Macaron tasting

A new thing for me in 2011 is the macaron. They are super popular in magazines and blog photos, but are they really delicious? Earlier this year, I set out to try my first at the only bakery in town that makes them. It was good...like soft, slightly crumbly yet chewy cookies with a cool creamy filling in the middle. There were many flavors but so expensive! I was a bit skeptical if that's what a good macaron should be. Therefore, I vowed the next time I was in a big culinary city, I would try more macarons for comparison. That opportunity finally came when I dropped by the bay area of California for two days. Oh glorious carbohydrate galore!

Bette's Diner To Go - I had an amazing goat cheese pizza here because I was hungry as a hippo. I tried to wrap my scarf in the warmest way to shield the cold wet weather and it came out looking weird :(  Anyhow, for dessert, I picked out the coffee/pecan macaron, the only flavor available in their dessert counter:

Like my first experience, it was crumbly when I tried to break it in half with my fingers (to share) but chewy and creamy. It was good.

La Boulange - I had wanted to check out their pastries (after reading their amazing menu online). But drat! They had little flies all over their pastries behind the counter. I was devastated! I decided to pick up a pre-packaged baguette sandwich instead.

 

Salty prosciutto, sweet dried figs, and mozzarella cheese are a tasty combo!

Flies or not, I couldn't leave without some dessert. Luckily there seems to be no flies in the macaron section:

These macarons were tiny! They also felt drier than the previous macarons I've tried. And their cream is a bit denser. 

 Pumpkin flavor above, Pistachio flavor below.

 Overall, they were "okay". I think I'm getting the hang of macarons. Haven't tried one that amazed me yet.

I wish I had a longer stay in the Bay area to try more bakeries and eateries. This place is seriously magical! The streets of San Francisco are glittery! I was awestruck over the sparkly concrete. I'm such a country girl!

I took many more pictures of my short trip, but they didn't turn out very well. I was dressed like an annoying tourist with my Adidas windbreaker tied around my waist the entire time. Evidently, I have not mastered chic travel-wear. That should be my new goal for 2012. Need to look more stylish in travel pictures, like this girl:

Don't you love it when random strangers look better in your travel photos?