Try not to have high expectations. I bought macarons and tried to convince myself to enjoy them. Once at Laduree, another time at Pierre Herme. Fail.

At Gerard Mulot, I indulged in other things, excluding the macaron. Divine.

Experiencing various caramels at Jacques Genin was bliss.

This fall, I am making a point of visiting La Maison du Chou, Denisea. I will keep you posted.

Can't wait to try the Naturelle creme puff.....we're staying very close to there in a couple of weeks!

Now that artsnletters' head is spinning from all of the suggestions, I think we should take up a collection to buy her a barrel of macarons before she arrives.

Thanks, everyone. I'll let you know how it goes.

I think kerouac doesn't care for macarons.

As we used to say…… anticipation is greater than realization.

Oh, it's not a question of liking macarons or not. It's a question of eating one for the first time and thinking <I>"THIS is what everybody was raving about?"<I> Since most of the fancy places charge more than 2€ per tiny bite-sized macaron, I really must confess that I can think of all sorts of ways to spend my money better.

Judy and Roberta---they have other "flavors" - chocolat, caramel and chestnut (in December-maybe they change seasonally) but the naturelle is made from fromage blanc...not too sweet.

If you are in the area and like salted caramel, then a visit to Henri LeRoux would also be in order.

To kerouac's point, many macarons are not that spectacular. My first one from Laduree was stale but some of them are wonderful.

Thanks for the creme puff flavor suggestions, Denisea. I will definitely pass on a 3rd attempt at macarons.

Pierre Herme on St. Sulpice Sq. is my favorite. It is easy to miss. It looks like a jewelry store. Even the price tags look like they belong in a jewelry store. My second favorite is Laduree. Gerard Mulot near the Odeon is very good too.

I generally go the Gerard Mulot in the 14th which is very different from the more centrally located location (no sandwiches for example). But it is a treat to watch the ladies pick up their beautiful deserts.

I'm not particularly crazy about macarons either though I've had some excellent examples. I've made them before so it's more of an appreciation of the process. There are other pastries that I actually prefer.