Vendome Macaron Bar - Popped In to the Pop Up Shop

Since starting the blog, I have been sharing my adventure with a coworker who kept reminding me that she had never actually tried a French macaron. Finally, she came into work and revealed that she tried one but was less then excited about the experience. I asked, "Was the macaron soft? Did it delicately crumble as you bit into it?" Low and behold, her answer was "no" and I was determined for her to have a first taste do-over. You can imagine my excitement when Vendome Macaron Bar popped up right in our neighborhood. I crossed my fingers and hoped this would be a great place for her to enjoy a macaron that wasn't stale. To our delight, it was a great place for a "first time." For first-timers, trying a macaron at a cafe/bakery that is dedicated to making macarons is often a safe bet when looking for something fresh!

Our visit was right before the end of the year. Therefore, the bar had several seasonal flavors that I was happy to try. I also managed to try some of the classic flavors as well.  Overall, these cookies were perfectly soft and delicate!

Gingerbread: This macaron was bright yellow with green and red sprinkles and a gingerbread butter cream. The cookie was delicate and the sugar on the outside provided a nice sweet compliment to the seasoning of the gingerbread cream. The dollop of cream was in the center. The cookies were soft the cream was a nice thick texture. This one was my favorite of the visit!

Candy Cane: This macaron was white with red glitter.  It had pieces of candy cane in the cream. While oval it was plain, the texture was smooth and pleasant. It had a nice amount of filling and was not too sweet.  The candy cane flavor was subtle.

French Vanilla Bean: This macaron was super soft cookie with an extra delicate shell. It had a sweet French vanilla filling and was a pretty and stark white. This one literally melted in my mouth. It was sweeter than most macarons, which was okay by me!

Raspberry: This macaron was filled with raspberry preserves. It was not overly sweet and had a nice amount of filling. Yet again, the cookies were so soft!

Italian Pistachio: This one was very nutty!! Some pistachio macarons are subtle in flavor but this cream smacks you with delicious pistachio. It tastes like a homemade cream. The amount of filling was less than the others but it was okay because it is such a strong flavor. Any more of the filling would have been over powering.

Who should go here: A first time macaron eater would be safe here. It's also perfect for anyone who loves a simple and delicious macaron. They are also affordable at $2 each.

I'll definitely be stopping back to try: I'm planning a visit once their new shop opens at 1 Brooklyn Bridge Park. I would like to try Sea Salt Caramel and Tuscan Sun

Vendome Macaron Bar

**Sold at Saks 5th Ave and Smorgasbord

Pop Up Shop (Open through March):

233 SMITH STREET

BROOKLYN, NY 11231

http://www.vendomemacaronbar.com/

Dana's Bakery- A Gift That Keeps on Giving

I was delighted to find that my husband, in support of my new macaron blog, had gifted me an incredibly thoughtful gift, a 3 month subscription to Dana's macarons of the month club.  So what did this include?  The membership was 3 monthly shipments of 12 macarons, including their current flavor of the month.  As one would presume, it can be difficult to eat that many macarons while they are still fresh.  With the arrival of that first delivery, I very quickly placed the whole box in the freezer as I formulated a plan of action.

Each shipment came in a refrigerated bag with an accompanying ice pack.  For extra protection, I wrapped my box in foil.  This many have been unnecessary but I was happy to take the extra precaution.  When the desire came, I would take out a number of macarons, place them in an airtight container for about 20-30 minutes as they defrosted and prepared for my treats!

One flavor was better than the next as I enjoyed all three months of the club.  While nearly impossible to choose, I did come away with some personal favorites.  The flavors shipped in each box were S'mores, Thin Mint, Molten Chocolate Mac!, Orange Creamsicle, Peanut Butter & Jelly, Red Velvet, Cookie Dough, Birthday Cake, Cup of Joe, Fruity Cereal and Key Lime Pie.  It was a lot of fun trying all of the different flavors!

Overall, every single macaron was deliciously soft with a delicate smooth shell.  Not one single flavor disappointed when it came to texture and amount filling.  Their cookie is consistently delicate with a smooth finish and soft chewy inside. Each one gave me the same feeling that moment when your teeth crunch through the shell and you reach the soft, pillow-like cookie!  Below are descriptions of some of the flavors and presentations of my favorites.

Chocolate Molten Mac!:  Right now, this is my favorite chocolate macaron! Drizzled with chocolate on the top, the milk chocolate cookie had a thick chocolate ganache filling. It was dense and extremely flavorful. I often tell people who love chocolate and are trying macarons for the first time to steer clear of chocolate flavor ones.  I feel like they have an expectation that it will be a very chocolaty cookie.  However, this is so chocolaty that a even chocolate lover will be more than satisfied!

Fruity Cereal: This macaron had flakes of fruity pebbles throughout the cookie and the cream! This one is a must try!! It's a flashback to your childhood. It had a great texture. Fruity pebble is really the only flavor that shines through and consistently with each bite. It had a good amount of filling as to not make it overly sweet. 

Red Velvet:  This macaron was amazing!  I loved the red cookie and how beautiful it looked inside.  It didn't taste chocolaty but the cream cheese filling and cookie were the perfect compliment.  This was sweet, but not overly so.

Cookie dough: This macaron had a vanilla cookie with dusting of chocolate power.  It's sweet filling, doesn't really taste like cookie dough but does kind of taste like a cookie. It had a natural flavor with slivers of chocolate pieces in the filling.

Candy corn:  This macaron was a flavor of the month.  It was so pretty and festive for the fall. It was orange on one side and yellow on the other with a orange butter cream filling. There was a delightful surprise of a candy corn hiding on the inside.

S'mores:  This macaron had a chocolate ganache filling with a dollop of marshmallow fluff accompanying it.  The cookie, one chocolate and the other white, had perfect shells.  The macaron had the flavor of what seems like a toasted marshmallow, giving that authentic campfire moment.  I really liked it!

Who Should Go There/Order:  These macarons are great as a gift (especially the macaron of the month club).  They are fun to try if you are looking for “not your ordinary macaron.” 

I'll definitely be stopping back to try:  I’d love to try the Seat Salt Caramel and I’ll keep a look out for a their take on the classic lemon macarons.

Dana's Bakery

http://www.danasbakery.com/

New Store Location:

52 Gansevoort Street, New York, NY 10014

Finding the "Perfect" French Macaron

As I sat eating my 5th French Macaron of the season I wondered if there was a website where I can find where macarons are sold in NYC and which are the best.  To my surprise, finding such a site dedicated to celebrating all the bakeries that carry this delicious treat was hard to find.  I came across many people demonstrating valiant attempts at creating these cookies at home.  I also found many people who are selling them.  But I did not find anyone who was critiquing, analyzing and just simply enjoying this delicious treat.  With that, I have decided to start my very first blog, The French Macaron Critic, in order to make these treats more accessible to everyone, at least while the boom is still here!  Enjoy!