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Immortalized in the first Top Gun film, where it stood in as the oceanfront home of Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood, the love interest of Tom Cruise’s LT Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, the historic Graves House is stepping into its next act as a retro pie shop and bakery in downtown Oceanside.
High-Pie retains the nostalgic charm of the Victorian cottage, which was built in the 1880s. Relocated from its original spot down the street, the 500-square-foot house was restored as a feature of the pierside Mission Pacific Hotel and the Seabird Resort complex.
It’s the second local venture for hospitality pro Tara Lazar of F10 Creative, known for popular Palm Springs haunts Mr. Lyon’s Steakhouse, Seymour’s, and Birba as well as chic boutique hotel Alcazar. Lazar, who founded Cheeky’s, one of the desert resort city’s brunch bastions, also operates Mission Pacific’s daytime restaurant called High/Low.
Decorated with vintage furnishings and historical images of the Oceanside area, with set photos from Top Gun paying tribute to the building’s previous on-screen role, the pie shop will showcase its treats on a Willy Wonka-esque conveyor belt. The sweet and streamlined menu revolves around classic fried hand pies in seasonal fruit flavors like apple or cherry and mini pies a la mode filled with house-made mascarpone ice cream. Served on a stick for maximum portability, the ice cream-filled pies will be offered with dipping sauces ranging from chocolate and lemon curd to sea salt caramel.
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Open daily, High-Pie will also serve hot coffee as well as specialty drinks like apple kombucha, cherry cider, and New Orleans-style iced coffee sweetened with condensed milk.
Lazar, who tells Eater that she’d like to develop more projects in the San Diego area, says she’s working on incorporating the pies into the hotel experience at Mission Pacific, from providing warm pies as a welcome gift for guests to launching a poolside pie cart. The shop will also have a vintage scooter for delivering pies to adjacent hotels.
