
Rose Street Patisserie
Do you live near Selby and Snelling in St. Paul? Well then you're familiar with the way Starbucks moved from its little old spot to the big one on Marshall that became the Starbucks traffic nightmare from hell. But it turns out your suffering was not in vain! Because sometime this summer John Kraus, the globe-trotting baker extraordinaire behind Patisserie 46 and Rose Street, will open a second Rose Street location in that old Starbucks.
"It's more like where I grew up," Kraus told me just now on the phone, "I took my mom there this morning. She thought so too, the houses, the lifestyle, the kids—the whole area just has the vibe of where I grew up in Kentucky. That's what you really search for, a neighborhood that wants to support a small business in their community. That's what keeps you alive. 46 is a phenomenal example of support from the community, they're our lifeblood, and that's what we're hoping to create in St. Paul. I'm really feeling good about it. It just feels right there." (He also says this won't be the last Rose Street, so if you're a landlord sitting on an abandoned Starbucks in a cozy neighborhood, you know what to do.)
The former coffee shop doesn't have room for a full oven, so most everything will be driven over from the Minneapolis locations, though they will have the ability to toast bread for toast, and possibly be able to warm up tartines. The big news for this new St. Paul location is that they'll have room for an expanded ice cream program, so expect sundaes—in exacting Rose Street style. Imagine, for instance, a mango sorbet and a coconut sorbet sundae with roasted pineapple and a cilantro meringue. Or there may be strawberry ice cream during strawberry season, with basil ice cream and a strawberry salad.
Yes, this is the second announcement of a basil sundae coming to St. Paul this summer. St. Paul, what is it about you lately that makes people want to bring you basil sundaes? Is it a vibe you're giving off? Does it go with your eyes? Whatever it is, congrats St. Paul—you're looking good and getting snazzier by the day.
Rose Street; 171 Snelling Ave. N., St Paul, coming summer 2018
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