Ladurée

Ladurée Restaurant Review:

In Paris, you see rainbow-esque displays of macarons in virtually every corner bakery window, but the obsession began right here at Ladurée, an ultra-charming 8th arrondissement pâtisserie and salon de thé dating back to 1862. Ladurée has now spread to other locations in Paris and as far afield as Japan, Saudi Arabia and Manhattan. Pierre Desfontaines, the cousin of founder Louis Ernest Ladurée, is credited with revamping the macaron in the very early twentieth century. Many aficionados still believe Ladurée macarons are the finest in the entire city and a signature sage green gift box is always a welcome presentation to a hostess. The flavor combinations tend to be more classic --- not as avant-garde as Pierre Hermé --- but Ladurée has begun to debut more daring seasonal flavors each year. The shop also offers a wide variety of other artfully decorated pastries, as well as boxed chocolates, and there’s a nice salon to enjoy your sweets with a cup of coffee or tea.