Not far from the Town Talk Diner & Gastropub lies another relatively new gem, the Savory Bake House.
Talk about tiny. Forget about dining in; there's barely enough square footage in the cramped storefront to accommodate a bakery case.
But that counter is a quite the showcase for the kitchen's specialty: pot pies. The selection changes daily, but the formula always starts with a tantalizingly flaky, pepper-flecked crust. I've encountered classic chicken and turkey pot pies — each filled with the requisite potato-carrot-pea synthesis — along with other hand pie variations that place mushrooms and pot roast in the spotlight. I was particularly taken with the version that pulled together potatoes, salty blue cheese and firm broccoli. They're the epitome of comfort food, and at $6 a pop, they're a bit of a steal. They also hold up as leftovers.
Another welcome delicacy is the changes-daily sandwich. Long loaves of a rich brioche are filled with all kinds of goodness, pulled from the oven when the bread is toasted to a delicate crisp, then cut into long, slender sandwiches.
The fillings could be tender pork in a sweet-hot barbecue sauce, with melty Cheddar and tangy pickles, or a flurry of fall vegetables, also drenched in cheese. Get this: they're $5, a spectacular deal.
The sweets are wonderfully homey. Picture the best baker in your book club — the one you hope will play host, forever — and then multiply that by a few factors.
I find it difficult to leave without one of the chewy chocolate chip cookies, and a slice of whatever sweet bread has captured the imagination of baker Sandra Sherva. My favorite? The spot-on homage to the Hostess Cupcake. So good.
3008 36th Av. S., Mpls., 612-729-1310, savorybakehouse.letseat.at. Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat.-Sun.
Rick Nelson • 612-673-4757
@RickNelsonStrib
