If you know me from New York, you know that the past two years, I have indulged in the one day event known as Jour du Macaron (Macaron Day). I wrote some posts on them:
Jour du Macaron 2012
Jour du Macaron 2013

Last weekend was different though. Jacqui planned a small walking excursion to some of the most renowned macarons in Paris, all in the 6th arrondissement, all a short walk from my apartment!

First stop was Jean-Paul Hévin, a famous chocolatier. We ordered together a box of 5 to split amongst one another. (It’s actually slightly more expensive to buy a box because, duh, the packaging costs more. But we didn’t realize this at the time.) The flavors were: basil & something along the lines of raspberry, chocolate café, mandarin, pamplemousse (grapefruit), and citron & amande (lemon and almond). My favorites were definitely the fruity ones, particularly the mandarin and the pamplemousse. The macarons here were a bit chewy, which I know most people don’t like, but I loved it. I like a chewier, substantial (but not too chewy) texture. The basil one had a very interesting flavor, a strange mixture of fruit and herbs that I have never encountered before. It was not bad though. And now, I think I am turning into an adventurous macaron eater. This is exciting! Also, in terms of service, the employees were very nice and patient here as we decided on flavors.

I want that cake.

Love the wrapper.

Next, we headed off to Sadaharu Aoki, a patisserie that combines Japanese and French flavors. The cakes here are so beautifully decorated. Gosh, I just want to eat them all! I played it safer here and got only one: a sesame macaron. Being a fan of black sesame ice cream, I really had to try something similar in macaron form. The verdict: I am a fan! It was delicious. I’ve read reviews that this particular flavor is too sweet. I did not taste that at all. As for the service, it was so-so. The employees were a lot more abrupt here than at Hévin. Not rude, but not eager to help either.

Chocolate covered macaron

My delicious sesame macaron!

After Aoki was the one and only Pierre Hermé. There was a line in the store and if you were not assertive enough, you would get lost in the line. Too many customers, also a lot of workers, but not enough space. The cakes here looked like luxury and the cost a fortune too! One cake was priced at 99 euros. Pierre Herme is famous for their chocolat & fois gras (goose/duck liver) macaron. As odd of a combination as that sounds, I had to try it. However, some of the other macarons looked pretty appetizing too, with their shiny coated shells. In the end, I only picked up a banana flavored one, in addition to the fois gras, because I love bananas! Jacqui picked up the shiny silver one that I was eyeing, so I still got to try it. It was called something like Jardin du bois and it had vanilla, rum, and something else. Luckily, I did not buy it because it tasted disgusting. Kind of like burnt rubber. But the chocolate & fois gras was surprisingly good. The fois gras was not overwhelming. Very subtle, but enough to taste it. I liked it. The banana one, though, was a bit sour. Did not like that. Macarons here were the most expensive, coming in at 2.05 euros. However, they did give out some free samples of chocolate with raspberry cream inside! I caught onto this and even though I paid for my order before I reached the cash register, I maneuvered my way through until I reached the register and then asked the employee, “What is this?” except, in French. She responded by saying I could take one. Score. She didn’t really answer my question, but this was the answer I was looking for anyways.

Jacqui enjoying her macaron.

Lastly, Jacqui and I jogged down rue du Bonaparte to get to Ladurée. We were so cold, so we jogged a bit. But then we started running! I ran across the cobblestone plaza at Saint-Germain-des-Prés in my heeled booties. I know that sounds dangerous and reckless. It was. But, since I didn’t hurt myself, now I can proudly say that I did something extraordinary?

The store and the boxes at Ladurée are so pretty. It conjures up images of a romantic, vintage Paris. By this time, I had become a full-fledged adventure macaron eater. So, naturally, I had to try the special flavor here: pink peppercorn. I don’t even know what that is. First bite: odd. Second bite: I’m getting used to this. Third bite: ah, it’s actually not that bad. I think I kind of like it.

Yes, we ate at the Ladurée restaurant. Fancy, huh? I’m just kidding. That’s just some random person’s table after they finished.

And that concludes my macaron crawl. Not as crazy as when I hunt down free macarons in New York, but a really good experience nonetheless, especially because I am usually too lazy to leave my apartment. So I felt accomplished that day, walking through the 6th arrondissement, exploring a niche of French/Parisian culture.