Starbucks Macarons

I never thought the day would come when Starbucks would be featured at PB...

I only found out about these Starbuck macarons last weekend.
Approximately 3,500 Starbucks stores carry these little macs available just for the holiday season. 12 mini macarons for all of $9.95 ($.83 per mac - not a bad price from industrial macaron maker, CHATEAU BLANC and way cheaper than Laduree from the same Holder Company.)
The size is correct - 1 1/4" across. The texture is very smooth not horridly bumpy like too many US attempts at the French macaron but then again they make the macarons for McDo Cafe in France. It must be huge volume.
The flavors are traditional: coffee, pistachio, raspberry, chocolate, vanilla, lemon. The mouth feel pleasently chewy.
The box is your standard egg crate affair - not a bad idea. At least the macs don't get mangled intransit.
*The big drawback is TOO MUCH SUGAR! Come on guys.
You came so close to giving us the real thing.
Starbuck's macarons hale from Château Blanc in Marcq-en-Baroeul near Lille, a good 224 killometers or 2 1/2 hours from rue Bonaparte Paris 75006, so these are not your true Parisien macaron by a long shot. Still I I don't see one word about the macarons on their website. Test marketing 101?
Here's information you will never see on a Parisien box. Who knew that 3 little macs equal only 157 calories and have 3g of protein? At 39 calories each is it any wonder French girls are thin?
6 macs= Lunch!
So HAPPY NEW YEAR Starbucks/Laduree/Paul Boulangerie! ~
Please cut down on the sugar.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
© by Carol Gillott 2010
and don't eat too many macarons...
Thanks very much to Cathy in CT for alerting me to Trader Joe's macarons. Does Chateau Blanc make these too?

THE POND at BRYANT PARK

Free skates and free skating at The Pond at Bryant Park!

BONJOUR THE POND at BRYANT PARK!

Are You A Bendels Girl?

Is this you pre-holiday...?
Did you do a lot of shopping online like this Bendel girl?
Did you get snowed on while shopping?
712 ways to lead a charmed life...I'll take it!

Nothing wrong with being a Bendel girl...

Some of you must have ventured out and shopped till you dropped. Did you?

And the endless lists...aieeeeeeeeee

There's a good reason New Years Eve rolls around so soon after all that shopping...

Your chance to kick up your heels...

And drain the bubbly...

Load up on glitz and the bling for New Years Eve!

The Bendels piggie bank can wait just a bit longer...

A non-shopping poster at Bendels...

That New York hot dog awaits your Champers!

BONJOUR PB SHOPPERS!

You survived.

Christmas 2009 At Bergdorf Goodman

At last Bergdorf Goodmans 2009 windows!
WOW!
This Bergdorf window display of a chessboard is completely attached to the back wall!
Hard to describe...
But very amazing to see - that's the Queen pouring tea...
A Russian babe..?
With her Russian house?
These Bergdorf windows are appropriately titled this year,

"A Compendium of Curiosities" There's always plenty of silver in at least one Bergdorf window...

This is a first.

I got to take some pictures inside of Bergdorfs!

The streets were jam-packed with people last night - it was 50 degrees out!

And packed with hot dog stands to boot

Pretzel anyone?


BONJOUR BERGDORF'S DAVID HOEY!

starry, starry night...

Ok, snowy, snowy night...a painting rescued from the closet
BONJOUR HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!

NEW YORK RED

Red is a power color...
Still you don't see red everyday and everywhere in New York...
The way you do in Paris.
Lord only knows why?
Though when Christmas rolls around surely there is red to spare in New York City ...

At least SAKS 5th Avenue's gals all wear power red gowns.

Bergdorf Goodmans has red ostriches signifying what?

Who knows?

Pierre Herme, Paris, original watercolor, 9" x 11"
Paris with a bit of red...

Bloomingdales has red smiling machines...

First you stand here...

In these red shoes....

Then smile like crazy and you'll appear in Bloomies windows!

EAT lots this weekend.

BE HAPPY!

AND HAVE A BALL !

BONJOUR EVERYBODY!!!