A Heady Dish in Gowanus

It would be easy to dismiss Four and Twenty Blackbirds sight unseen. The name, taken from the nursery rhyme "Sing a Song of Sixpence," is cutesy beyond belief, and the location, on Third Avenue and Eighth Street, is inconvenient, to say the least. Despite those possible downsides, however, Four and Twenty Blackbirds is thriving -- and one bite of the pie explains why.

The pies at Four and Twenty Blackbirds rotate regularly, but they have one thing in common: they're all good -- like, so good you'll be glad you don't live too nearby because you would be tempted to eat a slice every day.

The lemon chess pie is simultaneously tart, sweet and fluffy, with a perfect crust: pliant under the filling and crisp at the edges. The salted apple caramel is terrifically subtle: the caramel comes through mostly as an aftertaste and is matched by the kick of salt sprinkled on the pie's crust. The real standout, though, is the honeyed pumpkin, smooth and airy enough to convert even the most hardened pumpkin pie hater and an early neighborhood favorite.

"Seriously, the best pumpkin pie I've ever had," gushed local Elsa Marvel.

Though Four and Twenty Blackbirds is primarily a coffee and sweets shop, its monthly Pie For Dinner event brings in chef Nate Smith (of The Spotted Pig) for a night of sweet and savory pies, along with complimentary beer pairings. Past offerings have included a beer and stout pie and a pig's head pie.

As winter moves in, customers can look forward to flavors like cranberry sage, egg nogg custard and a selection of booze-spiked chocolate pies. Sun-starved Brooklynians can also get excited for January, when Four and Twenty Blackbirds will offer a week's worth of pies made from preserved summer fruits.

Sibling owners Emily and Melissa Elsen grew up in a pie loving family. Their grandmother made all the pies for their mother's North Dakota restaurant.

"We knew what a following she had for her products and we hoped to emulate her style," said Emily.

The Elsen sisters spent a year making pies and tarts at home and selling them to friends before going into business once they realized that fresh-baked pies were few and far between in New York.

The decision to open in Gowanus was an easy one for the Elsens: Emily is a co-founder of the Gowanus Studio Space on 7th Street.

"We were privy to the fact that there was a need for a local coffee shop in the area," said Emily. "There are a lot of long time residents as well as new businesses, artists, craftspeople and musicians in Gowanus."

In fact, the sisters hoped that opening off the beaten path would give them "time to grow into their ideas."

"Business has been far better than we anticipated," said Emily. "The press has been really good to us, and that has helped a lot."

The pies are killer, but Four and Twenty's atmosphere is what really takes it over the edge into a must-visit. The space is rustic, with big wooden tables, mismatched chairs and real spoons (some actual silver) for the excellent Irving Farms coffee.

"The ambiance and the rustic furniture were cozy and inviting but probably the most fascinating part was the kitchen space tucked behind the counter," says local Rose Costello. "I found myself repeatedly looking over to see if I could figure out what they were doing to produce such heavenly flavors and textures."

Marvel agrees. "It's appealingly warm and homey, without being overly precious. The tin walls, high ceilings and big farm table make the space feel warm but not fussy, and it seems like a great place to work or read for people who live nearby."

A bonus of the out-of-the-way location: despite the free wi-fi and kid-friendly treats, Four and Twenty Blackbirds hasn't been taken over by either the stroller or blogger sets -- yet.

Pie to die for, a cozy place to do work and an adorable background story: Four and Twenty Blackbirds is way more than good enough to overlook the cutesy name.