254 | Anderson County
I went the long way home last weekend and stopped through Palestine for a pie from Oxbow Bakery.
I heard about the bakery in a fairly roundabout way — Texas Monthly created an Instagram hashtag, #tmwanders, through which readers can share Texas travel photos. Breezy Lake-Wolf posted a photo of the bakery, and I was smitten. I decided the next time I went to visit family in Houston, I'd stop through. It wasn't too far out of the way, by my standards; and besides, we needed a pie to drown our sorrows in while watching the first University of Texas football game of the year.
Their pie has gotten some serious press, so I made sure to get there early and not risk any selling out. I rolled into town around 9:30 a.m. and spent the half hour before in Old Town Palestine, which is adorable. I parked next to the bakery, snagged a (very good) iced americano from Cream & Coffee at Wells Creek next door, and proceeded to wander the mostly-empty streets and revel in the cuteness of the restaurants, shops and dance hall. (For those familiar with Dripping Springs, it reminded me of a more secluded Mercer Street!)
I walked into the bakery at 10 on the nose, got a coconut meringue pie to go, and got back on the road; but I'm planning a Friday night Old Town Palestine trip as we speak. (And Breezy, as it turns out, is married to the pie-baker himself, and is also a fabulous photographer and Old Town Palestine expert. Check out her weekend guide to the sweet little spot on The East Texas Weekend. Fun!)
Oh, and the pie was ridiculously good, too.
