Being the sweets-addicted fool I am, I made a trip to Ladurée's new Soho location last Friday — yes, Valentine's Day — to pick up some treats. There was, of course, a line of shoppers picking up what I presume were last-minute gifts and for a brief moment, I considered jumping on the subway back to Brooklyn, dessert-less. But the glistening pastry case and macaron trees already had me under their spell, so I stuck around and — with much self-control — left with a pistachio religieuse and only two macarons.
I went with the floral flavors — orange blossom and rose petal — and both were top-notch, with thin, crisp shells and a silky, lightly perfumed ganache. But the main purpose of my visit was to check out the pastries, available for the first time in New York City. By the time I got there, they were already out of the Valentine's Day-appropriate rose St. Honoré, but the pistachio religieuse was a delicious consolation prize — nutty and beautifully put together, it left me wishing that I got the caramel version, too.
Ladurée Soho, 398 West Broadway between Broome and Spring Sts. (646-392-7868)
