Tart News

French bakery makes unusual Dallas debut with free taste of signature tart

There's the mama tart in the middle surrounded by the little "baby Trops."

La Tarte Tropezienne

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.

desserts downtown openings

Omakase News

Downtown Dallas restaurant Sauvage expands with new dining twist

Sauvage

A downtown Dallas restaurant famous for its multi-course tasting experience is letting its hair down: Sauvage, the high-end mom-and-pop restaurant near the Statler Dallas hotel, has a new dining option that gives a smaller, more casual taste.

The restaurant opened in September with a set menu featuring 16 to 18 courses — wild game, seafood, vegetables, and dessert — all cooked via grill and smoker.

While 16 courses might sound like a lot, the courses are mostly small bites. However, owners Casey and Amy LaRue received feedback from diners wanting a smaller option.

"We were getting a ton of messages from guests who want to stop by just to try one dish, a bite, or a specific pairing without committing to the full tasting — so we built something for exactly that," Casey says.

They've introduced a new three-course "Cocktails & Bites hour" featuring three dishes, each paired with its own cocktail, served from 5–6 pm on weekdays.

Last week’s menu consisted of:

dry-aged red snapper crudo with La Chinola Way, a cocktail featuring passionfruit, mezcal, lime, and ginger
foie gras & truffle on house-baked croissant with Pendennis Club, a gin sour with apricot liqueur bitters
jerk-spiced shrimp with Clarified Paper Plane, a bourbon cocktail with Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and lemon juice

The new offering continues their pattern of pairing courses with cocktails rather than wine — an approach they've embraced since opening. "Limiting pairings to wine can get boring — it so often ends up being one expensive red after another," Casey says.

You can make a reservation on Tock, or just walk in and grab a seat.

Caviar
They've also added a new version of their classic menu: no caviar.

"Some love having caviar integrated into the menu, but others prefer to skip it, whether for taste or dietary reasons, but still want the full value of the experience," Casey says. "With such a small counter, this put us in a strange position: do we give everyone caviar whether they want it or not, or do we remove it entirely and lose a core part of our menu?"

Thus, a new menu without caviar, priced at $195, with an optional caviar course available for those who want it for $245.

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