Eat Athens: 'Magic' is the main ingredient in tomato pie at this Baxter Street lunch spot

Can a single dish at a restaurant have a cult following? If such a thing is going to happen somewhere, Athens is the place for it, and for a weekly food article to let that go by unnoticed would be to do that publication's readership a disservice. Though simple in appearance and lightly constructed, the tomato pie at home.made is back in season, and one bite is sure to convince.

Opened by owner and chef Mimi Maumus in 2011 at its 1072 Baxter St. location, home.made serves lunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. After having heard a story from one local who went to the restaurant on their birthday and ordered three tomato pies just for themself, the Banner-Herald paid a visit to home.made to see what all the fuss was about.

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The atmosphere at home.made is low-key and friendly. When the Banner-Herald stopped by, the host invited us to grab a menu and choose a seat in the "sidecar" lobby area or in the main dining room. Prior to shifting focus to lunch, home.made provided full dinner service with an adjacent cocktail bar that served small plate items, so the amount of seating available for the lunch crowd is adequate and competitive.

When customers are ready to order, they can do so by coming up to the front counter and paying for their meal in advance. The setup is ideal for diners on the go who are looking for a quick place to grab food and drink without having to worry about getting to an appointment on time, but it's also a great place to meet up with a friend and have a relaxed meal in a laid-back environment.

The menu at home.made is divided into sandwiches, salads and "snacks" designed for smaller appetites to pick at or to share with other people at the table. Don't let the one-sided menu fool you, the options at home.made are as varied and unique as Athens itself and is friendly towards vegetarians as well. From cheese straws and house-made pickles to a gluten-free fried chicken plate, home.made is ready for taste buds that run from complex to traditional.

Along with the famed tomato pie, the Banner-Herald ordered a peach salad made with lettuce, roasted peaches, roasted onion, Georgia pecans and vegetarian gluten-free feta cheese crumbles with creamy cider vinaigrette dressing on the side. The reduced but juicy sweetness of the peaches was the perfect compliment to the saltiness of the feta and dressing, and the pecans and onions provided crunch and texture in each bite. Washing it all down with an iced Earl Grey sweet tea, which is also available unsweetened, was a great finish for a hot afternoon.

And what about the star of the show? Our salad and the tomato pie were brought to the table soon after our order was placed, so we chose to cut the pie into quarters and let it cool while we finished the salad. At $8, the tomato pie was hearty enough to stick to the ribs without ordering anything else, but the amount of flavor packed into it was near-priceless. With a quiche-like texture topped with a baked crust similar to an Italian dish, the pie was even better than the hype. It's the kind of thing you want to shout from the rooftops about.

Maumus told the Banner-Herald that the inspiration for the tomato pie came about years ago when a shipment of mealy tomatoes spoiled her plans for another dish that required perfectly ripe summer tomatoes that would only require slicing and salt. Using a case of locally-farmed tomatoes she still had at home.made, Maumus came up with a tomato pie that deviated from the traditional mayonnaise-based recipes and incorporated ricotta cheese instead.

"(The tomato pies) were an immediate hit, and the only thing on the menu that exceeds its season," Maumus said. "They are the most commented-on menu item that we have ever had, and magic is a key ingredient. I honestly don’t understand the intensity of the love, but I am super grateful."

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Eat Athens: 'Magic' is the main ingredient in home.made's tomato pie