Downtown News
World-famous bakery from France makes Texas debut in downtown Dallas
Dallas' baked goods scene just keeps getting better every day, and the latest arrival is a big one: La Tarte Tropézienne, a French bakery recognized worldwide for a certain cream-filled tart, is opening its first location in Texas.
The famed dessert is the tarte tropezienne, familiar to anyone who hangs out in Saint-Tropez, the jet-setter town on the French Riviera, which of course includes you and me.
The bakery will open in downtown Dallas, next to/beneath the Hotel Joule, at 1604 Main St., in the small space once occupied by the Le Labo perfume pop-up. A spokesperson for the bakery says that construction just began and that an opening date is still to be determined.
La Tarte Tropézienne was established by Alexandre Micka in 1955 in the village of Saint-Tropez. The Tarte Tropézienne is a blend of two creams piped onto a sweet gourmet brioche and sprinkled with pearl sugar (not confectioners' sugar).
The crème Tropézienne is still cooked the traditional way, using copper cauldrons, and the recipe is a closely kept secret, known by only 3 people in the world.
But La Tarte Tropézienne's wonders do not stop at the tart. The bakery also does classic viennoiseries and pastries, including eclairs, croissants, pain au chocolate, brioche, and fruit tarts.
According to spokesperson Rebecca Velázquez, the Joule location will be their very first establishment in the world to open outside of France.
"As one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the nation (surpassing cities like NY, LA and Chicago), a booming economy, and its thriving and diverse culinary scene, Dallas was the ideal city for our first location," she says. "Dallas also boasts deep roots in the arts and culture, education, and we can’t forget its acclaimed sports, making it a perfect match for us."
Brigitte Bardot is said to have coined the name La Tarte Tropézienne while filming And God Created Woman in Saint-Tropez in 1956.
Velázquez notes that La Tarte Tropézienne is being confused with a bakery concept in Los Angeles called La Tropézienne Bakery, but there is absolutely no affiliation.
"The Joule location will be the very first store opening outside of France," Velázquez says.
Interestingly, Dallas has some history with its own version of the tart tropézienne, thanks to La Madeleine founder and noted French person Patrick Esquerre, who put it on the menu at La Madeleine when he first opened the chain.
