Crepe & Spoon moved out of its northeast Minneapolis address after the summer season, but you can still get crepes from the new shop that just moved in.
Not in the mood for crepes? Well, you can also get a baked potato stuffed with jalapeño, corn, and chicken breast, then topped with pickles, sour cream, and a crown of Doritos.
Kumpir is a Turkish treat that packs baked potatoes with any variety of tasty fillings: corn, peas, carrots, salami, sausage, mushrooms. And the new Mrs. Dessert & Kumpir is, according to owner Mokhalad (who goes by Michael), the first place in Minnesota (and one of only a few spots in North America) where you can find it.
"It's something unique," he says of his reasoning for bringing kumpir to the Upper Midwest. The options at Mrs. Dessert & Kumpir are varied; you'll see everything from more traditional kumpir styles like butter and mozzarella or veggie medley to kumpir filled with hot dog and, yes, Doritos. The idea is "to make it closer to the American cuisine, and Mexican cuisine, in addition to European cuisine," he adds.
If you do head to Mrs. Dessert & Kumpir craving something sweet—and why wouldn't ya, with a name like that—you'll have plenty of options, from crepes to rolled ice cream to kanafeh. "Everything is from scratch," Michael says, made by his wife, from the Oreo- or pistachio-topped baklava to the tres leches cake to basbousa, a syrup-soaked semolina cake.
"Also, we have happiness cake. Supposedly, it gives you happiness," Michael chuckles, "because of the sweetness." Many of the desserts, including happiness cake, are available in a number of flavors: Nutella, pistachio, Biscoff, Oreo, cinnamon, Kinder chocolate.
The goal at Mrs. Dessert & Kumpir is to offer items that are rare here in Minnesota and even throughout the country. Michael is Middle Eastern and lived in Turkey for a few years, and speaks Turkish in addition to his native Arabic. And customers who've visited Mrs. Dessert & Kumpir, upon seeing how many Arabic treats are on hand, have been asking about adding additional Middle Eastern and Mediterranean desserts.
Michael says they're happy to consider adding new items and flavors; already, customer requests led them to start serving znoud el sit, a cream-filled, phyllo-wrapped Arabic dessert, and Lebanese nights, a romantically named dessert of pudding, cream, and pistachio.
And it's all made fresh daily, out of necessity. "We don't have a lot of space," he says. And that's good news for you: He's happy to offer end-of-day deals on the baked goods that don't sell.
Mrs. Dessert & Kumpir
Address: 339 22nd Ave. NE, Minneapolis
Hours: Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m. - 10 p.m.
