I’ve been so invested in French macarons that I felt for once I should attempt macaroons. I often find myself wanting to correct people when they mistakenly speak of macarons as macaroons only because they are different things and not because I want to correct others’ French pronunciation. Macarons are the little discs with filling and look like colorful sandwich cookies while macaroons are the coconut mounds.
What a great way to start out 2012, having one of the best meal’s ever at Michael Voltaggio’s ink. in Los Angeles. It is absolutely deserving of GQ’s vote for best new restaurant of 2011. The dishes visually look serious, sophisticated and plated just so but as I made my way through each one, I couldn’t help but feel giddy like a kid. There were clever surprises waiting in each course and it was such fun to experience them. I am envious of the Top Chef judges who spent an entire season eating Michael’s creations. He is a genius in the kitchen.
Through the ink. doors about to have an incredible meal.
Along with my macaron tasting, I was able to fit in some cookies without having a sugar overload. My latest find, the cookies at Levain Bakery, were so good, I had to make a second trip for more so everyone at home could experience them. Okay and because I wanted another for myself. Here are some snapshots of Levain and my other favorites in the city.
It’s hard to miss this Upper West Side bakery as there is always a crowd spilling out onto the sidewalk. To get to the shop, you walk down a set of stairs as if entering a basement and are welcomed with the sweet smell of cookies. If it weren’t such tight quarters inside, only a few bar seats by a window, I would stay in there just to inhale more of the aroma.
On my latest trip to New York I decided to make it a macaron trip, the idea mainly inspired by the opening last year of Ladurée, the famous Parisian tea salon that finally has come to the states. I hope Pierre Hermé will follow suit but for now I will settle for a little piece of Paris in Ladurée, literally, as the macarons are flown over every week.
And before I get into the little details of each macaron, here is my blurb, macaron tasting 101, because I take it that seriously. It’s like wine tasting.
Ladurée’s pastel green is as recognizable to sweet lovers as Tiffany’s blue is to shopaholics. In the midst of the rainy weather, the window display on Madison Avenue was a welcoming spring combination of green and lavender. This is the only photo I have of the shop, as true to the Paris locations, photography is not allowed inside. I figured the window was acceptable since it is viewable from the outside.