The newest take on a bierock? A savory hand pie “Funza”

I’ve been wanting to check out the new Carter & Rye brick and mortar location, off 35th and Center, since I’d heard it opened earlier this year. I’d had great experiences with their delicious hand pies, both at farmers markets and at a long-ago pop-up event at Rally Coffee.

Kate Anderson’s fit-in-the-palm-of-your-hand pies, with their hot, buttery, flaky crust and fillings both sweet and savory are worth the trip to her new destination spot, open on weekends only.

One, though, on the day I visited, caught my eye in particular: the “Funza.”

You all know where this is going, I’m sure.

Kate took her flaky crust and filled it with the traditional bierock ingredients we all know and love: ground beef, cabbage, onion, cheese and plenty of black pepper and spices.

Ours came out so hot that we didn’t dare bite into it for a few minutes after we left the shop, which, for now, is takeout only. Don’t sleep on the bottled cold brew coffee in their fridge while you wait for your pie to cool down; its great, and comes from a local partner, Elevated Aspect Cold Brew.

The Funza is a richer, deeply savory version of a bierock, and the flaky, buttery crust somehow elevates the whole thing beyond the humble ground beef, cheesy filling.

Carter & Rye’s menu rotates regularly, and every weekend, they serve two savory and two sweet selections. Their most recent lineup: cherry, brown sugar cinnamon, potato pesto mozzarella casserole and chicken pot pie.

Follow them on Facebook for the most up-to-date list, and let’s hope, for our own sakes, that the Funza makes a triumphant return. It’s great.