Season's eatings! The weather may be getting colder, but Dining Month on OnMilwaukee is just cooking up, dishing out your winning picks in this year's Best of Dining poll. Dining Month is brought to you by Fein Brothers, your premier food service equipment and supply dealer in Wisconsin since 1929. Congratulations to all of the winners, and happy eating for all those who voted!

In our house, birthdays are more likely to be celebrated with pie rather than cake. And since numerous members of my crew have late summer / early autumn birthdays, the pie-of-choice is often apple. We've tried a lot of different apple pies, from chain restaurants, grocery stores, co-ops and even homemade (which is always delectable, but we don't always have the time for that).

This weekend, in honor of my son turning 15, we pre-ordered a classic apple pie from Honey Pie Cafe, 2643 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. When we picked it up we were surprised by how heavy it was, but after forking into it, we completely understood because the pie was absolutely packed with tart, sliced apples. The lattice-top gave it an extra classic, lovingly handcrafted look and, like the entire crust, it was flaky and flavorful.

The pie served seven people on Saturday night and there was even a piece left over for the birthday boy's Sunday breakfast. For $29, it was a steal.

But the "cherry on top" of the pie was actually a scoop of Purple Door malted vanilla ice cream. We heated up the pie in the oven prior to serving, so the ice cream was both solid and melty atop the pie, tasting of natural vanilla with hints of malt.

Because the Brewers are doing so well right now, I'll go so far as to say Honey Pie's apple pie along with Purple Door's malted vanilla ice cream are a sweet, sweet home run. Plus, supporting local businesses is usually a win-win situation.