(Warning--this post has a lot of exclamation points in it!)
Laduree finally opened in NYC!!! It's actually been confusing--they were supposed to open the 22nd, then it got pushed back to the 26th (which was when the hurricane was coming through), then their website said the date was actually the 29th while their Facebook page still said the 26th...anyway, they are finally open!! Woohoo! Now, the Upper East Side is not my usual stomping grounds (Tom Ford and Lanvin being somewhat out of my price range) but for macarons, I am totally willing to traipse across town!
Of course, once I got to the other side of town I was greeted by this--a massive line that ran all the way down the block. Geez, LOOK AT THIS LINE!!! 20 minutes later, we had moved maybe 5 feet and then someone from further up the line said something about the wait being an additional 30 minutes once you actually got inside the store...which made at least five people in front of me give up. Woohoo! The waiting was made easier by the friendly folks standing in front of and behind me, and it was nice to meet other crazy people who are willing to stand in line for food.
An hour in and we finally were standing in front of the display windows! So close and yet so far away! Oh also, at this point we could see that there was in fact another line inside that snaked back and forth, and all those people were blocking my view of the macaron counter--I think I had a mild fit at the possibility that there might not be any salted butter caramel macs left! (Although the nice man in suit-who-was-not-the-president-but-was-obvs-important assured me there were plenty left.) Another 20 minutes of waiting once we were inside, a quick selection, and I was out the door (actually the hardest part, because I had to dodge around the line!)
And YAY, MY HAUL!! Oh, I should just point out that this is the standard box; they have all kinds of gorgeous gift boxes but you do pay a bit extra for those. My precious, precious salted caramel macarons are in the bottom right corner. Also, years ago when we went to Paris, we picked up a box of macarons at Laduree and then stupidly put them in our bike basket, so that by the time I got to eating them, they looked like this. I am so very pleased to have undamaged macaron photos now. (Also, apparently they are currently flying all of their macarons in from Paris, not baking them on-site.)
And a bonus shot of the insides! Mmm, sweet sweet goodness....I can report the salted caramel is still my absolute favorite. The green apple tastes exactly like a green apple Jolly Rancher, which I am not 100% sold on. Anyway, don't worry, I haven't eaten these all in one shot, because I am not THAT crazy! I've still got a bunch left for later today...and tomorrow...and maybe even the day after that. YAY!!
Ladurée New York
864 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10021
6 comments:
They look wonderful! I have just returned from a little trip to Paris (I live in England so it's a lot easier to just pop over) where I did some very thorough macaroon testing and I can confirm that Pierre Hermes is the new king of macaroons- he is better than Lauduree. I'm sorry to be such a heathen. His asparagus and hazelnut macaroons are amazing (they add a lovely earthyness to balance the sweetness), as are his vanilla and olive oil ones. If you're ever back in Paris then be sure to pay him a visit!
I can't wait to check out the new Laduree in NY. Just basking in the ambiance will transport me to Paris and save me some airfare!
LOVE Laduree macarons...Now there is another reason for me to visit NYC!
Amy, one of my big regrets from our trip to Paris was not going to Pierre Herme (there was a huge line). I would love to try it out, but it's going to be hard to beat the salted butter caramel :D
Hi Deborah! Yes, definitely go check it out--but if you can avoid it, don't go on a weekend! Hopefully the lines will calm down soon...
Anonymous, absolutely :D And then you can go on a food tour of NY...I just had a friend visiting who planned his whole weekend around places he wanted to eat :D My kind of vacation!
so jealous! wish i could be there right now! and wow! flying them in from paris? how expensive was your box?
Amanda
softandstiffpeaks.blogspot.com
Amanda, there is no denying that these are pricey! They were something like $2.50 each which is a bit on the steep side. We were told that they're shipping them in right now because they don't have actual kitchen facilities (which is why they don't sell other pastries yet, either).
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