MACARON CAFE: one of the worst macarons I’ve had in nyc

REVISITED 9/10/12

macaron cafe 1 

Around the office, my coworkers were buzzing about the salads and sandwiches at Macaron Cafe, so I had to go back and check it out.

While I would agree that the salads and sandwiches were good, the macarons were still as bad as I remembered.

macaron cafe menu

 

macaron cafe salad
VENEZIA arugula, artichokes, bresseola, tomatoes, fennel, pine nuts, parmesean cheese, basil, red marinated peppers with olive oil & lemon dressing
A hefty amount piled high. Fresh and the flavors worked well, but it was hard to eat, the rectangular plate wasn’t helping. But I liked it more than your usual deli salads.

macaron cafe bacon
I ordered bacon on the side. When they came to the table, I had a sudden jolt of excitement. Glistening pieces of crunchy goodness. Unfortunately, they turned out more like jerky. My jaw hurt afterwards, no joke.

macaron cafe french caesar salad
FRENCH CAESAR frisee, bacon, egg, croutons, roquefort sauce, gruyere
Nice and cheesy, a generous amount of toppings. But same issues with the tiny size of the plate and that disappointing bacon.

macaron cafe sandwich
macaron cafe sandwich 2
NORVEGIAN filone bread, smoked salmon, capers, cream cheese, sauce with scallion and dill
Really fresh. Great soft chewy bread. Classic flavor combinations.

macaron cafe
The macarons were as bad as I remembered. At $2.50 each, this is almost crime. Read my original post below about how bad they were/are. I guess it didn’t matter what flavor I got, the texture is just all wrong. I felt upset when I heard another customer say ” I don’t get this hype with macarons”. I just wanted to run over and be the “Macaron Ambassador” and beg her to give it another shot, at a good place like Laduree or Pierre Herme. These precious gems are worth their money! I swear. Just not here.

macaron cafe crepes
The crepe was also very bla. It wasn’t awful, but not memorable either.

macaron cafe cappuccino
The cappuccino was very nice. Smooth, intense and creamy. Great aroma.

A bit ironic, but everything else at Macaron Cafe are better than their macarons! I would go back for lunch and skip dessert.

________________________________________________________________________________

 

macaron cafe 1

Dear Food Diary:
For months I’ve been eyeing the opening soon signs at Macaron Cafe (Midtown East). Today was that day, excited as ever, I walked into the pink and girly store. Swoon by the colorful rows… I couldn’t wait! BUT one bite later, I was totally disappointed… You know that feeling? sort of like the anticipation of a blind date that’s magically played out in your head only it turns out to be the worst date ever?… yeah, that feeling… *sigh*

macaron cafe 2
The decoration and packaging are super girly… This is like seeing your blind date for the first time… so far so good…

macaron cafe 3
And though the colors were a bit odd, I still believed they had great potential. Flavors like pistachio, creme brule, lemon, blueberry, mocha and more were intriguing. I wasn’t expecting Pierre Herme like I don’t expect eHarmony to matched me with Prince William, but at the very least, at $2.50 a pop, I was waiting for a delicate crisp “crust” on the outside that would break at the slightest squeeze into a soft airy center oozing with creamy filling and just a subtle chew… in essence a well made macaron, you know, the basic qualities that makes them worth the price.

Unfortunately I knew they were bad before I even attempted a bite:

macaron cafe 5
PISTACHIO. Look wise, it didn’t have that smooth texture, nor did it look pretty. None of that precious and delicate appeal. I used a plastic fork to cut in half and it bent the fork!!! So I had to rip it apart with my hands! What well made macaron can be ripped apart?! What’s the point of wrapping them in nice boxes when they won’t even break!

Once inside… the horror of seeing that neon green! Most macarons are colorful, but they usually have purty pastels and bright greens, not this was super hero kind of neon green. Not very appetizing.

Taste wise it wasn’t too sweet and some pistachio flavor was present, but the texture was totally off. Chewy and sticking to the teeth. I would sum it up as a nougat disguised as a macaron. Or being fixed on a date with the Incredible Hulk and having the The Riddler show up instead. The joke’s really on me though, I paid $2.50 for it *sigh*. Which is insanely pricy considering the lack of quality and compared to $2.75 at the amazing Laduree.

macaron cafe 4
ORANGE BLOSSOM. Had exactly the same issues. Neon orange instead. Hard all around the edges and super chewy.

These were some of the worst macarons I’ve had in NYC. So sad, because I really wanted to like them. I was so looking forward to afternoons with macarons, sipping cups of lattes…but instead, I’ll just have to stay with my usual La Maison du Macaron (which was around before all this macaron craze in NYC) or my favorite Laduree.

P.S. Chubby’s Rating:chubby rating 0.5

www.macaroncafe.com
7
50 3rd Avenue

2 Responses to MACARON CAFE: one of the worst macarons I’ve had in nyc

  1. I agree with you on the macarons, but they make great sandwiches.

Leave a Reply to ChubbyEatsNY Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

12 + fourteen =