Salty Tart Patisserie now open at Midtown Global Market (MSP)

[AnneInMpls]

There's a new stand at the Midtown Global Market - the Salty Tart Bakery. (It's in the space left by the Starlight Cafe - which is sadly missed - as mentioned here: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/513022 .
)

I read somewhere (here? The Rake? The Strib?) that the Salty Tart is run by the founder of Franklin Street Bakery.

In the name of research, I had a coconut macaroon, and it was FABULOUS! Golden brown on the outside, meltingly creamy on the inside, and just sweet enough (that is, very sweet but not tooth-achingly so). Six bites of heaven for only $1.50. I hope they do well and stick around for a long time!

http://www.saltytart.com/

Anne

[AnneInMpls]

Bummer about the cupcakes! But thanks for the warning.

I was there on the weekend and tried a peach-blackberry turnover. It was fabulous! Well worth the calorie/points splurge, which is all I ask of a bakery treat. I also had a little item that was called a "brown butter tart" - I was hoping for a true Canadian butter tart, but this was more like a raspberry clafouti/dutch pancake in a pastry shell. Once I got over the dissonance between expectation and reality, I liked it a lot. (It would be great for a brunch dessert.)

And I had a bite of a lemon cookie that looked like a flower. Nice, but not lemony enough for me. (Though, to be fair, nothing ever is...)

Would love to hear back from someone who has tried the bread or the sandwiches. Me, I need to stay away from Salty Tart for a while - too much temptation!

Anne

[The Dairy Queen]

That lemon cookie sounds lovely, even though it wasn't lemon-y enough for you. My issue with lemon-y things is that I usually find them too sweet so, if they weren't too sweet, I might actually like them.

I haven't actually seen bread there yet. Just a notice on their little hand-out that breads and soups are "coming soon."

~TDQ

[MSP Foodies]

We have great things to say about Salty Tart. Macaroons are amazing - they have a nice chewy exterior and an amazingly soft center (love the stickiness). The Creme Fraiche bread is also to die for (the sourness from the berries really kicks this thing up). On the other hand, the sweet brioche is nothing to write home about. There's lots of stuff to try and most of it looks amazing...

www.mspfodies.com

[discus]

I made the mistake of trying out Holy Land baklavas this afternoon. Three of the four types were inedible. The other one was nothing to write about. Back to Salty Tart.

By the way, those macaroons go great with Mapp's coffee.

[inkmuse]

The Salty Tart now has bread, I have had all of them on thier sandwiches, which thy now sell alongside a soup- different every time I am there. The ciabatta is great. I had a cupcake today with Dulce de leche and a chocolate whipped frosting.... not dry in the least...kind of dreamy and delicious...maybe they got it right now....Salsa ala Salsa has the best tacos ala carte....YUMMMMMMMM

[AnneInMpls]

Thanks for the report, inkmuse! I need to try those cupcakes and the bread.

Except I'm completely addicted to the rosemary corn cakes, so I must get one each time I'm at the Salty Tart. Anyone try these delights? They're like shortbread, only thicker and more cake-y, made from a corn-based batter studded with rosemary - halfway between savory and sweet. Lovely!

Anne

[The Dairy Queen]

The are offering some delicious-looking wrapped sandwiches in their fridge case and, according to their promotional materials, are still planning to add loaves of bread (three cheers!) and soup to their offerings.

I have to say, though, I tried one of their adorable banana cupcakes, filled with dulche de leche, frosted with a thick layer of chocolate, and topped with a cute frosting banana. Sad to say, it was too-dry-throw-in-the-trash-not-worth-expending-precious-Weight-Watchers-points-bad. Total bummer, as I've been admiring those cupcakes for weeks. (Presumably not the same cupcakes...) Has anyone else tried these cupcakes? Did I just catch them on a bad day? I will have to try one of the things that others have mentioned--the chocolate chip cookies looked gloriously gooey.

~TDQ

[HuaGung]

Had the same experience with the White Chocolate Lemon Curd cupcakes. Tasted about two weeks old an were dry as sand. The trip over wasn't a total loss though, lunch from Taqueria Los Ocampos was stellar (huaraches rule).

HuaGung

[The Dairy Queen]

Hmmmm...perhaps cupcakes aren't their thing. Maybe we should stay away from the cupcakes and opt for cookies and tarts and bars that the others seem to be so enjoying. Perhaps Salty Tart assumes the thick layer of frosting on their cupcakes allows them to stay fresh longer than they actually do, or, maybe, they just don't believe cupcakes should be at least a little moist and it's a deliberate choice on their part. Whatever, I think I shall avoid the cupcakes until further notice.

P.S. You can never go wrong with Los Ocampo!

~TDQ

[Rhena]

I just went there for the first time this weekend and had a delicious brioche -- something I'd been craving. Her sweets are delicious without being too sweet and her stall at the MGM is really cute.

[fromtheD]

I stopped in this weekend for the chocolate ganache cookie. Not too sweet, really tasty. I was there before 10 a.m. on Saturday and there was a crew working (rolling pastry, cutting apples), having a ton of fun. I noted that they had been written up here and they were thrilled. I can't wait to try some of their other items.

[cheeseguysgirl]

Stopped by today, and tried a savory brioche made with caramelized onions and asiago cheese, which melted in my mouth and was really delicious. I also had a chocolate shortbread cookie which had a layer of ganache in between two thin shortbread layers, and the chocolate taste even made its way through my congested nose- I loved it!

[AnneInMpls]

Those both sound so fabulous! If I thought they had any left tonight, I'd go down and break into the Midtown Global Market tonight, and I'd be on the news tomorrow... But I'm sure they sold out.

Anne

[cheeseguysgirl]

Based on your OP, I ordered a macaroon (they looked SO good!), but when I got home, it wasn't in my bag. :( Maybe with my laryngitis, she didn't hear me. I was bummed, because I LOVE all things cocomut, and you really made me want one. Maybe I'll be breaking in with you.....

[The Dairy Queen]

Oh, I love macaroons too. How devastating to be looking forward to one and finding it you didn't have one after all.

So, it's it all desserts and pastries (as I would expect given Gayer's background, or do they have bread, too? MGMkt really needs someone who sells freshly-baked bread!

P.S. CGG--someday, I think we should arrange a meeting between you and cheesemongerswife. Everytime I see one of her posts about St. Louis, I think of you. Ha!

~TDQ

[cheeseguysgirl]

At this point it's just desserts and pastries (although I am super grateful they have savory pastries as well as sweet ones). They don't have whole loaves , but I remember seeing a sign they are planning to begin having some soups and sandwiches in a little while, so hopefully loaves will be added as well-- even being able to place an order for them would be nice.

I remember the first time I saw a post by cheesemongerswife-- I immediately went to her blog, and I loved it! I think there is a chance CG may know her husband through mutual business friends-- it's a small cheese world out there.

[Foureyes137]

Anne - I think I ate a raspberry-rhubarb bar here on Sunday that was very good. I kept looking around for a name on it, but could find none. Does it have a green and white striped awning over it?

[AnneInMpls]

Yup, that's it. You're right - there isn't a name on the place. (I snagged a business card by the register, which is how I knew.) They're in the center area, near Pham's Deli and the Mexican candy store. They need a sign!

Anne

[karykat]

Sounds very interesting.

What other kinds of things do they have?

[AnneInMpls]

One of the two bakery cases/displays was full, and the other was mostly empty - but I was there after lunch. Or perhaps it's that they just opened last week and their still ramping up.

I remember seeing two savory items, a tomato tart and a brioche-like thing. The other things I saw were sweet - muffins, scones, chocolate-chip cookies, sugar cookies with a cute white-and-chocolate design, and a few other pastries. And I think there was also a whole cake of some sort (I have a vague impression that it was a rhubarb cake, because there was a bunch of fresh rhubarb nearby).

Anne

[cheeseguysgirl]

I just did a search, and it is indeed run by Michelle Gayer, of Franklin Street, also of La Belle Vie and Solera, and before that, Charlie Trotter's. What a pedigree! I need to head over there ASAP.