Looking to satisfy my appetite for all things French, I began my quest to find the best French macarons in Wisconsin a couple of weeks ago with a stop in Wauwatosa at a couple of places- Le Reve Patisserie and Cafe and Rocket Baby Bakery.
These small, colorful, and fancy cookies made from almond flour, powdered sugar, and egg whites, with a host of fillings are a must have on any visit to Paris. Famous shops such as Laduree and Pierre Herme make whole window displays out of these cookies that are so pretty, you cannot help but wander inside for a taste. Any Paris guidebook will almost certainly have one if not both of these shops on a list of foods to try in Paris.
The popularity has caught on in the states with bakeries in many cities selling these melt in your mouth beauties. Typically they are not cheap either, but there is a lot of work that goes into the delights. I can vouch for that as I have made them myself. On my second attempt, they turned out rather good if I do say so myself!
So, because I am always looking to add a little “Frenchy” in my life and because I wanted to spread the word that you can get French macarons right here in Wisconsin, I decided to go on a mission. Find and try as many Wisconsin macarons as I can. Now I don’t claim to be an expert taster or anything, but I know what I like. I’ve had macarons in Paris at Laduree and a few other places.
So I picked up my friend Beverly and we headed to Wauwatosa for a lunch at Le Reve. I have been wanting to go try this patisserie and cafe located west of Milwaukee, for some time now and since they also made and sold macarons and other French bakery delights, we could kill two birds with one stone.
It was a perfect day and time to go- late afternoon so it was not busy and we could relax, enjoy ourselves, and savior the whole experience.
We both started off with a Kir Royale because…well frankly, just because we were in a French restaurant and we were celebrating! We both ordered Croque Madame, which was absolutely perfect! (I have had an obsession with Croque Madame since my first trip to Paris when I had it for the first time at a cafe on the Champs Elysee.) Out waiter was delightful and tolerated our giggles and ooos and ahhhs and picture taking of our food. You have to try this place out if you love French Bistro fare, a great atmosphere, and a taste of Paris!
After we finished our late lunch we went downstairs to make our dessert choices, which were then brought to our table to enjoy. Then it was time to purchase our macarons to take home for taste testing later. I choose four different flavors to purchase coconut, lemon, raspberry, and vanilla.
After that it was onto our next stop Rocket Baby Bakery, just a few minutes from Le Reve. More about Rocket Baby later.
I couldn’t wait to get home to try these tasty delights. With the help of Hubby and our Daughter we each had one and then Megan and I split the last one. I had the lemon and it was perfection! A fabulous lemon flavor with a crunchy shell, but a melt in your mouth inside. The lemon filling was so good. Both my other taste testers were extremely happy with their macaron too. This whole mission of finding a little taste of Paris in Wisconsin by searching for the best macarons was going to be a fun undertaking.
With the first stop on the macaron mission complete and hitting the jackpot on the first try, I’m left wondering if I will find a “bad” macaron in Wisconsin? Or, will I be able to top Le Reve’s macarons? Only time will tell…
If you know of somewhere in Wisconsin that makes French macarons, please comment or drop me a message via Facebook, or through email. I’d love to find more places to head to!
If you find yourself in Wawautosa, do stop and pay a visit to Le Reve Patisserie and Cafe. I loved everything about this place and it certainly lived up to my expectations!
Their hours are: Monday-Thursday 8-9, Friday 8-10, and Saturday 8-3 and 5-10
Questions? Comments? Share then with me!