Is bisous ciao French for delicious macaron?

Is bisous ciao French for delicious macaron? No, it's not. But it is an amazingly adorable little macaron shop in the West Village in NYC.  

On Macaron Day (March 20th) in New York City several participants get into the spring spirit and offer free samples of their delicious macarons from 12-5pm.  On this day, I followed behind a crowd of people through the falling snow, yes I said snow on the first day of spring, to wait in line for my sample at bisous ciao.  But when I arrived at 3pm, all of the samples were gone! I think this was typical of most shops due to the tremendous turn out this year.  However, they had “buy two get one free” between 3pm-6pm which I was very happy to take advantage of.  I was glad to find that even with all of the crowds and slushy weather, the staff was still very friendly.  

Feeling the line of Macaron Day customers growing behind me, I asked for a recommendation for one and then happily picked two of my personal favorite flavors to try. All cookies were wonderful! I found them to have a perfect softness and very delicate shells. This patisserie is a must try for classic flavors.

Salted Peanut Butter and Jelly: This had a beautiful purple circle within the top of the cookie.  It had a soft shell with fluffy peanut butter cream inside. The almost secret grape was hiding inside the macaron cookie. Just when you think there isn't anything inside, the flavor sneaks up on you and it's delightful! I love peanut butter so I enjoyed it all.

Raspberry: This cookie had a seeded tart raspberry jam. It was completely full of jam, again with a soft cookie that had taken in some of the moistness of the jam. There was a slight crunch to the shell.  It tasted natural, fresh and very delicious.  I enjoyed how much filling it had!  It was a nice filling to cookie ratio.

Lemon: The lemon cream is so light and fluffy. It had this tangy-ness I enjoy in a lemon macaron with the smoothness of the cream. Definitely enjoyable!

Who should go here: A first time macaron eater would be safe here. It's also perfect for anyone who loves the classics.  You will not be disappointed.

I'll definitely be stopping back to try: I would love to try one of their seasonal flavors such as Yuzu or the Coconut Dipped (this one is dipped in dark chocolate-Hello!)

bisous ciao. Macarons -West village
235 Bleecker Street New York, NY 10014
www.bisousciao.com

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/

Macarons at Whole Foods? They Rocq!

After a long morning in Brooklyn, I decided to drop into a Whole Foods on the way home to pick up a few food items for the week.  I walked through the door and I was welcomed by a beautiful dessert display.  I was going to just breeze by when I spotted them, my favorite, French macarons! These treats are easy to miss because they had more of a natural color then the bright colorful macarons I was used to seeing. 

I was greeted by the friendliest woman who was helpful, cheery and made my very first trip to that Whole Foods memorable. I asked her about a flavor that was not labeled and we were both unsure of what it was, so we sampled it!  I was delighted to find that it was Apple pie.  With that, I knew I would be making a purchase!

The macarons that this location carries are shipped in from Rocq Macarons, claiming to be the largest wholesale bakery provides French macarons.  The flavors that I tried were salted caramel, vanilla, apple pie and lemon.

Apple pie:  This was the new flavor for fall. The macarons tasted genuinely delicious. I can describe it as nothing less than a perfect ending to a fall meal or beginning to an autumn day.  It's a great seasonal flavor to try one time, especially if you are a macaron lover. The apple pie filling had a ganache texture and was both creamy and smooth. It also had a little bit of a spice to it. My favorite part was the wonderful apple after taste. 

Salted caramel:  This caramel filling was thick and generous. It had a delicate shell and tasted very fresh.  The cookie was soft and not too thick. Overall it was a wonderful compliment of textures. 

Vanilla:  Once again this macaron had a very generous amount of filling. It was filled with a vanilla cream that, like traditional macarons, was not overly sweet. This cookie was delicate and fresh! 

Lemon: This macaron had a thick lemon ganache. Different from the others it had a natural taste and was especially fresh. I may be bias since my favorite flavor is generally lemon but this one was delicious. A must try! 

Who should go here: This is a great place to try macarons! They are only $2 each and you can pick them up along with all of your other necessities.  They could easily be added to your weekly shopping list!

I'll definitely be stopping back to try: Red velvet & Chocolate macarons

Rocq Macarons

http://macarons.rocqgroup.com/

Whole Foods

214 3rd Street

Brooklyn, NY 11215

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/brooklyn