Sampling Macarons in Paris

[hong_kong_foodie]

I just came back from a two week trip to Paris where I sampled macarons everywhere, and I came to the conclusion that Paulette here is not only very good but definitely comparable to what you can find there.

In order to sample the widest selection of macarons, I tried a bunch of places including Laduree, Lenotre, Pierre Herme, La Maison du Choclat, Dalloyau, and Jean Paul Hevin, and even places like Eric Kayser, Au Panetier, Toraya, and McDonalds(!) that don't really focus on macarons but happen to sell them. I visited most of these places multiple times over the course of the two weeks, and I immediately picked up a box from Paulette when I got back (focusing on the same flavors that I also tried in Paris) so that I could make a good and accurate comparison while everything was still fresh in my mind.

I thought that while Pierre Herme excelled with flavors and fillings and Laduree with texture and bite, Paulette was very comparable in both respects, with what you deem to be better or worse depending on the actual flavor of the macaron.

For instance, I thought the rose and jasmine tea flavors from Paulette were essentially identical to the ones from Pierre Herme. The visuals were stunning, the flavors were strong and intense, and the texture was perfect.

On the other hand, I thought there was a huge difference in the violet cassis macarons. Whereas the one from Pierre Herme had a truly amazing filling (I loved it so much I picked up a couple every other day--sigh), the cookie itself was so soft it always made me pause and wonder. Paulette, on the other hand, has only a mediocre violet cassis filling by comparison, but the cookie itself was much better in texture, and in that regard it was very similar to what I found at Laduree, where the violet cassis filling was not mind blowing either but the texture and bite were perfect.

And for the sake of rounding out the comparisons at the expense of sounding a little off topic, the macarons at Dalloyau were atrocious but the ones from La Maison du Chocolat were flawless as has always been in my experience. Dalloyau was particularly disappointing because they are such a famous house, and La Maison was particularly impressive because I've had the macarons in their New York and Hong Kong locations and they taste the same.

The macarons from Jean Paul Hevin were good and especially satisfying if you are a chocolate lover, but I don't think I'd go back especially when these other shops are right around the corner. Finally, I was very pleasantly surprised to find very good macarons from non-specialty places like Eric Kayser and even McDonalds. The fillings were average but the texture was great! Who would have guessed??

[kikisakura]

Isn't it interesting how our responses differ to macarons from different vendors?

I thought Pierre Hermé's chocolate macaron's filing had high quality chocolate but beyond that, IMHO, there was nothing special to his macarons.

By now, I must have had macarons from at least 20 different places (McDonalds included and the ones we had there were pretty awful) and I prefer Gregory Renard and wouldn't go back to other places except perhaps to La Maison du Chocolat if I just happen to be in the neighborhood.

[Delucacheesemonger]

l found P Herme too sweet and very little chew, which is the way l prefer, and find hard to get.

[John Talbott]

"l found P Herme too sweet"
You know, a friend and I ate at ex-Madame Herme's place next door today (Flottes O'Trement) and had two of Pierre's and now that I think of it, they were too sweet (Choc & Strawberry); but the caramels were not.

John Talbott
http://johntalbottsparis.typepad.com/...

[Parigi]

It may be a problem with the genre.
Aren't most macaron too sweet?
Excessive sweetness is usually not a trait with French pastries, dieu merci, but it does seem to be the case with most macarons.
Unlike the OP, I would not have had the stamina to test macarons all over town mais bon...

[souphie]

It's not. It' a problem with Hermé.

[mangeur]

Gregory Renard is, thanks to a heads-up from Souphie, our go-to for macarons. With malice of forethought, I arrive with a shallow Tupperware box that holds a dozen large that we buy the day before we return home. Blackberry, bitter chocolate, dark chocolate showered with sel, caramel au beurre sale, dark chocolate filled with bitter orange...divine, all.

[kikisakura]

Yes, thank you Souphie for the tip. At least I know whom to blame for my recent weight gain. ;)

My companion still insists that the best macarons in the world are to be found at this shop located in the middle of nowhere in Normandy accessible only by car but I have yet to taste them so I will report back one of these days.

[souphie]

Parisians are looking for any opportunity to drive out of town -- and Normandie has some delights.

[currycue]

I was planning to bring back good macarons as a gift for a friend that loves Laduree, but had no luck here in Rouen. The "famous" macarons of Auzou were terrible. Pistachio essence, etc. If in Lille, try Meert. Also very good, well, everything. Macarons included.

[kikisakura]

Huh, that's surprising since Auzou's macarons in Évreux are delicious and people drive all the way from Paris to for their macarons or so I've been told. I mean, why else would anyone want to go to Évreux? :P

Anyway, here is the address of the elusive macaron place in Normandy:

Chasles David
30, Rue Isambard
27120 Pacy sur Eure, France
02 32 36 00 85‎

[currycue]

Meh, I don't know. Maybe I tried the wrong flavours, but they tasted just like the crappy ones we have here. Too sweet and flavoured with essences. Nothing like the amazing ones someone brought back from Laduree for me, or like the ones at Meert (www.meert.fr) in Lille. Those ones were definitely comparable.

[Juliejar]

Hello kikisakura. I'd like to talk to you more about macarons. I'm a reporter for the Wall Street Journal. Please e-mail me at [e-mail]. Thanks.

[tmso]

I'll have to check out Paulette next time I'm back in the Bay Area. It's not that surprising, since the main thing you get with, for example, Pierre Hermé vs a good neighborhood pâtisserie is more guarantee of a consistently good product, not necessarily a better product when they're both good.

Could other SF hounds confirm that Paulette is somewhere I can send Bay Area friends/family after they decide that they love macarons based on the experience in my neighborhood bakery?