What are these beautiful creations? Little meringue-based sandwiches with various flavoured fillings. Though simple in aesthetic, these macarons are temperamental creatures and can be fairly difficult to make.
Saturday was the first Macaron Day NYC. Originated five years ago in Paris by renowned Pastry Chef Pierre Herme, Macaron Day would encourage pastry shops to give away free macarons. In exchange, customers would be encouraged to make a charitable donation.
Here in NYC, Chef Francois Payard (responsible for our delectable Buche de Noel) got 13 bakeries to participate in providing free macarons. A portion of proceeds from additional macaron sales went towards City Harvest.
So after finding out about this event late on Friday, we researched bakery hours and strategized our best travel route (given weekend service advisories). With only 4 hours before our noon lunch date with Montreal smoked meat (more on that later), we had an ambitious plan to visit 12 bakeries. We only got to 7 of them before time (and our palettes) ran out - but it was a great way to spend a warm, Saturday morning in NYC.
By 8AM, we were on the Upper West Side making our way to our first stop. Amongst the early morning joggers and dog walkers, NYC had never seemed so serene and quiet to us.
8:15 AM: Silver Moon Bakery (2740 Broadway at 105th St) was our first stop. Upon mentioning we were here for "Macaron Day NYC", the counter-girl told us 1) Only the 1st 10 people get one free macaron only if they buy one, 2) Everyone else must buy 12 macarons to get one free one, and 3) No photos. She then pulled out a small tray carrying a handful of macarons.
Suffice it to say, we did not think that they were honoring the true spirit of the event . We each bought a macaron ($1.75/each) to get the free one. From left to right were Pistachio, Oreo, Chestnut, and Chocolate. These was our first macaron experience and we thought that they were okay and not very flavourful. Our favorite was the Oreo, mainly because it surprised us (the counter-girl mentioned this was Vanilla, so the taste was unexpected).
8:45 AM - We walked down to Georgia's Cafe (2418 Broadway at 89th St.) for Macaron stop #2. The cafe itself had a large seating area and was beautifully decorated. This time when we mentioned the "password", the manager greeted us with a warm welcome, offered us one complimentary macaron a piece, and eagerly showed us his array of macarons.
These macarons tasted more like their natural flavor. At left was the chestnut macaron full of nuttiness goodness. At right was the mango macaron with actual mango-tasting (not artificial candy tasting) jam-like filling. We also loved the bright orange color with pink tinge.
We would definitely return to Georgia's Cafe to check out their food selection and buy a few macarons (at $1.65/each, these were the cheapest in-store price point we saw all day).
After chatting with Georgia's Cafe's manager for a while, we had to get back on our journey and took the subway down to Columbus Circle.
Bouchon Bakery was our #3 Macaron stop. Despite the friendly service, we again met with a little misunderstanding.
9:30 AM - We love Thomas Keller (after all, we've had wonderful meals at Per Se, The French Laundry, and enjoyed meeting him). So to say we were excited about this macaron stop would be an understatement.
The response to our "Macaron Day NYC" request was, "Oh, we are not serving them here. You'll have to wait until the cafe (nearby seating area) is open at 11AM)". Not wanting to wait 1.5 hours, we debated between buying a box of 6 macarons for $12 or just one large macaron for $3. (At least the money went to City Harvest!)
We bought the bright lemon meringue macaron ($3) - The filling was buttery, with a subtle flavor. The meringue part was plump and soft. It was a decent macaron - but nothing mind-blowing like the desserts we had at his restaurants.
Fast forward to 4pm when we decided pop into Bouchon Bakery again. At the cafe, the hostess pointed us back to the take-out counter for our "macaroons". We returned, were told by the manager that they were all out (but try the cafe), and that they started giving them away at 10AM (not 11AM as previously told). Sigh. After hearing our story, the friendly and patient manager found a leftover pistachio macaron for us. It was tiny (the size of a nickel) and very light. The lemon macaron was much better, but we appreciated the manager's effort.
Back to our morning tour. After buying a large bottle of water (our palettes were starting to wear out), we took the bus along Central Park South and headed towards the east side.
10:20AM - Despite getting there 20 minutes after opening, we met a closed door at high-end china store Bernaudaud (499 Park Ave at 59th St), the day's location for gluten-free macarons from Mad Mac. We can't tell you how they tasted (maybe we'll buy a 12 macaron box online for $18), but they did look pretty from the outside.
Since Chef Payard was the organizer of the event, we knew we wanted to try a macaron from him.
Nearby FC Chocolate Bar did not open until 11AM, so we hopped on the 6 train towards the Upper East Side.
We would definitely return to Georgia's Cafe to check out their food selection and buy a few macarons (at $1.65/each, these were the cheapest in-store price point we saw all day).
After chatting with Georgia's Cafe's manager for a while, we had to get back on our journey and took the subway down to Columbus Circle.Bouchon Bakery was our #3 Macaron stop. Despite the friendly service, we again met with a little misunderstanding.
We bought the bright lemon meringue macaron ($3) - The filling was buttery, with a subtle flavor. The meringue part was plump and soft. It was a decent macaron - but nothing mind-blowing like the desserts we had at his restaurants.
Since Chef Payard was the organizer of the event, we knew we wanted to try a macaron from him.Nearby FC Chocolate Bar did not open until 11AM, so we hopped on the 6 train towards the Upper East Side.
10:30 AM - Butterfield Market (1114 Lexington at 78th St), a gourmet grocery store, is the other Payard vendor. With a sign outside advertising "Macaron Day NYC", we knew we would not have a problem at Macaron stop #5.
The employees at the Payard window were very friendly and eager to please. We each chose the Yuzu (Japanese lemon) macaron (complimentary, but normally $2/each). These macarons were a little thicker and chewier, but we did enjoy the light tangy yuzu flavor.
Macaron Stop #6, La Maison du Chocolat (1018 Madison at 78th St) was only a short walk away. This elegant store is a chocolate lover's dream. Little squares of chocolate creations were displayed like jewelry around the store, with a small counter devoted to various macarons.
Met with a friendly smile, we were offered these complimentary Hazelnut macarons. Normally $2.50 each, these macarons were the most expensive ones we had seen all day. But they were divine - filled with a hazelnut chocolate spread - and amongst our favorites of the day.
By now, my savory-loving husband was sugared-out by all of the macarons. He was itching for his Montreal smoked meat and was worried the restaurant would run out of it (which happens around 3-4pm). I promised him only one more macaron stop before our Brooklyn-bound lunch.
11:10 AM - For our final macaron stop (#7), we headed towards midtown west (Fashion District). Tourists and shoppers were out in full force as the summery weather (74 F/23 C) brought everyone out of winter hibernation.
MacarOn Cafe (161 W 36th St at 7th Ave) was the perfect stop to end our macaron tour (though we were oh so close to Madeleine Patisserie and LA Burdick...perhaps another time). We walked into the whimsical space and found the one and only place on our journey where macarons were the sole star.
Pastry chef Cecile Cannone immediately gave us two free macarons each (already nicely packaged). She has been making macarons (and only macarons!) for 6 years. We loved the bright vibrant colors of her macarons as well as her extensive unique flavors. Cassis, Violet flowers, Chocolate, Caramel, and Rose petals were only some of the macarons on site. Cecile's macarons were the most creative we had seen during our tour.
We purchased two more macarons ($1.95 each) - Cognac (a St. Patrick's Day idea) and Black Sesame (Cecile was inspired by a black sesame ice cream she enjoyed at a Japanese restaurant and chatted with that chef for ways to incorporate the same flavor in her macaron).
Cecile obviously has a passion for macarons. Biting into our complimentary ones, we are hit by their rich flavors: almond, passion fruit, and pistachio. The thin exterior meringuey shell gives ways to a soft, moist center.
Our purchased macarons were slightly larger and even more intricately decorated. The nutty black sesame macaron evoked memories of black sesame cakes from Chinese bakeries. My half-Irish husband enjoyed his cognac macaron though it was more subtle in flavor.
Hope you enjoyed our Macaron Tour of NYC!
p.s. And yes, my husband happily enjoyed his Montreal smoked meat lunch (We'll post the review tomorrow!)
Our purchased macarons were slightly larger and even more intricately decorated. The nutty black sesame macaron evoked memories of black sesame cakes from Chinese bakeries. My half-Irish husband enjoyed his cognac macaron though it was more subtle in flavor.
p.s. And yes, my husband happily enjoyed his Montreal smoked meat lunch (We'll post the review tomorrow!)
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