Tart News
French bakery makes unusual Dallas debut with free taste of signature tart
If something called the coronavirus hadn't come along, we might all be enjoying a little taste of Saint-Tropez right now in downtown Dallas. Spring 2020 was the original target date for La Tarte Tropézienne, the French bakery recognized worldwide for a certain cream-filled tart, set to open its first location in Texas at 1604 Main St., in front of the Joule Dallas hotel.
But the Joule is temporarily closed and the bakery's opening, delayed. Uncowed, owners Jan Marien and Rebecca Velázquez have debuted a touchless curbside delivery menu which they're serving out of their "ghost" kitchen at 3015 Gulden Ln. at Trinity Groves.
"We finally got our permits after a long period with the city of Dallas and we've started construction so that, when restaurants can return to normal, we'll be able to open doors without delay," Velázquez says. "It seems funny now that we thought we'd be opening last week. But instead, we decided to focus not only on catering but also retail, to do what other people are doing: offering some specialties to take out, including our signature tarts."
La Tarte Tropézienne was established by Alexandre Micka in 1955 in the village of Saint-Tropez. The signature pastry is the Tarte Tropézienne, which features a blend of two creams piped onto a sweet gourmet brioche and sprinkled with sugar. The recipe is a closely kept secret, known by only three people in the world.
The Joule location will be their very first establishment in the world to open outside of France.
The takeout menu includes sandwiches, charcuterie, caviar, pastries and desserts, and a small selection of wines which they're selling at half price. A bottle of Veuve de Veunay Brut French sparkling wine is $15, and a Gerard Bertrand French pinot noir is $20.
If your order is $25 or more, you get a 3-pack of "baby Trops" — their signature tart in a bite-size form — for free.
"We decided to do a complimentary introduction to educate people on these baby puffs," she says. "Truth be told, they're not like anything else. For those who don't know what they are like, this gives an introduction without an investment out of their pocket."
"Out goal is to lighten people's spirits with a little bit of decadence — it's a French kiss from us during these hard times," she says.
