New York City Travel Forum

Hello everyone,

On my upcoming visit to the city, I'm in search of some good French macarons, any tips where I can find these delectable goodies??? We'll also be in the Soho area...any recommendations for reasonable good eats would be great! One place I was suggested was Mooncake Foods (somewhere on Watts St?), yay or no way?

Thanks much,
Heidi

I am very sure that Lauduree has a store now in NYC. I'm not sure where, but they are wonderful macarons, and I now buy them here in London. Their new salt caramel flavour is fantastic. There must be other French bakeries.. ah, you could try Payard on Madison at about 74th. They have fantastic things, plus a nice restaurant, too.

In SoHo, Balthazar used to be one of my favorites. They do a good brunch - very trendy spot. For very good Italian food try Lupo (or it might be Lupa), which is in Greenwich Village - very walkable from SoHo. Book ahead for that one.

Hi Heidi. There is an excellent FRench restaurant called A.O.L. (no kidding) on Bleecker St, just 1 or 2 blocks West of 7 Ave. I think it's on the corner of Grove St. Just a few doors down East from A.O.L., there was a cute little bakery.

Zuriga (June)~ Oh you're sooo lucky to be in Europe and can have all the macarons you want! *Sigh... I've only heard/read about Ladurée as the royalty of macarons but I'm not sure if they were able to open their NYC store? I googled for an address but I didn't come up with anything. I too love the salted caramel and vanilla's my other favorite. Now I really want some ;p
I will definitely look out for Payard Thanks much.

footstool(John)~ Lol... what a name for a French restaurant! I hope the bakery’s still there…Thanks much for the tips…

Heidi, I do feel lucky to be living here. It's been an interesting experience to learn a new way of life after living in the States for my entire (and now long) life. At my age, I can't really eat the way I used to, so the macarons are a special treat from time to time.. plus in London they charge a fortune (probably in NYC, too, if you find them).

Payard is a really good patisserie!

I had a favorite Malaysian restaurant in SoHo (Penang), but they have now moved to other places, and I think Lola's was another good place, if it's still around. A good place to ask is on www.chowhound.com. It's a very good site for finding food information, restaurants etc.

I'm always curious about how it's a different way of life, the transition, I mean, from the States to Europe. Is it really a culture shock? Or as one friend told me, it's a culture shock when she comes back here to visit. Very interesting.
I'm excited about all these foodie tips! Thanks much...

I think the culture shock depends on where in Europe an American goes to live. And some people are just more easily adjusted to a new way of life. I don't think living in a large British city is really all that different from a lot of ones in the States. We have a lot of the same products, movies, TV shows etc. I didn't have too much trouble moving here, but I can say that it's the same language but then again, it's not. :-)

SCHNARF!


Patisserie Financier~
those who know, know.

35 Cedar @ the chase building
Stone St at Hanover Sq. behind Harrys
4 WFC / North Cove

thank me later.. all of you.

Hey Zuriga! How's it been~?

Penang is still going~ And still better than the competition!
I don't know why some other Malay places get such good reviews and Penang falls through the cracks~
Typical I guess! When popularity equals credentials, credentials lose thier value~ NYNY

Hi Andrew!

Things are good. I'll thank you ahead of time for that tip... sounds yummy.

I don't remember when we last conversed, but I got to Penang in May. We were in NYC for 4 days and then went to Phila. for my high school reunion... big number.
I found out that Penang is no longer in SoHo but we went to the one on W. 72nd and had a very good meal. My husband was impressed.

Forgot to say that our best meal was maybe at Lupo in the Village. A friend of mine knows the ex-chef, yada yada. But the place was too noisy.. hate that. Also got to Katz's - a promise to my British husband. :-)

haha sounds great!
As much as things change they stay the same then yeah~?
haha
Safe travels and be well :)!

Andrew: LOL...thanks for the tip ( advance thanks)
you and June are making me hungry !!!

I forgot to add that I have yet to visit Katz' and I've been meaning to pop in Zabar's but still on the wish list too...

The list below is copied straight from the website Serious Eats. I have never been to any of the places listed. In Paris I like Gregory Renard in the 7th or Pierre Hermes in the 6th. The one time that I tried macarons in NY they were dry and crumbly.

As for a good restaurant in SOHO, I can vouch for June's (zuriga) recommendation, Balthazar's. It's my favorite. It has a French feel about it and the best Pavlova I have ever eaten. I always get the same thing when I go there, the goat cheese tart, a glass of white, and the Pavlova. There is a beautiful bar there too. Although it has been said that it is booked up weeks in advance, I have always walked right in and gotten a table with no more that a 15 minute wait. You can also eat at the bar.


for Macarons

http://www.seriouseats.com/2007/10/where-to-find-macarons-new-york-city-and-paris.html

New York City

Almondine (Brooklyn, DUMBO)
Bouchon Bakery (Columbus Circle)
Bouley Bakery (Tribeca)
Financier (Financial District)
Georgia's Bake Shop (Upper West Side)
Joyce Bakeshop (Brooklyn, Prospect Heights)
Jacques Torres (Soho and Brooklyn, DUMBO; seasonal availability; check with the store before you visit)
Kee's Chocolate (Soho)
Madeleine Patisserie (Chelsea)
La Maison du Chocolat (Midtown, Upper East Side)
Payard (Upper East Side)
Silver Moon Bakery (Upper West Side)
Something Sweet (East Village)
Tisserie (Union Square)
Trois Crepes Patisserie (Upper East Side)

Another website that lists places where you can buy macarons in NYC.

http://thewanderingeater.com/2007/04/03/in-search-of-the-french-macaron-in-nyc/

Read her blog on the best macarons.

http://thewanderingeater.com/2006/10/20/macaronswho-has-them-in-nyc-whos-the-best/

I would suggest you call these places before they go to see if they still sell macarons.

ForestqueenNYC (Francesca): Thank you! A friend also sent me this link. You know, she was saying the same thing about eating some dried macarons in NYC. I guess, macarons are just meant to be eaten in Paris ; ))

Financier~!

It would likely be on top if the list wasn't alphabetical! haha

Some notes to add on the above list too ~>

Bouchon has got some goods, but it just reminds me that Fauchon has great macaroons as well

I've never seen macaroons in Bouley bakery .. (or at least ones worth remembering))

The same with Jacques Torres.. and these are places I go to atleast every couple of weeks..

Madeline's is indeed very good, but it too just reminds me of somewhere else in the neighborhood,
Le Bergamot.. also worth checking out if you're around on a macaroon treasure hunt

Payard is up there in style with Fauchon.. and hyped to the ceiling but very very good

And Tisserie is closed all together.. Made way for one of the many new "Pret A Manger" outlets~ a few weeks ago.

Oh, you had to go and mention Zabar's. :-) I sure miss that place. Over the years, I bought their food many times. Don't buy bagels there... go down the street to H&H (?). I think they taste better from that store. I can't get decent corned beef sandwiches in England, so Katz's was a real treat.

My plans worked!!! (Evil Laugh) turning a VT forum (er, ok one little measly post) into foodie wackiness!!!

Next next time I go to NYC, I really need to do a foodie trip!

Andrew: You got me to look at Financier's website!!! (www.financierpastries.com) Lol. The prices are not too bad and what choices, I mean, it's almost making me forget the macarons (almost!).
I heard both pros and cons about Payard. Also, when I was browsing around the Dean & DeLuca website, they offer the Payard macarons there. I will more than likely drop by Kee's chocolates since I'll be in the SoHo area.
I have only recently heard about the Pret a Manger places, have you been there? What's the verdict?

June: Lol, I made you miss Zabar's!!! & H&H bagels!!! I'm so mean ;p I remember the movie, You've Got Mail got me to learn about all these places (Gray's Papaya, etc.,).

That's it! I'm moving to NYC ;D

Pret A Manger is a London company. I enjoy their sandwiches here a lot - clever ideas and always very fresh. Who could resist a hoisin duck wrap for lunch? I never tried their NYC establishments, but I do know that the offerings are different than in the London area, which makes sense as Americans and Brits have different favorite tastes. They'll be getting some competition over here for my business. A chain named Wasabi is opening all over and serves nice little sushi and other goodies... yummy to eat on the train going home.

Do you know the Chowhound site, Heidi? It's fun for those who like to talk about food.. get good restaurant tips etc.

June: Yup, Chowhound's good and I don't know if you know Yelp?

June I love the chowhound site. I posted on there several times when I lived in Forest Hills.

Here's one I like for cooking. http://eggbeater.typepad.com/

Just checked the YELP site and it looks good.

Thanks for those two links... they're new to me. I found a funny one the other day. It's to help people use up their leftovers. :-) I've become a much better cook living in England. I'm more adventurous and I guess my husband has helped me learn a lot. I had gotten pretty lazy!

Francesca~ That's a good blog.

Ladies, this is another website I love, it's so enticing. One of my friends calls it "Food porn", ha! The pictures are just amazing and it leads you to the recipes/people's foodie blogs: www.tastespotting.com

June: Oops! I forgot to add, the info on Pret a Manger sounds good. Reminds me the Whole Foods Grocery. I might just check them out too.

Heidi: We got a Whole Foods store in London about 3 or so years ago. I love walking around and buying this or that I can't find elsewhere. And there food buffet is very good. Like everything in London, the prices are ridiculous. I always make my son's wife take me to her local Whole Foods near Seattle. What I like now about Pret A Manger here is that they make half sandwiches (without the butter Brits like to put on the bread). They're inexpensive and always tasty.

Ohhh intriguing...the Brits love their butter, like I do!!! Hehehe...I'm going to end up starting another foodie post asking you to tell me all about English food!!! Sadly, the only Brit food info I know is fish and chips...*sigh

I was very happy to find when I moved here that British food has come a long, long way compared to what I ate back in the early 90's on my first trip to England. I think it has to do with the EU and so many wonderful chefs coming here from Europe, plus Indian food is a hundred times better than anything I ever had in the States.

Pubs have now often become what's called gastropubs, and they serve what's known as 'modern British' cuisine (whatever that really is). I've learned a lot from my helpful husband, but he has to eat some American food (very popular here, too) once in awhile. :-)

Ahhh you guys found the galaxy of yelp! hahah
It's a cool website~ They've even got a UK site! ~
I do some "yelping" myself~ my name is Andy R. on there~ mostly korean places~
It's an awesome resource~ though popularity isn't always a sure sign of truly good things to come on a plate!~ hahah

The Financier page is awesome right?! hahah I LOVE that place~
Some mornings I go in there and everything looks so good that I walk out with more than I can eat in a week hahah
It's really a must stop in NY to any self-respecting foodie imo~


"Pret" as it's known here to the ny'ers who think the name of the place is some sort of typo,
has been blowing up in NY~ Since they were bought by that private equity firm and mcdonalds got thier nice chunk, they've opened a good 15 more locations around the city..
They're becoming nieghborhood staples like "Pax" used to be~
The food is very very good, as are the coffee and snacks.. and it hasn't much change from the British shoppes~
By London's standards it is inexpensive, but there are still other places to get a nice wholesome meal without paying what Pret charges for a 4-bite "looks like you stole some kindergarteners lunch box" style sandwiches~ I usually go for the baguette sandwiches they make, and the awesome pure juice
"soda"s they make~


There're a few nice British places here in NY~
Actually you could make an efficient crawl between a good 3 or 4 of them in the West Village~
Tea & Symphony, A Salt & Battery and The Spotted Pig are all within a stumble away from each other~
And the super classic and best british market/butcher in manhattan "Myers of Keswick (sp?) is just a few blocks away from them~
But the best British/ Irish market in the city is in Queens~ "The Butchers Block" on 41st street & Queens blvd. in Sunnyside, just a few stations outside of midtown manhattan.. 40th Street station on the #7 train~
They've got isles and isles of anything and everything you could want and need, plus an AWESOME prepared foods and butcher counter~ Nice experience to get out there imo

Whole Foods is my grocery store~ I even get it delivered most of the time because I wind up buying too much stuff to physically be able to carry it all home with me haha
They have a prepared foods buffet that's really quite nice too~
NY would'nt be the same without Whole Foods.;.. Carrying a whole foods bag has become more cool than carry a tumi breif or lv bag in ny haha
I'm sorry, it may seem "un-new york" of me to say, but pound-for-pound they eclipse Zabars and Fairway and all of those places..
I still buy a lot of fruits/ veggies from the chinese and koreans... most of my cheeses from Murrays.. my bread from Amy's.. most of my meat from ottomanelli's.. and most of my fish from lobster place.. but all in all, whole foods fills in those blanks properly and far far above expectations one would have of a supermarket~
There're actually a few of them around England I've heard~
It's one of those places that would be hard to live without now that I've grown accustomed to having it~

I'm starving