Blog: The Bakery Beat

I mourned for months after Rustica Bakery left the corner of 46th Street and Bryant avenue for larger pastures.  I could go on and on and on about what I love about Rustica, but I'm still a tad bitter about their exit from our neighborhood, so I'll save my Ode de Rustica for another time.

What has happened since then is that bakeries have sprouted up all over the place, and I was left thinking that perhaps I'd find a new love.

On the corner of 46th Street and Nicollet Avenue you can now find the smiling sign of Sun Street Breads which has somewhat recently opened its doors.  I've been there a few times now and unfortunately, they cannot ease the pain of my lost love.  I have sampled their savory scones on two occasions, today trying the Ham and Swiss.  It did have nice cubes of ham folded in, but all in all, it was not exactly full of flavor and I must sadly report, I was not a fan.  One person in my crew was, though, and she loved it.  Apparently the ham and swiss is a delicacy fit for a one year old because she couldn't get enough of it.  We also tried the Apple Turnover, which, to be completely honest, didn't have any takers from my little group of four, and we ended up tossing it.  To be fair, I think as far as the cafe goes, biscuits seem to be the specialty of the house and I haven't yet tried one.   As for today, we did come home with a baguette and on our many trips to Sun Street when they are available at the Kingfield Farmer's Market, we have never been disappointed with their breads.  

My next stop in search of a new object of my affection was Patisserie 46 on the corner of 46th Street and Grand Avenue.  I tried to compare apples-to-apples as best as I could, so I ordered a Ham and Gruyere croissant.  Not a savory scone, by any stretch, but the ham and cheese savory breakfast pastry was the best I could do.  Their croissant was stuffed with slices of delicious, fresh ham.  It was rich and bursting with flavor.  Two thumbs up.  Now we're gettin' somewhere.  I also purchased an Oatmeal Raisin cookie for the boy who was hanging on my sweatshirt begging for a treat.  Yes, it was 9 in the a.m., but it was as close to getting him to eat oatmeal as I've ever gotten.  The cookie was not overly sweet and had a nice amount of cinnamon to it.  We joked that the cookie was as big as my 5 year old's head and he only made it through half of his cookie before giving it up to his dad, who was happy to polish it off.  We added a chocolate croissant to our list, which we found good, but ahem, and not to compare, but to well, compare, it's not as good as Rustica's.  Last, I couldn't tear myself away from the counter without purchasing a Strawberry Champagne Brioche.  Oh.  My.  Yes, that's my review of it.  Oh. My.  I may have a new love afterall...