By Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host Published Jul 20, 2018 at 2:01 PM

Greige Patisserie, 408 W. Florida St., officially opens its doors tomorrow morning in the historic Brix Building in Walker’s Point. And the new bakery will bring something a little bit different to Milwaukee.

Unlike most bakeries, Greige will be open throughout the day. Not only will you be able to grab a cup of coffee and a pastry in the morning, or a dozen bars for your afternoon work function, you’ll also be able to return at night with friends to enjoy after-dinner desserts and drinks.

The bakery is a first-time business for Jessica Reinhardtsen, former assistant pastry chef at Tre Rivali, who holds degrees in both interior design and baking and pastry management.

Located just steps away from Lost Valley Cider Co. and just a few blocks from the Iron Horse Hotel, Greige will accommodate guests with both outdoor patio seating and seating inside.

Decor in the bakery plays out in neutral tones like charcoal grey, black and white, offering a clean look that’s brightened by the large windows wrapping around both the eastern and southern sides of the space.

But the space is just the backdrop, says Reinhardtsen, for the star of the Greige Patisserie show: the baked goods and creative desserts.

And you'll find plenty of pastries, cookies, cakes and retail items like granola and housemade jams displayed behind the counter. Meanwhile, refrigerated desserts – like panna cotta and macarons – are packed into a refrigerator case on the far side of the bakery.

Among Greige’s offerings are croissants (available in plain, almond or chocolate for $4 each) as well as assorted biscotti. Both can be paired with Colectivo coffee, including regular, decaf or cold brew.

Meanwhile, there are lemon bars, key lime bars, tarts and jumbo cookies (brown butter chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies and "Sweet and Salty" pretzels, potato chips, chocolate chips and salted caramel).

Refrigerated desserts like panna cotta, black sesame and matcha entremets and Reinhardtsen’s spin on a banana split made with mousse rather than ice cream will be priced $8-13. Moving forward, there will also be 15-20 flavors of macarons available for $2.50 each in core flavors like vanilla bean, espresso, lemon, pistachio, almond along with rotating flavors like blackberry mint, blue cheese and caramelized pear, brie and apricot and grapefruit, pomegranate and lavender.

Whole desserts, including layer cakes, tarts or mousse cakes, will also be available for $25-40 each. Among inaugural offerings will be a mousse cake featuring layers of Earl Grey cake with grapefruit curd and coconut sticky rice mousse.

At the bar, Greige will showcase a rotating selection of tap cocktails – gleaned from Bittercube’s On the Fly cocktail program – including a bourbon old fashioned, a paloma and Verdure Citrus, a gin-based cocktail sporting the herbal flavors of rosemary, rhubarb root, sage and lemon verbena ($10 each).

There’s also a small selection of whiskey, bourbon and Scotch (priced $11-18), a variety of apertifs and digestifs (including sherry, vermouth and Cocchi Americano, priced $5-8) and a curated wine selection featuring a distinctive collection of more unusual whites, reds, sparkling and rosés. Glass prices are $8-16, with most bottles in the $30-50 range.

Beginning tomorrow, Greige will be open Monday through Thursday 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fridays 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host

Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “Milwaukee Food.” Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. 

When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or recording the FoodCrush podcast, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.