Macaron: A sweet meringue-based confection made with eggs, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond powder or ground almond, and food colouring - Wikipedia. It's almost 4,000 miles to Paris; but these two "sisters in urban design" and respective world capitals seem a heck of a lot closer. You can thank folks like Pierre L'Enfant for narrowing the gap; but I prefer to tip my hat to croissants, éclairs and macarons... some of which take center stage in our humble
La Tomate Caffè: Only a dollar a pop, it's tempting to order every color in the house; but one doesn't want to appear greedy, especially when purchasing macarons in an Italian eatery. Does the 2006 World Cup Final ring any bells? Zidane's infamous headbutt? Am I the only one who holds a grudge? Seriously though, they're darn tasty... even if they are a bit on the small side. 1701 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC.
Grade: B
 |
| La Tomate Caffè's macarons |
Malmaison: Three for a fiver at the Taste of Georgetown. Their Pistachio (green) becomes the current champion (so far) with Raspberry's "jelly roll" taste-a-like not far behind. The largest of the three - Lemon fails miserably (almost bitter) but two out of three ain't too shabby. Toss in superb packaging (the box alone, probably costs a buck or so) and I can overlook their relatively tiny size. Not quite Paris in a box, but darn close. 3401 K Street, NW, Washington, DC.
Grade: B+
 |
| Macarons from Malmaison |
Olivia Macaron: Beautiful digs, and darn tasty macarons too. Served nice & cold (technically chilled) for 2 bucks a pop, both feature very sweet filling. The almond tastes like almond, and the lemon tastes even better. Great packaging too. 3222 M Street, NW, Washington, DC.
Grade: B
 |
| Almond and Lemon (top) Macarons from Olivia Macaron |
PAUL: I stopped by PAUL's new Metro Center digs and forked over $5.45 for a Large Macaron in Pistachio. Before you scoff at the price, keep in mind... this is a giant macaron. It looks and feels substantial, with a perfect combination of chewy, crunchy and lots of sweet filling. Our new favorite, I may never buy a pint-sized macaron ever again. 555 13th Street, NW.
Grade: A- (Only negative is the price.)
 |
| PAUL's Large Macaron (Pistachio) |
