379654 Sat Mar 10 18:27:55 -0800 2007 17 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 2373636 If you're in the mid-Peninsula and have a hankering for French macarons, stop by Pamplemousse Patisseries et Cafe. I've been watching the build-out at the corner of Winslow and Broadway for what seems like months so when I was in the area last Monday I had to go in and see what they had to offer. I was delighted to find 10 different flavors of macarons: Coffee, Cassis, Chestnut, Orange, Pistachio, Raspberry, Vanilla, Caramel, Chocolate and one I can't read... I tried a Cassis and was pleased. They are $1.95 each. They also have a lovely assortment of very beautiful pastries. Pamplemousse Patisseries et Cafe 2401 Broadway Redwood City CA 94063 650-599-9714 650-599-9754 (FAX) www.pamplemoussecakes.com Sat Mar 10 18:27:55 -0800 2007 10378 RWCFoodie 1 2373811 Thanks for the news, RWCFoodie! Sounds promising. I'll stop by at the first chance I get. Sat Mar 10 20:48:47 -0800 2007 2373636 14663 pilinut 1 2375334 How did the macarons taste? Would you go back for seconds? :) Sun Mar 11 16:38:39 -0700 2007 2373636 19878 peachblossom 2 2379333 The cassis one I tried was very good - and yes, I would go back for seconds - but infrequently given my Weight Watchers status..... :-) Mon Mar 12 19:06:50 -0700 2007 2375334 10378 RWCFoodie 2 3335913 The macarons are absolutely wonderful. The cassis is fantastic. All of them are tasty. If you enjoy eating rose-flavoured things, you will love the Rose one. The plain vanilla is great. The butter rum tastes like a butterscotch boiled sweet, and the mint chocolate tastes like a York peppermint pattie. I think I've tried about 17 or 18 flavours by now, and while some weren't as great as others, all of them were quite tasty. :) (Oh, and BTW, they have over 20 flavours now, perhaps as many as 30). Sat Jan 26 14:34:18 -0800 2008 2375334 94334 mavjop 1 2375347 I stopped by with a friend this morning around 10:30. We introduced ourselves to the young woman who is the chef/owner and "everything else", she said. She is from Quebec. We orderedt two lattes (small and medium - both served in large porcelain cups), one almond croissant and one apple calvados muffin (total $12 and change). Kinda pricey but the space is very pleasant, the help friendly, and the pastries were decent. The croissant was more square than traditiona, but flakey and not too sweetl, but the "muffin" was more like a baked pudding, dense and heavy - not my favorite. There were a handful of people both inside and out. The sandwiches looked very decent (breads not made in house - she is using Bakers of Paris). The cakes looked great - both full and mini sizes. She plans to offer chocolates soon, made by a friend. It will be a nice stop after a movie or a meal on Broadway. Thanks RWCFoodie for scouting it out! Sun Mar 11 16:44:19 -0700 2007 2373636 11692 fourstar 2 2375974 Thanks for the report. I just missed closing time by a few minutes on my way out of town today. I was surprised by the size of the space. And for reference, it's across the street from New Kapadokia. Sun Mar 11 21:20:09 -0700 2007 2375347 10039 Melanie Wong 1 2376188 DH and I were lucky enough to catch Pamplemousse before it closed today. With a long walk providing both appetite and excuse, we devoured a strawberry napoleon, an apple turnover, a pamplemousse tart, and an anise macaron. I think the anise macaron was the best of the lot, though a bit sweet for my taste: a very fine, delicate crust, moist interior, and just enoughf anise flavor. The thin slices of fresh strawberry in the layers of pastry cream were flavorful and refreshing, though the millefeuille was much too dense and tough. The apple turnover was hot out of the oven, and quite decent, though I would have liked more apple filling. The pamplemousse tart, a chocolate cookie crust with a thin circle of dry sponge cake under a grapefruit mousse enrobing a bit of white chocolate mousse covering of was not bad, but not very fresh and certainly not something I'd order again. The chocolate desserts, mostly of the mousse variety, look like they might be worth trying. All told, the best thing was certainly the macaron, and I'd go back to try the other flavors. Mon Mar 12 00:03:49 -0700 2007 2373636 14663 pilinut 2 2379341 Pilinut, Thanks for doing an in-depth sampling - my worry about the place is that it is on the expensive side and I'm concerned that they won't be able to turn product over fast enough to avoid having items like the pamplemousse tart that was not very fresh.... At the prices they are charging, things should be much better than that (IMHO). The main thing that I loved is that they have the macaron and that they have so many flavors!!! Mon Mar 12 19:11:43 -0700 2007 2376188 10378 RWCFoodie 3 2509083 I read on Jatbar.com that Sugar Butter Flour, Sunnyvale bakery has macarons for .90c Sugar Butter Flour 669 S. Bernardo Ave, Sunnyvale 408-732-8597 http://www.sugarbutterflour.com/ Also found macarons at Masse's Pastries, 1469 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley. $1.25 ea. Mon Apr 23 22:46:39 -0700 2007 2379341 10677 hhc 3 3891878 Still haven't made it to Pamplemousse, but wanted to warn against the macarons at La Baguette in the Stanford Shopping Center. I tasted three different flavors on friday: lavender, strawberry, and pistachio. All bad. The strawberry had almost no flavor; the lavender was far too strong and woody/soapy tasting, and the pistachio was the least offensive of the trio. All were so sugary sweet, it was ridiculous. Very crispy and full of air with no substance or chew. And the filling was runny, too sweet, and grainy. Also some quality control problems, sizewise, as some of the cookie sandwiches were as much as a third larger than others. Tue Jul 22 13:26:47 -0700 2008 2379341 10039 Melanie Wong 4 3893216 Thanks for the warning. I was just there and noticed them. They were very expensive, I think more than Pamplemousse charges so I'm glad I didn't waste my money. Tue Jul 22 21:39:13 -0700 2008 3891878 15457 peppatty 5 3893264 Oh really, I didn't buy them. They're extra florid in color too. Tue Jul 22 22:16:32 -0700 2008 3893216 10039 Melanie Wong 1 3310185 Thanks for this post! I just bought some at lunch time. They are great. I tried the passion fruit, hazlenut and amaretto. My favorite would be the passion fruit, because the tartness sets of the sweetness nicely. At $1.95 they are a bit steep, but I think that's how much most place charges. They had so many flavors, I'd definitely go back and try more. Fri Jan 18 16:38:26 -0800 2008 2373636 10144 OnceUponABite 1 3310905 link Fri Jan 18 22:28:00 -0800 2008 2373636 10264 rworange 2 3322961 I'm so glad this post was bumped! The macarons here are just what I've been looking for the past months! Tue Jan 22 21:49:12 -0800 2008 3310905 117743 Luthien 3 3336010 Just like a cafe in Paris, without the jet lag. Great coffee, not too sweet sweets, and a very pleasant atmosphere to relax and enjoy! I'd like to see the business they would do if they had a location on Burlingame Avenue. Sat Jan 26 15:17:55 -0800 2008 3322961 71333 bbqman 1 3892309 Five of us bought a dozen mixed flavors of the macarons and we threw half of them away because they were so vile - very strong, chemical aftertaste. The half we didn't throw away were devoured quickly. Regarding the vile ones: If I didn't have 4 witnesses, I would have thought my taste buds were shot. The other 3 pastries we tried were good, okay, and stale, in that order. Tue Jul 22 15:21:39 -0700 2008 2373636 17220 Claudette