A taste of Paris in SoHo

Whenever you’re tired of the all-American sights in the Big Apple, it’s a relief to know that you’re just a cab ride, a subway stop or short walk to an area that won’t make you feel like you’re in New York.

If, for example, you venture out to Harlem, you will find the more authentic and less touristy Little Italy. If you trek to Greenpoint in Brooklyn, you’ll discover a vibrant Polish community who are more than happy to dish out platters of pierogies and stuffed cabbage. If you go up to Flushing, you’ll discover a less crowded Asian neighborhood filled with amazing restaurants that offer hand-pulled noodles and dumplings — even better than those in the other Chinatown along Canal St. Now if you find yourself in SoHo, you can set foot in one of France’s sweetest gems and instantly become enveloped in that elegant and unique French atmosphere.

“Entering the Ladurée tea salon will transport you to 18th-century France,” said Elisabeth Holder Raberin, co-president, Ladurée USA. “Each room has its own distinct ambience and are decorated with custom-made furniture and unique pieces, collected from the finest Parisian antique shops.” Elegant Grecian statues, lush and luxe colors and hand-painted images of the sky on the ceiling make it the perfect setting to embrace the brand’s philosophy of the French l’art de vivre, while enjoying their famous macarons.

The tea salon, which recently opened in the fashionable SoHo district, is the 65th Ladurée store in the world, the first Ladurée restaurant in the US, and second store location in New York after the Madison Avenue boutique was launched in 2011.

Louis-Ernest Ladurée founded the first Ladurée store on Rue Royale in Paris in 1862. It started out as a bakery but after it got burned down, was turned into a pastry shop. The interiors were done by Jules Cheret, a popular turn-of-the-century painter who sought inspiration from the painting techniques used in the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the Garnier Opera. He added depth and relief to the ceilings and ornamented them with cherubs, which has been part of the brand’s logo.

The concept of the tearoom was suggested by Ladurée’s wife, Jeanne Souchard, who wanted to combine a café with a pastry shop.  It became so popular that they enlarged the store in 1930 to accommodate diners who flocked to the elegant salon for their famous pastries and teas.

The Holder Family, owners of Paul, the famous chain of upmarket boulangeries in France, were regular customers at Ladurée. David Holder, chairman of Ladurée and vice chairman of Groupe Holder, said their family frequently came to the original branch for Sunday brunch. They bought the 150-year- old Parisian institution in 1993 from the descendants of Ladurée and remain hands-on, continuing to maintain the same superb quality of their products the patisserie is known for.

Inside Maison Laduree

The boutique’s main sales counter is made entirely of pristine white marble and serves as the center stage for all of Ladurée’s sweet temptations. There is also the Paeva Salon, which has imposing plaster caryatids that give the feel of an elegant antechamber.

Madeleine Castaing, a renowned French interior designer and muse of the Napoléon III style, was the main inspiration of another room. Here, you will see a fashionable mix of leopard-print carpeting and chic striped fabric on the seats complemented with antiques and elegant lighting fixtures. Hanging on the wall are framed original letters of other famous French women like Louise de Vilmorin, Juliette Récamier, and George Sand.

The theme of the Pompadour Salon is beauty and luxury and features décor that resembles a formal salon where one can imagine Madame de Pompadour inviting poets to read at her court, with all her ladies in waiting, discussing the latest roman. The flooring has a mosaic pattern made out of five different kinds of Italian marble and is inspired after the flagship Ladurée tea salon on the Champs-Elysées.

The unique feature of the space is the garden at the back where they plan to put cherry blossoms, which will create a charming ambience during warmer months for customers who prefer to eat outdoors.

Bon Appetit

The menu is similar to the other Ladurée tea salons all over the world, which includes traditional French fare and heirloom family dishes. A Ladurée–trained chef was flown in from France to make sure that every gourmet creation that leaves the kitchen is up to par with their high culinary standards.

For breakfast, you can have a selection of breads like mini viennoiseries, a croissant au noix or chausson aux pommes. For lunch or dinner, you might want to start with the vichyssoise soup, a leek and potato velouté with dariole and caviar followed by the Ladurée beef tournedos, which is served with pan-fried foie gras de canard, artichokes and dauphine truffled potatoes. You could also have the chicken breast vol au vent with creamy wild mushroom sauce served in a delicate puff pastry, which happens to be a Holder family recipe. The Ladurée omelets come highly recommended, too, as well as the Club Ladurée sandwich.

The exclusive addition to the New York tea salon menu is the Salade SoHo which has chicken fillet, kale cabbage, artichokes, celeriac, mushrooms, preserved red onions, cranberries, pumpkin seeds and fresh cilantro tossed in a lemon juice and olive oil dressing.

Sweet tooth

The macarons, flown in fresh from France every week, is the highlight of the dessert menu. The story of the Ladurée macaron began in the mid-20th century with Pierre Desfontaines, second cousin of Ladurée, who had the delicious idea of joining two simple macaron shells with a luscious filling. The small meringue-based delicacy, crunchy on the outside and meltingly creamy on the inside, is meticulously prepared with almond powder, eggs, sugar and a pinch of unequalled savoir-faire. Holder, in a recent interview, said, “Macarons are petite and pretty, like jewels. They’re beloved by all ages and sexes — and the fact that they’re not easy to make only adds to their allure. But it’s also more than just food. When customers come in to Ladurée, they feel like they’re leaving with a quintessential piece of French culture.”

The flavors that are permanently available are vanilla, coffee, chocolate, caramel with salted butter, orange blossom, lemon, raspberry, rose and pistachio. Seasonal flavors like yuzu ginger, lily of the valley, blackcurrant and violet are also offered. If you wish to give it as a gift, you can get them in limited-edition boxes. In the past, Ladurée has collaborated with top fashion designers and artists such as Lanvin, Will Cotton, John Galliano and Marni to design these collectible containers.

Aside from its signature macarons, Ladurée also has delectable pastries like the St. Honoré Rose Framboise, which is a puff and choux pastry with light rose petal cream, raspberry compote, fresh raspberries and rose water Chantilly cream. For the chocolate lover in you, there’s the Carré Chocolat, which is a dark chocolate macaron biscuit with dark chocolate thin crispy leaves, dark chocolate smooth cream, dark chocolate smooth biscuit and chocolate zabaglione mousse.

They also carry their own branded collection of chocolates, confectionery, jams and teas. “We use fresh fruits and no artificial flavors, which makes the difference,” said Holder. â€œOur jams and preserves are my grandmother’s recipes. I personally remember her making jams with seasonal fruits. It’s part of our culinary history.”

French connection

Someone once told me that some people might dislike the French or France but they always dream of going to Paris once in their life. That visiting the City of Lights, experiencing its culture, trying out the food and imbibing the French art de vivre is a fantasy. 

On my last trip with family to Paris, my cousin Angelique, who lived in one of the chic arrondissements, served as our tour guide and took us around the city she had fallen in love with. We went up the Eiffel Tower, checked out the Louvre, strolled along the Seine, walked on Avenue des Champs-Élysées, Rue Saint Honoré and Place de la Concorde, shopped at Colette and looked for the hunchback at the Notre Dame Cathedral. I found everything so captivating that I couldn’t imagine how anyone could not want to go back several times to experience it all over again.

Luckily, with the Ladurée tea salon, I can, at any given day of the week, always go to Paris.

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The Ladurée Tea Salon is located at 396 West Broadway between Spring and Broome Sts., New York, NY.

Follow them on Twitter and Instagram @LadureeUS, Facebook Maison Laduree US and the author @alexeivee.