LE CHEF BAKERY

REPORT #19

http://lechefbakery.com/index.php

http://www.famima-usa.com/ 
available in several location:

FAMIMA!!

CULVER CITY

10704 Venice Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232

(213)628-4000

Mon - Sun: 6am -2am
Parking Lot

Other Famima!! locations:

DOWNTOWN LA

350 South Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90071

(213)628-4000

Mon - Sun: 6am-2am

HOLLYWOOD

6759 Hollwood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028

(323)836-0200

Mon - Sun: 6am-2am

SANTA MONICA

1348 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica, CA 90401

(310)393-2486

Mon - Sun: 5am-2am

Street Parking

How convenient is Famima!!?  VERY.  It would have everything from quick lunches, snacks, medicine, magazines, free wifi, coffee, to gifts.  Products are always new, exciting, and fun, which makes it stand out from the 7Elevens or the quick stops by the gas station that may always have the same old things.  There are also Japanese snacks and candies, since it's from Japan.  The Famima!! franchise is like a replica of all the convenience stores that exist in Japan combined, and the name of the store is derived from a store in Japan called Family Mart, and the locals would call it Famima for short.  This convenience store really is a convenient place to stop by.

Never in a thousands years would I have thought it would have macarons, but while browsing through its dessert section, there they were!  Made from Le Chef Bakery, a wholesale bakery from Montebello, CA, these were sets of four in mini containers.  Each set were only $2.59.  For its size, convenience, and price, it seemed to be a good deal.

 

OVERALL:

• about 2" in diameter
• dry and stale outer shell
• filling is marzipan
• flavors are artificial

DETAILS:

CAPPUCCINO

Light mocha exterior has a light crunch, and the inside is very dry.  The filling is a dark brown colored marzipan with a very slight flavor or cappuccino.

LEMON

Dry outer shells are vibrant in color.  There is some sweet lemon zest to the marzipan inside, but it tastes very artificial.

RASPBERRY

Bright watermelon pink colored outer is very dry.  Inside is marzipan with artificial flavor of raspberry.

 
PISTACHIO

Lime green exterior with a light crunch, and semi-dry inside that.  Inside has nice marzipan paste but can't taste the pistachio!

CONCLUSION:

All four macarons were dry and flavors were artificial or tasteless.  Could it have been expired?  I have checked the ingredients and they have preservatives.  Le Chef Pastry and Famima!! has let me down.  It may be the worst one yet.

BOTTEGA LOUIE

REPORT #18

http://www.bottegalouie.com

700 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90017

(866) 418-9162

Mon - Sun: 6:30am - 11pm

Street Parking or Validated Lot Parking

Standing tall and proud in the middle of sketchy Downtown LA is Bottega Louie, which is basically an Italian Restaurant.  This tall white marble building with shiny gold writing above the entrance, "LOUIE" is protected by two guards outside!  The inside was amazingly beautiful as well: all white walls and ceilings, airy, spacious, and perfect.  I kept wondering where I was.  The lobby to a five star hotel?  A high-end fashion store?  Truly, this was a very bizarre situation after driving through impoverished areas block after block, and out of no where, like how you see a tropical reservoir in the middle of the desert, here it was.

Bottega Louie is famous not only for its looks, but also for its pizza, pasta, salad, their to-go sandwiches, and desserts.  There is a patisserie/market counter to the very right as you enter, and in the back to the left is the restaurant.

The first thing you see when you enter are rows of colorful macaron behind it's thick shiny glass case. They looked dashing, and it was really hard to resist getting all the kinds.  Each macaron was $1.75, and took it in a non-gift box, otherwise, with the gift box it would have been plus $1.

OVERALL:

• little under 2" in diameter
• A+ for presentation
• lots of cream filling
• uses bright colors

DETAILS:

MOCHA

Mustard-yellow exterior with micro bits of coffee grounds that are not bitter at all.  Inside is a nice thick layer of very sweet milky mocha ganache.

HAZELNUT

Light red outer with bits of almonds on top.  Inside has plenty of hazelnut cream, and goes very well with the crunchy nuts .

LIME

Dark lime green shell, with smooth white sweet cream with a hint of lime zest.  Not sour nor bitter.

ORANGE CHOCOLATE

Bright pumpkin orange exterior with dark chocolate ganache.  The ganache has a very intense orange vest that lingers in your tast buds.

MY FAVORITE:
Lime

CONCLUSION:

Very well-assembled and presented.  Lots of cream is a plus, but the last one was too intense.  It could easily be one of the best ones if only it weren't for the location.

LITTLE NEXT DOOR

REPORT #17

http://www.thelittledoor.com

8142 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90048

(323)951-1010

Mon - Sun: 8am - 11pm

Street Parking or Valet Parking

Right on West 3rd Street, where many famous restaurants, shops, and cafes line along this locals favorite street, is the french cafe, Little Next Door.  Not to be confused with The Little Door which is a restaurant but a sister shop, which is literally next door!  The cafe has a glass roof outside where you can enjoy a nice fancy lunch, and the inside is very spacious, with all types of bottled wine lining the walls, where you can have a casual but romantic dinner.  The pomme frites are delicious here.

It also has a bakery here, with everything from croissants to mouse cakes.  They sell their bottled dulce de leches, jams, and soups as well.  Among these are a variety of macarons, all vibrant in color with unique flavors.  Each piece was for $1.75.

OVERALL:

• 1½" -  2" in diameter
• not afraid of color
• thin crust, moist inside
• shell has some air pockets
  

DETAILS:
MINT

Dark turquoise outer shell has a delicate crunch.  Deep lime green colored sweet cream has a hint of mint.

ANISE

Black exterior has good texture.  Inside is a dark red cream with a touch of anise, so it lightly reminds you of the flavor of licorice but leaves a clean finish in your mouth.

CHERRY

Dark rouge colored outer with dark red ganache that has a very subtle essence of cherry.

CONCLUSION:

They all have such bold colors and bold choice of flavors, but they have delicate textures and delicate flavors.  Price seems a bit high, compared to the competitors around it that sell their macarons for on average $1.

THE MERCANTILE

REPORT #16

http://www.themercantilela.com

6600 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028

(323)962-8202

Mon -Sun: 11am - 11pm

This casual but classy wine bar is located in Hollywood, along the street of Sunset Boulevard.  The building itself is an antique, with beautiful white walls outside and red bricked walls inside.  The entrance opens up entirely and the side window stretches all the way to the top.  There is a huge patio space that faces Sunset Boulevard as well.  The furnishings are all wood, and black boards are used for the menu of the day.  So the feel of the shop is very airy, organic, and casual.  Not only do they serve wine, but also sandwiches with their gourmet selection of cheeses, baked goods that they bake daily, homemade ice cream, and fine dining meals.

Seeing the impressive selections they offer, it was quite exciting to find macarons here.  Unfortunately there were only two kinds, but they were both interesting flavors.  Each macarons were only $1.

OVERALL:

• 1½" to 2" in diameter
• crust of outer layer is thin and moist inside
• filling has fresh real flavors and are very aromatic

DETAILS:

GREEN TEA

Oreo colored exterior has a very delicate crunch.  Inside light green colored cream has a hint of matcha, but tastes very much like lightly sweetened straight green tea.  After taste has a slight lingering rosemary aroma.

CHOCOLATE BANANA

Milk chocolate brown outer with a pink tinted subtle banana flavored cream.  Really can taste the essence of real banana.

CONCLUSION:

Loved the subtlety of these macarons.  They had very aromatic genuine flavors, but very delicate that you want to savor every bight of it.  The outer layers are in perfect softness/hardness, and in perfect harmony with the cream.  Would have been nice if there were more to try!  Possibly next time.

LE PAIN DU JOUR

REPORT #15

http://www.lepaindujour.com

828 Pico Blvd., #2, Santa Monica, CA 90405

(310)399-4870

Mon - Sun: 7:30am - 2pm

First of all, Le Pain Du Jour has the best croissant in LA, and its been a secret spot of mine for a long time now.  If you are a die-hard bread person, you know the quality of the ingredients, the artisan skills, and the tlc that it was given right away when you bite into that flakey buttery croissant and the inside is nice and moist.  The baguettes are pristine here as well.  I would usually buy a croissant, several other pastries, and then a baguette, tear off the top as soon as I get into my car, and savor the flavors of the baguette.  That's how much I love their goods.  They really have something special here, and it takes much dedication to produce a consistent level of awesomeness.

Macarons here recently popped up into their daily baked goods, and they are from a secret recipe directly from France.  The chef happened to step out and was nice enough to tell me how macarons to her is like a form of art, and I definitely agree.  It is tedious to make, but the outcome is very much worth while.  The macarons here were $1.75 each, and were about eight kinds to choose from!

OVERALL:

• almost 2" diameter
• vibrant bold colored exteriors
• icing-like filling has delicate flavors

DETAILS:

COCONUT

 

Nice aroma.  Lightly toasted crunchy outer with toasted and sugar-coated coconut bits. Creamy frosting-like filling.

BLUEBERRY

Light electric blue colored exterior with a nice crunch and chew.  Dark blue tinted cream with a hint of fresh blueberries.

BANANA

Canary yellow colored outer layer with a matching bright yellow colored filling.  The inside is sweet and creamy with a hint of natural flavor of fresh banana.

STRAWBERRY

Reddish orange colored exterior and interior.  Nice light crunch and light chew. Cream inside is sweet milky strawberry, like strawberry ice cream.

CONCLUSION:

The filling is almost icing-like texture, and the flavors are natural and fresh.  The outer layer is big, yet delicate.

RAFI'S PASTRY

REPORT #14

1250 Glenoaks Blvd., #B, Glendale, CA 91201

(818)502-0960
Mon - Sat: 8:30am - 9pm
Sun: 8:30am -8:30pm

Parking Lot

Amongst the many Armenian strip-malls along Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale was Rafi's Pastry.  The store seems to just have opened, assuming its poster sign is only temporary, for it evidently wasn't big enough to cover up the residue left from the sign of the previous store.  The inside seems to be coming together more, with a modern twist with bold wall paper, modern geometric lights, and an overall very airy and bright atmosphere.

There were several graceful looking cakes and many different kinds of delicious looking cookies, but there was only ONE KIND of macarons.  Sigh...  It must have been a very unlucky day- there should have been at least a handful of different macarons.  Either way, I picked the one and only, and to my surprise it was only $1.  I will be back another day, but for now, here is my review.

OVERALL:

N/A

DETAILS:

ALMOND

Baby pink exterior with bits of hardened confectionery sugar and almonds on top and bottom.  It has a nice delicate crunch and a slight chew inside.  The almond cream filling is very flavorful and aromatic.

CHOCOLATE

It is not a macaron, but considering the circumstances and how similar it is to a macaron, here is my review on this one:

An almond meringue-based outer layer is slightly more grainy and softer than a macaron, but still has the same taste and the same kind of chew inside.  The filling has a very rich chocolate ganache.  Cute pistachio accent on top.

INCOMPLETE CONCLUSION

Need to come back again to try other macarons in order to assess my conclusion.  Quick note is that they were only $1, yet made with much detail and were very good quality.

LADY CHOCOLATT CAFE

REPORT #12

http://www.chocolatt.com 

12008 Wilshire Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90025

(310) 442-2245

Mon - Fri: 8am -7pm

Sat: 9am- 6pm

Sun: Closed

Street Parking

Lady Chocolatt is a very charming chocolate shop, stocked mostly with dainty and stylish hazelnut chocolates, chocolate covered nuts, and truffles, all imported from the chocolate capital of Belgium.  There are also pastries such as croissants and bar drinks such as mocha made with Belgian cocoa with whipped cream on top.  I had no problem parking on the metered side parking right in front of the shop, and sit outside to enjoy my afternoon.

Macarons were in packs at Lady Chocolatt, and each were slightly bigger than an inch, so they were the smallest macarons I have found so far in LA.  The outer shells are more like hard cookies, but are compensated with their thick butter cream fillings.  For seven in a bag, it was only $9.50.  The owner had kindly let me know to store them in the fridge right away if I was not going to eat it that day.  It was a pleasant surprise, since no other businesses I have been to have given their thought or time to point that out yet.  This shop has recently changed owners, and it seems to me that it's in great hands.

OVERALL

• comes as a set
• 1" - 1½" diameter
• lots of butter cream inside
• cookie-like hard outer

DETAILS
RASPBERRY

A dark pink outer shell is crunchy and very much like a cookie.  The filling is a sweet and a little tangy yogurt and raspberry cream.

PASSION FRUIT

This took forever to figure out, to be honest, and I may be wrong: Canary yellow and moss green hard shell with a tangy passion fruit filling.

APRICOT

All light mint green outer shell.  Inside has a tangy apricot cream with a subtle orange zest.

LECHE

A tan colored outer shell with a sweet buttery slightly grainy and condensed duce de leche inside.

WHITE CHOCOLATE

Ivory colored smooth shell with very creamy rich white chocolate and vanilla bean cream inside.

SWIRL

Sandwiched between the brown and mint green colored exteriors are dark chocolate ganache and custard-like cream.

STRAWBERRY

Baby pink colored exterior with pink colored tangy yogurt-like strawberry cream.

MY FAVORITE

White chocolate

CONCLUSION

These mini macarons are hard on the outside but are full of cream inside.  The fruit filled ones have refreshing yogurt-like natural fruit flavors, and the chocolate ones are rich and buttery.