346 Patisserie
Chocolate Chip Cookie / Croissant Gelato / Guayaquil 64% Valrhona Chocolate Gelato/ Double Chocolate Cookie
Pistachio Éclair
Vanilla Éclair
Raspberry Croissant
Black and White Truffle Macaron
Hazelnut Macaron
Cadbury Macaron
Cherry Gateaux Basque
Already on my short-list, with interest to drive thirty minute across town enhanced by a $20 giftcard from a friend for my birthday, it was just as the doors clicked open at 11:00am that I entered Henderson’s 346 Patisserie and with chairs still on the tables plus the couple’s young child sitting in a stroller behind the counter my welcome at the small bake shop could not have been more ‘mom n’ pop,’ the clean lines of modern design and gleaming baubles of sugar behind glass notwithstanding.
Found in a nondescript strip mall, but already with several ‘regulars’ that arrived as I chatted with Front of House Manager Amber Pappageorge as Chef Haynes occasionally emerged from the back to further stock the already impressive shelves, 346 Patisserie is the sort of place where modern meets tradition and while many have cited the use of liquid nitrogen and culinary sorcery in several of the menus novelties the experience I mapped instead focused on items more classic, the total $23.58 for eight a veritable steal compared to similar storefronts found nationwide.
Clearly a Francophile, the majority of pastries falling under the ‘laborious’ category while most other local bakeries opt for quickbreads and cupcakes, no visit to 346 should go without first sampling some of the store’s handmade gelatos and with each flavor crafted from start to finish without a premade starter or base the flavor profiles are a study in subtle purity, even the Vanilla extremely impressive while my choices of faintly sweet yet buttery ‘croissant’ and intense dark chocolate were delicious on their own but all the better when smashed between two cookies, the chocolate chip in particular amongst the very best in town.
Moving next to a trio of macarons, it was perhaps an effect of arriving so early that found both the Hazelnut and Black and White Truffle still a bit cool and, thus, somewhat gummy but again with very natural flavorings replacing the standard of sweetness it was quite a surprise that the holiday themed Cadbury proved a spot-on riff of the eponymous chocolate egg, every aspect right down to the cream filling accounted for within a shattering cookie that makes me want to return soon in order to see if, in fact, the off-textured others were mere anomalies.
Onward to choux, suffice it to say that the small-ish éclairs at 346 meet the standards set by many French Patisserie and although the pastry cream inside the Vanilla iteration was rich and sumptuous the almost-savory center of the pistachio was even more refined, the chocolate not quite ready during this visit but yet another reason to return in short order.
Rounding out the morning with Haynes two best offerings, a high bit of praise considering the rest, fans of the croissant would be well served to drive down to South Stephanie Street both soon and repeatedly given the wide variety of specials offered throughout the week, and opting for Raspberry only to find the flavor literally fused to the lamination process with a crisp shell shattering to light notes of fruit amidst buttery caverns I can hardly wait until the full line rolls out with the soon-to-be-launched coffee program…though for my $5 I think that java would be even better off paired to the city’s only Gateaux Basque, a dense butter cake with a light layer of housemade jam at its base that substantially ups the ante on any American ‘coffee cake.’
FOUR STARS: Still an imperfect vision given the limited beverage selection and a few macarons that simply weren’t up to snuff it can only be said that what 346 is trying to do down in Henderson is far more inspired than almost any other spot in Sin City. If this early visit is any indication I anticipate great things to come; ‘mg’ and modernism aside, this is a place that knows its way around classic French pastry, not to mention ice cream and customer service.
RECOMMENDED: Basque Cake, Croissant, Pistachio Éclair, Gelato, Chocolate Chip Cookie.
AVOID: Macarons failed to wow on the level of the rest and $2 ice cream toppings seem somewhat expensive despite the thought that obviously goes into them.
TIP: For those clever enough to offer up their ideas, 346 features ‘customer suggested’ ice creams, gelatos, and sorbets – selected winners gifted a quart of their own to share with friends…or to keep all for themselves.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
http://346patisserie.com
