Rose Street Patisserie — Restaurant in Saint Paul

I have a bit of an obsession with patisseries; I had researched places for my visit to Minnesota and originally came across Mark Heu Patisserie, but Rose Street was also mentioned. I couldn't decide so I went to both, and I have to say Rose Street is better. Mark Heu was beautiful (and James Beard awarded) but they were a little greasy. The flavors of Rose Street were just so luscious and decadent. They also have a sister company 'Patisserie 46' that I had not tried while I was visiting, but it'll be on my To-Go list for next time!

We tried:

Lemon Tart petit - "This tart has vibrant citrus notes of lemon and lime perfectly balancing the delicately sweet sucré tart shells. Simplistic and yet a culinary delight for those who appreciate bright zesty flavors of citrus fruit."

Raspberry Tart Petit - "Delicately sweet almond cream and vanilla pastry cream bedded in a crisp sucré tart shell topped with fresh raspberries and lychee jellies."

Lucia Petit - "Smooth, velvety dark chocolate mousse with moist and airy chocolate sponge cake and delicate vanilla cream atop a crunchy base featuring toasted almonds and sweet praline finished with a creamy milk chocolate hazelnut glaçage."

Isla - "Beautiful layers of jaconde sponge, zesty lime mousse and exotic gelee crowned with coconut chantilly and exotic fruit salsa."

Chocolat -"Dark chocolate mousse, 72% ganache, flourless chocolate biscuit and chocolate hazelnut crumble."

Blueberry Tart - "Crisp sucré tart shell filled with almond cream, vanilla pastry cream and blueberry + lemon verbena geleé crowned with fresh blueberries and fresh mint leaf."

Ruby - "A delightful combination of fresh strawberries atop a pillow of white chocolate chantilly, strawberry geleé, almond sponge and sablé basque."

Their specials vary each week, so their menu is not always the same, but I genuinely believe anything you order from this place will be just as delicious as another.

If you're in the StP area, Rose Street...

Whether you are at their main shop Patisserie 46 or here at Rose Street Patisserie, you are going to be able to experience some delicious creations. I got the pain aux raisin, a coffee éclair, and the fresh peach tart.

The pain aux raisin was everything you would expect in this style of pastry. It was flaky and the raisins scattered throughout it were tasty. I would recommend lightly toasting it once you get home since it was being kept in a cool environment prior to ordering it.

Next, there was the coffee éclair which stole the show. I'm not sure if I can put into words how eye opening the first bite was. The pâte à choux was airy with a subtle crunch to it. The coffee cream inside was outstanding, and the icing on top reminded me of different flavors such as maple and toffee. Everything worked so well together and this was by far my favorite out of the three pastries I ordered.

Lastly, there was peach tart which was great too. The peaches were fresh, but I feel like the cream on top could've used a little lemon zest or something to give it more flavor. The crust was buttery and delicious but it was a bit thick and took away from the peaches. I have had their lemon tart before which was the perfect ratio of crust to filling. I'm not sure if that ratio can be done with this tart, but if it could it would be...

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Stopped by Rose Street Patisserie expecting an authentic French experience, like the tag line on the website said but I was left with mixed feelings.

The Pros:

The atmosphere was laid-back, and I loved how bright and open the café is. A nice spot to relax. There’s a wide variety of bake goods. I watched the beads just fly off the self! I will definitely go back to try the olive Sourdough. I kept eyeing it and had FOMO because by the time I left there was maybe only two baguettes left! the sourdough Challah and there was another bread was completely sold out!

The Cons:

The croissant to me is a classic French pastry. While the presentation was beautiful the exterior was flaky, crusty and covered in almond slices, the interior was dense and cake-like. My friend picked her croissant up and the top literally came off, exposing the cake texture. The almond flavoring was overpowering and I didn’t mind but it seemed like an attempt to compensate for the texture, making it feel more like a croissant-shaped cake than a true croissant.

The Matcha with lavender and honey sounded great but lacked depth in flavor. It wasn’t super earthy but it wasn’t sweet either.

All and all I will try another time I just will skip those...