Boule v. Jin Patisserie - the great macaroon debate
Finally tried Boule when was getting my car washed across the street. Got a bunch of macaroons and the koign amman. First off, the koign amman was excellent, although at $3 I don't see myself indulging too often (which is probably also a good thing for my waistline).
As for the macaroons, tried rose water, chocolate, pumpkin and green tea (IIRC). While they were good, I still think the ones at Jin Patisserie are better - the pastry itself slightly crisper at Jin but the real winner is in the fillings - the ones at Boule just tasted slightly off to me (maybe it was my fault for getting a pumpkin flavored one). So, Jin wins.
ps. pitching Michelle Myers against Kristy Choo makes me proud to be an Asian woman! Even thought I don't bake, so this is totally irrelevant.
-
-
re: dotrat
Tis a true luxury not to be taken for granted that we can pick and choose our favorite macarons... as the fishermen say that the worst day fishing is better than the best day at work, so is the worst of these macarons better than the best pastries that most folks are stuck with at Starbucks!
-
-
PseudoNerd
Feb 20, 2007 10:04 PM
I agree, Boule's macarons taste too much like sugar (I'm being completely serious here, have a tsp of white sugar and try Boule's macarons) and not like any of the "flavors" they're supposed to have.
The macarons at Jin, on the other hand, are AMAZING-- distinctively flavored, crispy, etc. with an silky, unctuous center.
If you want to spend less money than you'd spend at Jin (or waste at Boule), I'd suggest the ones at La Provence Patisserie (on Olympic in BH) as an alternative. La Provence offers a more limited selection in terms of flavors, but they're pretty good at what they do.
-
-
I like Jin and Boule's macarons pretty much alike it's delightful airy & subtle sweetness (NOTE: it's macaron with one 'o', the two 'o' macaroons are denser & sweeter stuff usually ladened with shredded coconuts) - though I prefer Jin since Kristy and her patisserie is more approachable (Boule gives off an ever-so-slight stuck-up feel for me.)
-
Although Jin's & Boule's macarons are great, has anyone tried Sweet Cake's macarons a try? They're a catering dessert company located in Hollywood. I still think he makes the best macarons I've tasted since Paris's Gerald Mulot.
Their website is I think: www.sweetcake.com -
Macarons are those ethereal confections that are drempt up in the clouds of heaven and ferried down on the wings of angels. I picked up a pair of beautifully packaged one-dozen boxes from Jin for Valentine's Day. One for my beloved wife, and another for a favorite client whose office is filled with many nice ladies. Still giggling like a little boy from the myriad swoons and sighes that these light and flavorful cherubs caused, suggesting that Jin has a good macaron is like saying Andres Segovia was a good guitarist, that Elle McPherson caught a few stares, or that diving the Strait of Taveuni is okay. Gentleman, you need to run - don't walk - to Jin and beg Kristy to allow you the honor of bestowing a collection of these hypnotic gems onto the lady of your dreams. Your amorous gesture will be fondly received.
-
I haven't tried Jin's, but Boule's macarons are a bit too sweet and sticky for me. I like the original flavorings of some, though, particularly the pumpkin. The rose-raspberry was actually pretty good, too -- the raspberry jam-type filling took away from the stickiness that the other fillings added.
I agree that the kouign aman is fantastic! The chocolates are good, but a bit too expensive at $2 a piece. -
I went to Boule last weekend and asked for a sample of what they do best for a small party I was having. I was given seven of the Macarons (sp?)(which is not a Macaroon, I think), two nougets and one chocolate tart. To me, as well as my guests, these are maybe too refined for our tastes. I agree that the taste of the Macarons seemed off. There was a slight hint of the flavor (green tea, meyer lemon, chocolate) but the main effect, to me, was comparable to eating straight sugar. The nougets were not really my thing, but got mixed reviews. The chocolate tart was simple and intense, a thin layer of pastry with a lot of very good quality bittersweet Vahlrona. Maybe it's just me and my friends, but I think my $40 investment would be better spent at Susina, Clementine, Europane, Joans, etc., which seems to be more in keeping with our tastes. I recommend others to sample Boule's offerings before making a big investment.
-
I'm an Asian woman, but I like Boule's macarons better than Jin's. I think macarons need time to meld and so I don't understand the whole fill to order thing. But that's just me.
›11 Replies-
-
re: JudiAU
Bould for me was a one time experience. The macaroon tasted like pure sugar. The fillings for the chocolates were nice but the coating was too thin. The star shaped cinnamon thing was quite good. Pate de Fruit was also mostly tasting of just sugar. Jin is more to my liking. Macaroons are especially good. I usually go just to grab a bag of them. I must admit that I think most desserts are too sweet so I may not be a good judge.
-
-
re: JudiAU
Larry, for my tastebuds, I found the macaron I tried too sweet--the rosewater/raspberry filled. I didn't try lemon because I had had several other lemon things from them. I also found most of the pastries I tried--including the insanely rich Kugyn Amann (spelling?) too sweet for my taste. But...I would go back and try every one of their ice cream or sorbet flavors. They were incredibly intense and I've never tasted a better flavored sorbet than the lime-basil. Actually worth going in for these if you're in the neighborhood IMO.
-
-
