Welcome back to Five Things, Racket’s recurring rundown of new, new-to-us, or otherwise notable Twin Cities restaurants.
Today we’re taking you to Razava Bread Co., St. Paul’s new “old-world” sourdough bakery. Located in a beautiful, bright space on the corner of Grand Avenue and St. Albans Street, Razava has breads and bagels you can take home or enjoy in a variety of preparations in the sunny cafe.
We popped in during last week’s grand opening to chat with Alex Baldinger, Razava’s head of operations, and see what all the fuss is about. Here are five things to know before you go.
1. “Great Bread Takes Time.”
That’s the Razava motto, and it really does: “It literally takes 36 to 48 hours to produce a loaf,” Baldinger says. The particular, time-intensive process, involving high-hydration, cold-fermented dough, requires care and rewards patience. In other words? You might want to get here early. When I meandered in a little before 11 a.m. on Friday, several styles of bread were already sold out, and though I snagged two of the few remaining Jerusalem bagels before heading to a table, those were also gone by the time I left, 30 or so minutes later.
In addition to the time-consuming preparation, it might also take you some time to eat. For example, the miche, Razava’s “rockstar” loaf, weighs in at about four pounds; it’s got a deep, flavor, a satisfying crust, and a long shelf life. “It’s a commitment loaf, but if you take care of it, you slice it, you put it face down on your cutting board, it will last you the whole week and stay nice and fresh,” Baldinger says.
2. This Bakery Has a History.
Razava is a reference to a style of bread Baldinger’s great-grandfather brought to the Twin Cities more than 100 years ago—a dense, seedy Nordic rye. The Baldingers founded St. Paul’s historic Baldinger Bakery in the late 1800s (it’s a wholesale operation today), and Alex Baldinger runs this new venture alongside his cousin, Steve Baldinger. “I grew up hearing about the family legacy in baking, particularly the legacy as it pertains to Razava, the bread,” he says. “Being on all these streets and avenues and corners that I heard about from my dad growing up is very personally meaningful.”
But while the breads at Razava are similarly hearty and made with similar techniques, they’re also born of head baker Omri Zin-Tamir’s family recipes. Zin-Tamir, previously of The Bakery on 22 Street, started his cottage bakery a few years ago; he and his wife missed the dark, rich loaves of bread they grew up eating in Israel. “It’s our chance to introduce a new-old product,” Baldinger says. “It’s born of lots of time-honored traditions.”
3. Everything Revolves Around the Bread.
Bread isn’t just a vessel at Razava. It’s more the other way around, with the cafe menu functioning as a showcase for the bread. Razava’s house loaf, a multigrain sourdough, is the base of open-face toasts ($9-$13); slices are crisped up in the hearth oven, then topped with ricotta and smoked mackerel, or campari tomatoes, garlic, and cracked black pepper. The shakshuka ($16), pictured above, is served alongside triangles of Razava’s pain de mie, a spongy sandwich loaf with an absorbent crumb perfect for dunking the thick, brick-red sauce.
While the cafe closes mid-afternoon now, Baldinger has a vision of staying open through the evenings, serving bottles of wine alongside sourdough flatbreads and other bready delights. (My ears perked up at the phrase “shakshuka pizza.”) He’d also like to get away from the Carolina BBQ-style sell-outs on the loaves and bagels—but hey, to borrow a phrase, these things take time.
4. Take Home Some Bagels…
Razava makes New York-style bagels and Jerusalem bagels, and the latter ($3 each) have been a surprise hit. Big, oblong, and completely crusted in sesame seeds—so many that the brown paper bag I transported them in was spotted with oil by the time I returned home—they’re wonderfully chewy and surprisingly light. I’d like to try them topped with different spreads and veggies, but this time around I went with Razava’s house schmear ($7), which was thick, oniony, and altogether excellent.
5. …But Don’t Sleep on the Sweets.
Razava might emphasize bread, but there’s plenty in the cookie case for those who tend toward the sweeter side of things. I snagged one of each cookie ($2-$3.25) on my way out the door, and would get just about any of them again, but to help guide those who are not buying the whole fleet, I’d rank them as follows:
- Walnut
- Preserved lemon
- Chocolate chip
- Almond kamish
- Biscotti
- Black and white
There’s a chewy toffee thing happening with the walnut cookie that’s impossibly delicious, and the sugar and fruit of the preserved lemon cookie crystallize on the bottom in a really satisfying way, but the biscotti and kamish are perfection alongside a cup of coffee. Maybe you’ll have to try one of each after all!
Razava Bread Co.
Address: 685 Grand Ave., St. Paul
Hours: Wednesday-Saturday from 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
