Tout Sweet
Burnt Caramel and Sea Salt, Peanut Butter and Raspberry Jam Macaron
Nutella Sugar Bun with Almond Nougatine
St. Honore
Hazelnut Crumb Brioche Bread Pudding with Sea Salt, Ceylon Cinnamon, Vanilla Bean Custard
Chocolate Chunk Cookie
Brown Butter/Peanut/Cornflake Cookie
Preferring to indulge in actual food rather than Food Network programming I’d admittedly known nothing of “Top Chef – Just Dessert” winner Yigit Pura’s flagship patisserie inside the Union Square Macy’s until it was mentioned to me by the clerk at Humphry Slocombe and admittedly skeptical even after a leisurely stroll through several stores in the area I decided due diligence at least warranted a cursory glance…the resultant order of a seven confections largely a result of eye-catching design overlying childish whimsy despite a high-school aged staff that would have been far better suited peddling French fries than French pastry. Expectedly high in price given the prime real estate but equally high in quality with a focus on local organic product it came to me as no surprise that Chef Pura calls The Bay Area home and although I passed on seasonal fruit tarts to focus on standardizing personal favorites nearly every item on offer shined with jewelbox presentation – my first bites of beautiful macarons delivering a crisp break with flavors washing over the palate and slow to dissipate. Moving onward to things more hearty it was to a duo of decidedly American cookies that I turned and with crisp edges guarding soft centers a similar effect soon arrived warm from the kitchen in the form of buttery bread pudding harkening coffee cake in texture with a salty cinnamon tinge to the overlying streusel and vanilla bean caramel. Enjoying most of my selections as halves while saving the rest for later it was next to the atypical geometric St. Honore that I turned my attention and although slightly compromised by damp choux the custard and cream were both surprisingly restrained in sweetness and impressively light…neither of which qualities were particularly applicable to the brioche Nutella bun that also seemed a bit soggy but was so stuffed with decadent hazelnut spread that one would hardly notice.
RECOMMENDED: Macarons, Bread Pudding, Brown Butter/Peanut/Cornflake Cookie
AVOID: St. Honore and other filled items that may be more time sensitive.
TIP: Obviously popular due to its celebrity chef inside a high traffic environs while offering a salon-style respite from the shopping madness outside don’t be surprised to find all seats taken at Tout Sweet, occasionally not even by patisserie patrons – not only is the storefront small but persons lucky enough to find a chair are likely to linger while the juvenile staff struggles to service the counter let alone bus or track tables.
http://www.toutsweetsf.com/
