Ladurée, Champs-Elysées: Part 1 Macaron Decisions
You could be forgiven for missing the Arc de Triomphe when you stroll along the Champs-Elysées and your eyes inevitably lead you to the macaron temple. Ladurée, in all its gilded grandeur beckons the visitor to stop in their tracks and forget the other Parisian landmark looming ahead.
I stop to admire the ornate entrance with the distinctive green hue and I am immediately drawn to what lies behind the vitrines.
Inside the dimly-lit interior, the eyes adjust to the master creator’s constructions of gâteaux and the rows of colour morph into macarons. I stand admiring them in awe when a melodic voice interrupts my dream-like state.
“C’est pour les macarons?”
I nod. The hostess points me to pre-packaged boxes, les boîtes cristal with assorted macarons, in lot of 8, 24 or tous les parfums, she adds, as she shows me the sampler box with all the flavours. She explains that I can bypass the long queue and be served immediately.
Reluctantly, I agree. She hands me a paper invoice to present to the cashier. Before I proceed to pay, I ask if I could take a look around at the collection behind le comptoir des gâteaux. I notice Mr G slip towards the back of the boutique to steal a look at Bar Ladurée.
Cocktails with macarons? Next time, perhaps…
Meanwhile, I stand in place entranced by my surrounds. Much to my advantage, the queue moves very slowly. I see three dimensional constructs made of sugary goodness leering at me from behind the comptoir. Like the petite gourmande I am, I want to try all the gâteaux. The people in the queue begin to shift revealing a treasure behind the glass and I find myself slipping into dream mode.
I am lost in the choice of collectors’ boxes: Arabesque, Pampille, Bonaparte, Napoléon III, Prestige, Cristal. I am dazzled by the kaleidoscope of macaron flavours: Praline, Cedrat, Chocolat griotte, Myrtille, Muguet, Framboise, Cassis Violette and more.
Macarons begin to float over my head in an orbit. My thought patterns turn to ground almonds. My vision blurs into whipped egg whites.
What is a gourmande to do?
Part 2 concludes here.
Ladurée Champs Elysées
75008 Paris
Métro: George V
http://www.laduree.fr
This article is posted on Gourmantic.com. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2012
:-) Lovely post! We headed straight for the bar because we were there on Dec 23rd and it was madness. But at the bar you get the $$$ cocktail with a bonus macaron and then you get to order macs without waiting in line! A tip for next time!
Mardi: Thank you :)
I was tempted to try the bar but filed it under ‘next time’ since we were there a little bit too early for cocktails! ;) I could imagine the mayhem before Christmas!
Oh, Laduree is my macaron Holy Grail. I sampled the 24 in a box and got a St. Honore pastry and a chocolate croissant. My bill totalled a whopping 56 Euros. That box of macaron sampler itself cost 45 Euros! It was so worth it…but I’m biased because I have a sweet tooth and I love Laduree!
Jen: I think the notion of money stays outside the premises when you enter the shop. And so it should :)
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