Madeleine pastry shop

[emsny]

We were riding along W 23rd between Sixth and Seventh (I think) and noticed a pastry shop or cafe called Madeleine. A quick google search didn't yield anything much - does anyone know the place?

[docsconz]

Did anything specific make it worth noticing?

[emsny]

Only its presence and seeming newness. As I say, we were in motion as we passed, too laden with shopping to abort our journey and investigate.

[dumpling]

I'll chck tomorrow if I recall. It's near my school.

If it's the place I'm thinking of, I found it completely unremarkable-sandwich, breakfast, chocolat chaud,etc. Nothing worth describing that I recall.

[emsny]

Thanks for the depressing but not unexpected assessment. (Depressing not because of this particular place but because it reminds us of what a lousy town New York is for excellent pastry.)

[Todd36]

You may be confusing this place with J'Adore, which is on 23rd and 5th. They sell sandwiches and were recently closed for a while by DOH. Madeleine is between 6th and 7th and does not seem to have sandwiches, at least they didn't have any at noon today. It's cute, with tables to hang out. Baked goods look fine. I tried their chocolate amond crossient, not a standard combo. Chocolate was nice, not too sweet. Over all qualtity seemed good but not remarkable. Worth stopping in.

[emsny]

Thanks - no, I was aware of J'Adore being nearer Fifth Avenue. Glad to hear that the choc/almond croissant at Madeleine was good; we'll stop in next time we're passing by.

[tan319]

Thanks for the depressing but not unexpected assessment. (Depressing not because of this particular place but because it reminds us of what a lousy town New York is for excellent pastry.)

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???

[emsny]

Yes. For a cosmopolitan city of, what, eight million people, there are few consistently good pastry shops of any kind. But that's fiber for another thread.

[emsny]

On this, from today's NY Times dining section:

Macaroons Everywhere, Except on the Sign

Pascal Goupil, a baker who owned the French Oven, now closed, in the Chelsea Market, has opened Madeleine, a charming French pâtisserie with a few tables. In spite of its name, it specializes in macaroons, not madeleines.

“In a week or so we’ll have about 18 flavors,” Mr. Goupil said, “and I also plan to make cakes based on macaroons.” The macaroons are big, filled and $2.50 each. Fresh fruit tartlets, like the elegant cherry variety, are $3.75 to $4.50, minitartlets are $1.50 each and small, rich chocolate croissants are 90 cents each.

And yes, there are madeleines, 75 cents each; 128 West 23rd Street, (212) 243-2757.

[Jesikka]

On this, from today's NY Times dining section:

Macaroons Everywhere, Except on the Sign

Pascal Goupil, a baker who owned the French Oven, now closed, in the Chelsea Market, has opened Madeleine, a charming French pâtisserie with a few tables. In spite of its name, it specializes in macaroons, not madeleines.

“In a week or so we’ll have about 18 flavors,” Mr. Goupil said, “and I also plan to make cakes based on macaroons.” The macaroons are big, filled and $2.50 each. Fresh fruit tartlets, like the elegant cherry variety, are $3.75 to $4.50, minitartlets are $1.50 each and small, rich chocolate croissants are 90 cents each.

And yes, there are madeleines, 75 cents each; 128 West 23rd Street, (212) 243-2757.

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Is that supposed to be macaroons or macarons? I am under the impression that they are entirely different items.

[emsny]

French macaroons are different from the macaroons my mother used to buy in cans, but the English word remains the same.

[emsny]

We were finally passing Madeleine Patisserie on foot yesterday and went in. Nice place, full of people writing on computers (mainly Macs, for what that's worth - perhaps because of proximity to Tekserve?).

We bought some breakfast things and some macaroons, and all were creditable or better. Textbook croissants, baked through (a pet peeve is when the interior remains underbaked) and adequately salted, with a well-developed flavor to the dough. Similar for other things made from the same dough - almond croissant and pain aux raisins. The macaroons vary, of course - there are so many flavors that some will inevitably be more successful than others; sometimes the use of flavorings was a bit heavy handed - but technically very good. We'll certainly return next time we're in that neighborhood.

[kathryn]

I've had their macarons a few times now and I think they store them too cold; the centers always tasted too moist and mushy for me. They improved, slightly, if I left them out on the counter overnight. The flavorings were very good and creative, though, but La Maison still has the best macarons in town IMO.