She comes in colors

San Antonio's cult bakery dishes opening date for first Austin shop

Bakery Lorraine's rainbow macarons will soon find a home at Domain Northside.

Photo by Misha Hettie

In the ongoing rivalry between San Antonio and Austin, Alamo City has always had an ace up its sleeve. With delectable French pastries and famous macarons, Bakery Lorraine has been luring locals south down Interstate 35 since first popping up in farmers markets in 2011.

Now, Domain Northside has leveled the playing field. According to a release, the bakery is opening its first Capital City shop on October 22 at 11600 Rock Rose Ave., Ste. 100 in the North Austin development.

“We are thrilled to be opening our first ever Austin location at Rock Rose at Domain Northside; this location is a perfect fit for our brand,” said co-owner and operator Charlie Biedenharn in a release. “The area is rapidly expanding and we’re thrilled to be a part of the growing community. We can’t wait to show Austinites what we have in store.”

The beloved shop is the work of chefs Anne Ng and Jeremy Mandrell, who met while working at Thomas Keller’s acclaimed Bouchon Bakery in Napa Valley. After settling in San Antonio, they joined forces with Biedenharn to open the bakery. The renown soon spread outside of the city’s borders, with publications such as Food & Wine and Conde Nast Traveler declaring it one of the best bakeries in the nation.

The Rock Rose location will follow the same formula that made the San Antonio hot spot such a success. Pastries like pain au chocolate and buttery croissants will fill the cases alongside a full savory menu for breakfast and lunch.

Among the morning favorites coming to the new outpost are velvety croque madames; a Greek yogurt parfait with spent grain granola, berries, and honey; and the ever-popular signature Quiche Lorraine with bacon, Gruyère cheese, and caramelized onions.

For lunch, diners can expect lighter fare like roasted tomato soup, farm-fresh salads, and grain bowls. Those wanting something more substantial can opt for one of the sandwiches, including a grilled cheese with aged Comté, chèvre, and fontina; a juicy Cuban with French ham and roasted pork loin, or the BL BLT with pancetta, tomato, avocado, and garlic aioli.

In addition to the edible treats, Bakery Lorraine will have plenty of beverage options from beer and wine to a full coffee menu featuring Merit Coffee beans and all the expected espresso drinks.

The location will be open Monday through Thursday, 7 am-8 pm; Friday through Saturday, 7 am-9 pm; and Sunday from 8am-8 pm. We advise getting there as early as you can. The macarons are an obsession of Instagram influencers and get nabbed fast.

lunch coffee openings breakfast

Back to the Plow

Homey Austin jam and bake shop closing and returning to farmers market

Confituras/Instagram

Confituras Little Kitchen is closing its brick-and-mortar store, but feeling optimistic about the future.

A famers market find is returning to its natural environment after six years in a brick-and-mortar location. Confituras Little Kitchen, which specializes in locally sourced preserves, is closing its jam and biscuit shop after service on Sunday, December 22. However, it will continue selling goods at the Barton Creek Farmers Market and via retailers.

Confituras announced the change in a newsletter to its customers in December. The letter called the news "bittersweet."

"Although the brick and mortar will no longer be, the good news is that this will be a fresh new start for us – we are bursting with energy and creativity at the thought of being back out in the community where it all started for confituras," it said.

The kitchen is closing because the lease is up, and the team has decided to "give up the chase." The newsletter emphasized the ups-and-downs of business over the past several years — ones that were chaotic for just about any business, let alone a small, fairly niche food operation.

"So much has happened since we decided to open a brick + mortar – a wonderful kickstarter fundraiser, THE PANDEMIC, the AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC, and an ever growing city," the letter says. "We tried so very hard but never really got our footing. We know we are not alone, many small business are in the same boat. We renewed our lease during the pandemic because we were hopeful we could make it work - the changing times had other ideas."

Finally, it shared how customers could keep enjoying Confituras creations:

The Barton Creek Farmers Market is open at 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.
A list on confituras.net compiles retailers including Royal Blue Grocery, Farmhouse Delivery, and Antonelli's Cheese Shop.
Jam share and Table22 subscription customers will have more instructions coming soon about picking up their goods in January at the same space, 2129 Goodrich Ave.
Customers may also reach out to inquire about continuing to order meals directly.

The kitchen also hosted frequent events and workshops, but the letter did not address this aspect of the business.

A shorter message shared on Instagram has inspired 63 comments so far, five days later. Customers eulogized the shop for its community feel and providing a sense of regularity during the height of the pandemic thanks to weekend pick-ups.