the buttered tin

although minneapolis and saint paul are described as twin cities a walk along their streets is more a tale of two, the former a bustling metropolis while the latter’s “downtown” isn’t exactly desolate, but largely lacking in terms of storefronts save for a few local coffee shops plus the buttered tin where locals wait up to an hour as a result of not only the lack of competition, but a lengthy menu baked goods plus several breakfast and lunch plates.
    
now open since 2013 and featuring the skills of chef alicia hinze, a cordon bleu graduate who sought to fill a niche with “happiness,” it was just past 1:00pm that he buttered tin was found still filled since approximately eight in the morning, a situation overcome by a grab n’ go pastry counter in front of the bustling kitchen as servers passed by at a rapid and steady pace.

probably not a place best suited for the indecisive, the combination of countertop, racks and a refrigerated case displaying at least three-dozen styles of scratch-made sweets plus a few savory items such as biscuits, it was beginning with one sizable specimen featuring good layering and plenty of thyme that a first taste was taken, the herbs occasionally a bit overwhelming but not unpleasant while a seven-layer bar to follow developed in waves beginning with chocolate and slowly dissipating to a lengthy linger of butter and coconut.

unable to wait any longer at this point for hinze’s most celebrated item, a warmed cinnamon roll topped-to-order with cream cheese frosting, suffice it to say that in a region where the pastry is offered prominently across many menus this version is not as fluffy as some though it is still good, a housemade riff on hostess’ classic cupcake also falling short of accolades, particularly considering the $3 cost for what amounts to about two bites.

seated elsewhere and indulging with coffee, several halves later discarded to save capacity for additional dining, it was finally at this point that two items worth devouring in their entirety were discovered, a chocolate salted caramel cookie seemingly flourless and exceptional in its balance while a daily “milk ball” filled with oreo fluff reminisced of baked dim sum but with the springiness of an egg bread such as brioche.

it is one interesting place right in saint paul downtown. they have some interesting breakfast options with eggs, bacon and more. we had a french toast and an egg breakfast. they have different flavors of mimosa which is fun to try. i tried the pomegranate mimosa. the coffee was not great at all. but the other things compensated for it.

stop the presses.... this is the best biscuits and gravy i've had at any restaurant, in any town, in any state, in any country. for real. gravy is far from bland with generous chunks of house-made sausage in it. i can't do it justice. pickled onions and soft boiled egg topped off the perfection. and best of all, there wasn't a reliance on salt to make the dishes have flavor.

we also had the bananas foster french toast and it was scrumptious as well!

wonderful breakfast option in the twin cities!

we went for brunch today, this was our second time there. our first time was a pretty bad experience overall, but thought we would try it again. it was really busy for a monday with a line at least ten minutes out. you could see the employees were all flustered. it was unorganized chaos to say the least. we ordered a red and a white sangria, and then asked if the gluten free cupcakes were also dairy free. the counter clerk checked with the baker, who double checked the recipe book for us. i was very impressed and appreciative that they were respectful of my way food allergy. but then i ordered the breakfast tacos with no cheese and also the tbt hash browns with the purée on the side, since she was "pretty sure" there was cream in it. then i requested everything cooked in oil and not butter since i have a dairy allergy (different then lactose intolerance). now, i realize i was at the buttered tin, however my husband and son do not share the same allergy and i like to dine out with them to many different locations. and as mentioned before, we had been here before. so after i mentioned no butter and that i had a dairy allergy, the lady said everything there has butter in it. the hash browns and even the scrambled eggs... and she appeared almost panicked and confused. she kind of stuttered again that literally everything has butter. i simply said we would take our sangria and cupcake and not have anything more, as my husband didn't want anything if i couldn't eat. we grabbed a table and had our sangria. oh man, it was some horrible sangria. both the red and the white. the white sangria was basically white wine and oj and the red was like wine and juice too. elgh. we were not pleased at all. the carrot cupcake was good however. the thing that bothered me most was that they had accommodated my dairy free request in the past and simply said no way is it possible this time. it appeared that because they were just coming out of a rush they didn't want to spend any extra time or energy to accommodate my food allergy. and simply put, they have corn tortillas, eggs that can be pan fried in oil, pico de gallo, ham, bacon... etc! there is no way everything has butter in it. i would have been just fine to have egg tacos in place of the breakfast tacos. they could have used oil to fry my eggs and put into a tortilla with pico de gallo and give me a side of ham or bacon. she even mentioned the veggies have butter in them. so they can't provide hash browns and sautéed veggies using oil instead of butter!? we will for sure never go back to this place. they were so stuck in their butter box that they couldn't suggest me a dang salad even. beware of the butter drenched salads!

just love this place. haven't had a bad meal yet. albeit, i have only been here for breakfast, since the lunch options don't really appeal to me. grab a pastry for later after your meal. looking forward to the expanded seating area, and please bring back the hash brown omelette!

one of my all time favorite breakfast places. their speciality breakfasts are always fun and great way to start my day off. their pastries are also a wonderful treat to liven up my day.

the buttered tin hash was full of fresh veggies and corned beef chunks then topped with a sunny side egg- very good! wonderful selection of sweet treats. friendly service! (a little pricey but quality ingredients.)

awesome breakfast! great food and delicious bakery items. i went for the first time and parking is tricky but they happily made change so i could plug a meter.👍🏻

really great home-cooked breakfast! pancakes made like they came right out of a cast iron skillet and as big as my face! really enjoyed the atmosphere as well!

stopped in for breakfast while in town for the national senior games. the food was great and the service friendly. the bread pudding breakfast was fantastic. it reminded me of the holiday breakfast casserole my family makes with pizzazz!!

best lowertown breakfast gem, by far. haven't had a bad dish here yet. creative specials, irresistible pastries and tasty cold press.

pro-tip: frequently running waits for limited table space, so get there early to claim your spot.

cute and friendly. went one saturday morning with friends. was happy to be welcomed by a great atmosphere and fresh squeezed orange juice. i ordered the hash and wish i had ordered what my friends got. my hash was under seasoned. it had so many amazing ingredients in it with the potential to be amazing but it just fell short for me. the rest of my group absolutely loved their food choices so i'd be willing to give it another try!

nice breakfast and lunch in downtown saint paul. food very tasty and attractive. interesting menu items and daily specials. portions sufficient but not generous. prices not rock bottom but reasonable. friendly staff but service was a little inconsistent. lots of light from the big windows that wrap around, cheery colors.

we had breakfast hot dish (a very creamy bread pudding) and huevos rancheros benedict, both came with a nice side salad. bananas foster french toast was decadent and fabulous. lots of great-looking bakery items, took some to go but haven't tried them yet.

limited seating so you may have a 30 - 45 minute wait, especially on weekends. a handful of free parking spaces right outside, and metered parking on all the side streets.

we enjoyed it, will visit again!

good food & very fresh. a few of the items are expensive for what you get. nice casual atmosphere, great lunch spot!

love this little neighborhood gem! and to a previous poster, perhaps it was this girl's first day on the job. give people a break! you could have had her ask someone more seasoned there at the restaurant and then you would have your answer. don't let this stop you from enjoying a delicious breakfast at this great place, people!