A San Francisco Macaron Tasting
In a dream world I'd have tea and macarons every afternoon at Ladurée in Paris. However, this is real life and I need to be a bit more practical. I still do love to treat myself to some macarons now and again, but I do not live in Paris and there is no Ladurée in my city. Therefore, I tasked myself to find the next best thing and conducted a macaron-off between two of San Francisco's top macaron shops - Chantal Guillon and Miette. The winner's macarons, though not Ladurée, are still quite dreamy.
Flavors tasted: Almond Amaretto, Dark Chocolate, Coffee, Ispahan, Passion Fruit, Persian Rose, Italian Pistachio
Thoughts:
| greater selection | more interesting flavors and colors | smaller than Miette | better packaging to protect macarons in transit | shop sells only macarons and tea | soft like a cloud | much stronger flavors, for better or worse | toppings give you a clue of the inside flavor | evocative of Ladurée | rose is light and refreshing | bright colors are treat for your eyes as well as your palate | clear winner |
Flavors tasted: Chocolate, Pistacho, Hazelnut, Chocolate-Orange, Vanilla
Thoughts:
| primarily chocolate flavors | slightly larger than Miette | not a large selection of flavors | Miette primarily sells candies and macarons are just part of the store's selection | consistency of a brownie | cannot distinguish between flavors based on appearance | chewy | still tasty, but not a classic macaron | dull flavors | certainly not as fresh as Chantal Guillon | Miette is to ice cream as Chantal Guillon is to gelato |
So if you happen to be in San Francisco and need your macaron fix, be sure to try Chantal Guillon. My pick for the best macarons in the city!
Until next time,
- B