Head To The Rear Of Local For Knead's Knockout Pastries From Shauna Des Voignes
Head to the rear of Local for Knead's knockout pastries
Pastry fans, please move to the back of the restaurant.
There, at the rear of the new Local: Mission Eatery, Shauna Des Voignes sells the sublime handiwork of her company, Knead Patisserie.
Suckers for thoughtful sandwiches traffic Local's counter near the front of the restaurant-slash-community gathering space. And there's much else to love about Local, like its regular special dinners and cookbook lending library.
Still, no one with a penchant for sweets should bypass Knead. The tender madeleines ($1.25) and miniature pound cakes ($5 whole; $2 for 3 slices) howl with Meyer lemon's floral-tart edge. Pommes d'amore ($2.50), blending puff pastry with rum caramel and caramelized custard, are akin to a turnover after a head-on collision with a crème brûlée.
Des Voignes has a spectacular way with pâte à choux, the workhorse base of her excellent éclairs ($3.50). She stuffs them with malted chocolate cream and coats them with a jagged swath of chocolate caramel. Pair one with a cup ($2) of Knead's house coffee from Four Barrel for a sophisticated afternoon pick-me-up.
Insider's tip: Before Local opens at 11 a.m., Des Voignes hosts a makeshift bake sale Tues. through Fri. from 8 to 10:30 a.m. at the restaurant's entrance. It's about as charming as a six-year-old's lemonade stand–but with a more delicious sugar rush.
Knead Patisserie, 3111 24th St. (at Folsom St.); 415-655-3422 or localmissioneatery.com