Patisserie 46

Baguettes, croissants and a case of French desserts sit behind the glass in Kingfield, and the smell of yeast and vanilla reaches the pavement before the door does.

The Kingfield original

Patisserie 46 is where the Twin Cities patisserie family began, founded by Chef John Kraus and named for the Minneapolis street it stands on. The line it uses, Authentically French, Minus the Airfare, is a fair description of the ambition: French bread and pastry made properly, in a neighbourhood bakery rather than a restaurant that keeps pastry as a sideline.

That original shop grew into a wider group, with Rose Street Patisserie carrying the same craft into Saint Paul, while this branch stayed the flagship and the origin point. A Bread Lab handles production and training behind the retail counter, which explains why bread is treated here as a discipline rather than a shelf-filler, and why the bakery keeps turning up in local award lists.

A neighbourhood room, not a dining room

Inside, warm wood, a coffee and tea list and the pull of baking set the tone. Guests come in facing the pastry display, with breads, croissants, desserts and other bakes in view, and the room is arranged for a short pause rather than a long meal. It is small and intimate by intention; there is no large restaurant setup behind the counter.

Coffee and tea support the visit rather than headline it. The reason to sit down is a pastry, a croissant or a slice of something from the case, with a cup alongside; the reason to queue is the bread. That balance is the difference between a bakery-café and a café that happens to sell cake.

What to order, and when

Bread and croissants first, since they are the foundation of the house. Beyond them, the case moves through French desserts and a savoury selection that makes an early lunch possible.

Then let the calendar decide. In January the Galette des Rois arrives, the almond-filled puff pastry tied to the New Year, and the rest of the year carries its own markers: holiday desserts around Thanksgiving, seasonal specials, gifts, boxed desserts and celebration pastries made to order. For a first visit, take a croissant and a loaf, then come back when the season has changed the case.