Cheese, Snow Cap
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.
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