macarons

Free Macarons on Macaron Day in New York City

Filed under: Dining

Free macarons on Macaron Day in New York.

Dubbed the "new cupcake" its time to celebrate macarons during the second annual Macaron Day, which will be held on Sunday, March 20. Many of the finest bakers and chocolatiers, including François Payard and La Maison du Chocolat, will be celebrating the occasion by giving away free macarons to their customers. In 2010, François Payard organized the first Macaron Day in New York City. Macaron Day coincides annually with Jour du Macaron in Paris.

On Macaron Day, stop by any participating shop to receive free samples of macarons, the famed French treats. Confirmed participants for thus far include, François Payard's FC Chocolate Bar at The Plaza Hotel and François Payard Bakery, Almondine Bakery (two locations in Brooklyn), Bisousciao. Macarons, Bouchon Bakery, Butterfield Market, Cannelle Patisserie (Queens), Desserts by Michael Allen (Brooklyn), Cours la Reine (Brooklyn), Desserts by Michael Allen (Brooklyn), Dessert Truck Works, Georgia's Café & Bakery, La Maison du Chocolat (three locations in Manhattan), La Renaissance Pâtisserie Française (Scarsdale, NY), Mad-Mac, and Macaron Café (2 locations in Manhattan). Participating locations will provide one macaron per customer, with quantities limited by location.

Gallery: Macaron Day NYC

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Ladurée in Geneva

by Ariston Anderson (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels

Geneva is such a fashion-forward and international city that nearly everything is in walking distance. Staying at the Grand Hotel Kempinski Geneva, in less than ten minutes walking distance, I could easily access Rolex headquarters, the Patek Philippe museum, a Pathé cinema, and shopping boutiques from Hermes to Hervé Léger. On one morning stroll across the lovely pedestrian bridges crossing Lake Geneva, I happened upon the world famous Ladurée shop.

It makes perfect sense that Geneva, the French capital of Switzerland would have a 19th century-decorated outpost, in the style of the Paris original (founded in 1862) that put macaroons back on the map. The small boutique has the macaroons shipped fresh several times a week from the Monaco Ladurée laboratory. Having tried numerous examples of New York's macaroon forays, I was excited to finally try the real thing. These small round crisp cakes, filled with a soft creme center were available in a myriad of delicate flavors, including mimose, figure datte, black currant violet, rose petals and lily of the valley.

Tags: geneva, laduree, macaron, macarons, switzerland

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Insider's Guide to Montreal: 12 Ways to Do the City Right

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas, Men's Style

photo of lobby at Montreal's Place d'armes

Montreal is a fantastic destination, but like any city, it can be hard for a visitor to get to know. To that end, Tourisme Montreal has engaged five in-the-know locals to basically blanket social media from Facebook, to Twitter, to blogs, sharing all of their knowledge about their city -- and answering questions from travelers in town. Katerine Rollet is one of these insiders, and she recently selected these 12 can't-miss experiences in Montreal for Luxist.

1- Go for tea at the St. James Hotel. This chic boutique hotel is where the likes of the Rolling Stones and Madonna stay when they're in town, and the tea at newly renovated restaurant XO is a a great way to experience a proper British tea with a modern twist. UPDATED: The St. James no longer serves afternoon tea, but the new Salon XO is worth a visit.
2- Experience the spa at Place D'armes -- one of the best places in town for a mani-pedi, not to mention one of the few places in Montreal to experience a hammam, or Turkish bath. Wrap up with a drink on the terrace.
3- For men: at Québec's own Phillipe Dubuc -- the place for a man to fill his closet with stylish, business appropriate clothing with an edge.
4- For women: fill your suitcase at Montreal's achingly stylish, unfailingly feminine Marie Saint Pierre.
5- For everyone: visit Oglivy, a lovely shopping mall filled with charming boutiques, great book stores, stationary shops, international designers and more.
6- For the shopping-shy: Engage the style hounds at Les Effrontes to have your own guided tour of Montreal's up and coming designer's ateliers.
7- Dine at Joe Beef, on raw bar and steak in up-and-coming neighborhood Little Burgundy ("Petite Bourgogne") .
8- Or, hit Toque -- widely considered one of the best meals you can have in Montreal. Try the tasting menu.
9- Or reserve the chef's table at Europea, and dine in the kitchen of charismatic Chef Jérôme Ferrer. 10- After dinner drinks: check out Hotel St Paul's bar for cocktails with Montreal's chicest.
11- Sweet treats: visit Point G for waffles, artisanal ice cream, and most importantly, macarons.
12- Brunch the next day: La Cantine in the Plateau neighborhood, for a traditional Québec brunch revisited.

Gallery: Insider's Montreal