dina4

A new shop just opened in Beverly Hills called PAULETTE. that basically only does French macarons.

I've been given the macarons as gifts twice and have not tasted anything like them except for at Laduree! I basically flipped!

Check out their website:
http://www.paulettemacarons.com/

They list all their flavors and have photos, and there's an email, so I bet they'll ship.

Good luck!
dina

enroute

Reporting back on Payard vs. La Maison du Chocolat.

I didn't waste any time last couple of weeks and dilligently tried both. DH had an opinion too.

Payard's are very good but a different species from the Parisian kind, IMO.

La Maison's are very good and rather authentic, I thought, but a little softer on the outside. Perhaps they were fresher than the ones I had in Paris, both at Laduree and Pierre Herme.

DH prefered the ones from Payard, but could not honestly compare either kind to the Parisian ones.

Leburta

I would beg to be Graziella's new friend also. Umm, homemade macaroons!

The mouthwatering thought of them tempts me to try the recipe, but it looks like too darned much work.

My husband tells me the Laduree-macaroons are delicate and only last a day before the "shell" and the filling start getting hard.

111op

Thanks enroute. I've not had the Payard macarons. Your husband liked Payard, but did you like Maison better? You didn't have an opinion.

I was just in Paris, and I tried the macarons from JP Hevin. I didn't think that they were as nice as their chocolates. Maybe they had an off day. I think their chocolate macaron won some prize, and I remember them as being better when I tried a while ago.

I bought macarons from Laduree and after a few tries, I'm beginning to understand why people like them.

In November I tried some new flavors from Pierre Herme. One was especially good (I forget the flavor), but the other two were too exotic for me. I didn't try any of their macarons on this trip.

111op

By the way, regarding authenticity, I'd hazard a guess that Maison would be closer to the Parisian kind -- whatever that means. As someone pointed out earlier on this thread, Maison gets the products from France and I think that they maintain a very high standard.

Payard, as far as I know, is NYC based. While a lot of people swear by them, I've had some of their cakes and I find them overrated.

jonesie

You are all making me drool! But I keep reminding myself, 4 months till Paris, 4 months till Paris.....

Lauricelli

Dina,
I'm so glad you listed that website for Paulette. Most everyone is suggesting something on the east coast. BH, right in my back yard.
The ones I did get at a bakery in Encino were absolutely terrible. I threw them away.

dina4

Lauricelli,

Which bakery in Encino was so bad? Just curious because i live in encino, too! I'm glad it's worth the drive into BH.

They ARE amazing!!!

dina

enroute

111op,

Yes, I preferred La Maison's macarons (and chocolates). Payard's were smaller in size (and cheaper, accordingly) than the Parisian and Maison's, which are the same size.

They both carry raspberry flavor, which served as a good comparison for me. Payard's had what seemed like a rather ordinary (but good) raspberry preserve filling in the middle. Maison's filling/middle was somehow more "integrated" in the overall flavor.

The salesman at La Maison confirmed that the ingredients come from France and are assembled locally in the interests of freshness. They had two flavors of chocolate, "old" and "new". Both were excellent.

I loved the coffee/mocha flavor at both houses, but that has always been my favorite. My least favorite at La M. was banana. Payard had passionfruit in similar color, which I liked very much.

For any furhter details, I will absolutely have to have another round of comparisons, if not two...

-e

PS. I got a little box of 6 tiny chocolates at La Maison for $12. It lasted me a week, and DH tried some too. My Italian friends insist that if you have to have something sweet, make sure it is something really extraordinary, then you don't need much of it to feel satisfied. I found it works with La Maison.

Lauricelli

HI Dina,
the name of the bakery in Encino is L'Artiste Patisserie. I read a review on the web about French macaroons and it was on the top of the list. The bakery though, is inside a cafe of another name so it was confusing to find. The cafe is in the shopping center on the south-west corner of Louise and Ventura.
The macaroons were very large like silver dollars, very crunchy outside and the filling was hard! Disappointing.
Maybe the cafe has good food....

111op

Thanks for the interesting report, enroute. Usually I stick to chocolate and vanilla. I think Maison makes six flavors or so, but I could be wrong.

The cakes from Maison are quite good too, if you want to try them and like chocolate cakes. The cake called Delice is quite delicious.

I think I can eat the $12 box in one day. Since I came back from Paris on Monday, I've already eaten all my Laduree macarons (12 small ones) and 1/2 a box of Hevin chocolates (more than 100 g). Fortunately I've another 400 g of chocolates from Maison I can start eating also.

enroute

111op, funny you should mention. I am attending a conference in Midtown the rest of this week, within a close distance to La Maison at the Rockefeller Center. (I went to the one on Madison before.) Just a couple of hours ago, I picked up a half-a-pound of assorted chocolats, another 6-pack of the macarons and some champagne-cognac truffles for good measure ;-). Though the truffles are meant for a friend's b'day following Tuesday. Should be a good test of my willpower... I really like that friend

Enjoy you loot

-e

111op

Wow. Enjoy!

I used to work within a few blocks of Rockefeller Center. These days I'm much further away. I guess that's good for my waistline and wallet.

If you've not tried Pierre Marcolini, maybe you should give them a try too. But the stuff is pricey in NYC and not very good value, in my opinion.

enroute

I agree. The prices are ridiculous, but they can obviously get away with it on the Upper East Side and at Rockefeller Center... Both stores were pretty busy.

I don't do this often, so tend to appreciate/enjoy more

111op

Actually Maison is reasonable, in my opinion -- compared to Paris prices. I think the macarons may even nearly be the same price after adjusting for exchange rates. The markup on chocolates may be about 30% or less.

The markups at Marcolini are *ridiculous.* Also Richart's markups, if I recall.

In Paris, the different chocolatiers all charge nearly the same price.

I'm beginning to think that Hevin's chocolates are actually better than Maison's. You can't buy them in NYC though. I didn't like Hevin's macarons this time around. Maybe they had an off day.

Underhill

The latest Williams Sonoma catalogue offers macarns from a French pastry maker: $49.50 for 24 cookies. See page 37 of the catalogue for details.

cambria1

Lauricelli and Dina4
There is a place in Beverly hills , my favorite place for croissant, and the best baguette in town . they also have the macroons that looks exactly like the ones in Laduree. Since I am not a huge fan of macroons except the cofee flavor that I purchased at laduree last week and ate it in the U.S. few days later which was quite fresh and delicious, I have not tried the ones in Beverly hills. The name of the place is La Provence. It is in a small shopping center on Olympic Blvd. cross street is la peer. I swear by their baguettes and their daily soup which is country vegetable puree. enjoy

dina4

Thanks, cambria. I"ll check that out!