NVM Review

By Warren Rojas

Any aspiring restaurateurs worried about going too “niche” should ring Pure Pasty founder Mike Burgess first chance they get.

The British expat figured his fellow countrymen would be the main ones lining up for fresh baked Cornish pastries. But his fledgling business is attracting all kinds of unexpected admirers.

“It draws a huge contingent of people from Michigan, especially the Upper Peninsula,” Burgess notes. “But there are also Australians and New Zealanders turning up.”

Bully for him.

The menu turns on baked goods, including a half-dozen signature pasties (traditional and chicken Provencal lead the pack), sausage rolls—all of which are available straight from the oven or prepackaged for home baking—as well as seasonal soups and salads.

Sausage rolls prove exponentially decadent, the surrounding dough three times as crunchy as a croissant and at least twice as buttery. But, ultimately, it’s just a giant pig in a blanket.

A traditional pasty provides more depth, rewarding the mouth with steaming bites of peppery beef, savory potatoes and racy onions. Most importantly, at no time did the baked shell sag, crumble or remotely falter.

Meanwhile, minibar/Cheesetique alumnus Joshua Andrus is already brainstorming new pasty recipes (cheese and onion, pork and apple, lamb and mint). And a roaming pasty cart is in the works.