My fellow foodie work friend made up for missing my birthday dinner by showing up four large macaroons the next day. I wanted to squeal with delight. I always wanted to try a sweet something from Bouchon, a french bakery cafe located in the Time Warner Center. Bouchon is the product of Thomas Keller, a California chef, who has opened many French bistros and cafes all over the US. Some of his restaurants include French Laundry and Per Se. Bouchon is primarily a bakery, although they do offer a cafe menu (sandwiches, salads, quiches). Nothing at Bouchon is cheap ($3.00 per cookie, $10 for a small tuna sandwhich) but prices seem like steal while considering Per Se's menu. The pre fix cost starts around $275.00 per person, not including alcohol, or supplements, for prime selections (Such as $40.00 supplement for duck foie gras). If you prefer to order a la cart, the Cesar salad will set you back a mere $40.00. The macaroons, which are french style were quite tasty. They resemble a whoopee pie and consist of two cookies sandwiched by a creme filling. French macaroons are made from egg whites and almond flour and filled with a cream or butter.
The cookie components were similar to a meringue, with a slightly hard outer shell and a chewy inside. The cookies had a light and airy texture. The middle was filled with a very buttery cream with a hint of the flavor of that macaroon. The cookies were just the right amount of sweet. My only drawback was that two of the macaroons, a tan one and a green one, did not have a distinguishable flavor. I am pretty sure the green one is pistachio and I am still trying to figure out what flavor the tan one represented. My personal favorites were the chocolate and strawberry. The chocolate had a strong semi-chocolate flavor and was filled with ganache instead of cream. I loved the strawberry flavor because unlike the other three, the strawberry added a hint of tart which was a nice balance to the sweet cookie.
On a side note Bouchon also offers gourmet dog biscuits, which I thought was a cute idea. Personally, even as an avid dog lover I don't think it's necessary for Fido to eat a handmade foie gras biscuit prepared by the best chefs in America. Probably not to healthy for him either.
Reviews are mixed on best french macaroon in New York. However I still think Bouchon is a must try. Bouchon allows the average New Yorker to experience a tiny bit of luxury.