Anyone who knows French macaroons has undoubtedly heard the name Laduree. Previously, those who wanted a taste of these bite-sized decadences had to travel to Paris. But through modern day convenience, as of August 2011, they have officially arrived in, where else but New York!
Luckily, I was on the Upper East Side for brunch that morning. So after an abnormally large brunch, I was in dire need to walk it off, and what better then to go on a hunt for French macaroons! With all the excitement, I hurried down 5 city blocks and there it was, Laduree!...
With is massive line up that snakes through the store and out the door.
As you stand in line, you pass by window displays filled with beautiful macaroon boxes, and macaroon trees.
The excitement builds as you peek through the window (not much unlike a creeper), and anticipate your turn.
When you finally get out of the bitter winter cold and make it in the gates, you are in every little girl at heart’s dream (and I’m not a girlie girl by any means, but I will admit, it was hard to resist). A world filled with pastel colours, macaroons of varying colours, the sweet scent of vanilla, who could resist? By the time it came around to my turn, I was prepared to take the whole store home with me. Can’t say my wallet didn’t take a beating from this visit. Managed to walk out with a bill in the 3 figures range, and not much to show for it except some pretty pastels and an insane urge to eat through these like a fat kid with candy. But these delicacies are meant to be eaten with lady-like elegance, so we’ll refrain from acting otherwise.
The second I arrived home, the boxes were opened without hesitation. I had left with one of almost every flavour that was available that day.
In hindsight, after all the excitement had settled and inspecting the macaroons close up, I was slightly disappointed. Not all of the macaroons were as perfectly and precisely lined up as some of the small shops I had previously been to. Also, the "foots" were cracked on numerous macaroons. That’s the beauty of an art that you loose once you hit large-scale production. After eating my way through a significant number of these (not without damage to the waistline), I was yet again disappointed. The macaroons weren’t as fluffy and delicate as I would have expected. They were also often over sweetened, and some artificial tasting. Call me traditional, but my favorite out of the bunch was still Vanilla.
At the end of the day, Laduree is a shop whose macaroons would make a great gift that make people “Ooo” and “Ahh” when they see the pretty box. Are they the best macaroons that you’ll get in New York? Definitely not. But who can resist the temptation of marketing and beautiful packaging these days? My 2 cents and forewarnings:
1. Don’t go to Laduree if you plan on walking out empty handed, the temptation is hard to resist with all its beauty.
2. Beauty comes at a price! And at a price, I’m not only referring to the price of the macaroons. The pretty boxes on display don’t come without a price either. If you want a nice box (not the thin paper box), it will cost you.
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