ON THE MENU: St. Anne the Tart good for the tastebuds and the heart

With one week until one of the biggest holiday meals of the year, it’s important to find ways to relax and unwind.

Whether you’re preparing the holiday meal or ingesting it, there are moments that require grace and reflection free of family, friends and relatives.

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One new business that opened in St. Anne’s Hill earlier this year offers refreshing moments of caffeinated Zen that are perfect for the holidays and beyond.

St. Anne the Tart is a charming café, bakery and coffee shop near Stivers School for the Arts in historic St. Anne's Hill. It's a darling, delicious detour for any day you're seeking a tasty break.

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Credit: Lisa Powell

Credit: Lisa Powell

The menus over the last several months speak to the creativity and comfort this shop offers:

• Orange and candied sage cinnamon rolls.

• Vanilla cake with Mandarin zest, layered with mandarin curd and fresh-squeezed mandarin Swiss buttercream.

• Homemade oatmeal cream pies.

• Vermont maple tart with a shortbread crust.

• Four-layer London fog cake with salted caramel.

• Mediterranean savory tart with housemade hummus, feta, banana peppers, artichokes and garden picked herbs.

• House-baked baguette, arugula, sliced fall apples, gruyère, pickled veggies and hot honey.

• Shortbreads including honey chamomile, brown sugar sage, lavender and lemon, rosemary apricot, maple pecan, lime coconut and earl gray.

• French Jalousies (puff pastries) filled with wild mushrooms, gruyère, garden thyme and stilton.

Open 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Saturday, St. Anne the Tart offers a full-service espresso bar and coffees from roaster Carabello Coffee as well as organic, sustainably sourced teas from Metolius Tea. When you need to warm up, they have plenty of options to help on the coldest days.

Their Chai Tea is one of the best I have had in a long time. The spicy, peppery savory mixture zinged with ginger and spices. It was incredibly satisfying the last two times I have been, and I will definitely be back.

This business is the brainchild of Megan Smith, who has been baking award-winning sweet treats for more than a decade.

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The beverages, snacks and atmosphere are relaxing, light and delightful. It’s an easy place to be around and a great place to unwind. Be sure to check out the do-good board while you are there. It will make your heart happy. I won’t ruin the surprise, but it is touching and sweet, just like the business it resides in.

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