January 18, 2012

Miel Patisserie for les Macarons Merveilleux

A friend recently pointed me to Olivia's Palate for delicious recipes and informative posts on Philadelphia-area restaurants from a regular "jane" foodie like me. If you are intrigued by this new paleo diet/lifestyle that seems to be growing in popularity, Olivia has a good explanation of it, as well as a set of helpful links and recipes. 

Anyhow, Olivia's mention of Miel Patisserie is what caught my eye. She's french, so I trust her judgement on where to eat great macarons. I have spent nearly every weekend of the past five years wandering about Center City and passing Miel Patisserie oh, maybe, 200+ times, but never stopped in. I guess I figured it would be too fancy or expensive. Not the case.

Apricot and Salted Caramel macarons

I ventured in one Saturday, went straight for the salted caramel macaron and took a gamble on an apricot variety. The mix of soft, sweet caramel filling with the delicate crunch of the outer cookies and a few dashes of salt baked into the top was just perfect. Quel bonheur! Same goes for the apricot. The mix of textures was ideal and then the light burst of fruit flavor was even better.



If you're treating yourself to macarons, one isn't enough but two is just right. In my experience, grabbing one fruity flavor and one sweeter option is the way to go. At Miel, they are about $2 each. BTW, can I just point out how fun the reflection of the city buildings is in the white plate above? Didn't even notice that until after editing.

Hot Chocolate by the window...
Following these 5 minutes of heaven, I went right back to the counter and snagged a box of 10 macarons to bring to a dinner party that night. Our group of six polished off chocolate, chocolate mint and cappuccino, as well as more apricot and salted caramels. All were crowd pleasers. 

In the spirit of Hot Chocolate Wars, I also have to give Miel props for delivering a solid mug of hot chocolate that came at the right temperature to warm me up and the right price. After paying at least $4.00 at several cafes recently, I was relieved to pay only about $2.50 at Miel (that's not an exact price, I forgot to write it down, but it's within a 25 cent range from there). It was chocolatey enough but not so sweet that it led to sugar overkill with the macarons.

Closing fact: in case you think this post is full of typos, Olivia informed me that a macaron with one "o' is the French pastry whereas a macaroon with double "o" is the coconut pastry. Now go treat yourself to a single-o macaron.


                     

Miel Patisserie
204 South 17th Street  
Philadelphia, PA 19103
www.mielpatisserie.com  

Miel Patisserie on Urbanspoon

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Have you tried the hot chocolate at Melrose Diner for your Hot Chocolate wars? Not fancy, but enjoyable for the price (and their whipped cream is great).

Kristy said...

I haven't, but thanks for the suggestion. I'm getting frustrated with coffee shops. Too often the hot chocolate is watered down and over priced. Diners rarely disappoint!

A and J said...

We love Miel- they have the best croissants (especially the chocolate filled one!). Plus, after 5PM, pastries are half price...

kelly said...

I love macarons, and I love miel, and I love that they always have so many options to try. Lemon is always one of my favorites.