Returning to the plaza district after a month’s recess, the Marionette news staff toured two restaurants this month for our first double review: Goro Ramen and Pie junkie.

Only three of us had pies afterwards, but we all had ramen so thats where we’ll start.

Chase Leach and Jordyn Daniels ordered the Tori Paitain (Chicken with White Broth), Mitchell ordered the chilled ramen, Rachel Rose ordered the Yasai (vegetable ramen), and I ordered the Spicy Miso (Soy Seasoning).

Leach’s Tori Paitan ($12) came piping hot with a savory broth and pork belly.

“The presentation was fantastic and very visually pleasing,” Leach said. “The half-boiled egg was wonderful and the meal was very flavorful.”

Daniels’ Tari Paitan cam with a twist: chicken meatballs rather than pork belly and a garlic/chili bomb ($0.50) on the side.

Ever a woman of few words, Daniels said only that she enjoyed her meal and wouldn’t change a thing about it.

Rose’s Yasai ($10) was the only vegetarian bowl at the table, and it came with tofu, roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, and fried shallots with both gluten-free and vegan options available.

Her ramen had just the right amount of salt and although the tofu was well-cooked, Rose was hoping for a little more of it.

Stroud’s chilled ramen ($12) came with more of a seafood theme, with shrimp, imitation crab, shallots, mustard greens and a sesame dressing.

“I enjoyed the freshness of the entire meal,” Stroud said. He thought that the sesame dressing was a little overpowering though, but otherwise the flavors were in harmony.

My order of house favorite Spicy Miso ($12) came with a flavorful broth filled with green onions, noodles, fried shallots, and an egg, with hot chili oil topping it all off.

I loved the combination of flavors and textures in my ramen but I had to wait a little bit for the bowl to cool off before eating.

As one of my first experiences with ramen, I absolutely loved it and plan on going back soon.

After finishing off our ramen, we hopped across the street to Pie junkie, a small diner-style pie venue at 1711 NW 16th street in the Plaza District.

Our pies were: a Bird Dog buttermilk for Rose, a french silk for Stroud, and a macadamia key lime pie for me.

Rose described her traditional buttermilk pie ($4.50) with a splash of bird dog whiskey as delicious.

Stroud’s french silk pie ($4.50) has one layer of chocolate ganache, one layer of chocolate pastry cream, and a layer of lightly sweetened whipped cream, topped off with chocolate chips.

“It was enjoyable, but not quite my taste,” Stroud said. “I am a purist when it comes to food. I was hoping for some classic pies like cherry or apple.”

The two pies he mentioned were only available in the take and bake option.

Leach’s Blackberry Crumble ($4.50) was one of the highlights of our visit to Pie Junkie.

“It was great!” Leach said. “Super rich, fruity and potent.”

It was, by far, the most complex flavor of pie we had that day.

Not all pies listed here or on the website are available every day, so keep that in mind if you’re thinking about going in for some pie. If this applies to you, the handy -dandy menu can be found here.