Sweet Things

The Parisian pastry empire, Maison Laduree, was founded in 1862 by Louis-Ernest Laduree- a miller, writer, and painter. There, his patissier Pierre Desfontaines is said to have invented the macaron. Today, the shop started by Laduree and its subsidiary branches are said to be among the best pastry shops and tea rooms in Paris. In addition to several locations in Paris, Laduree can be found in Switzerland, Dublin, Sweden, Luxembourg, Milan, Japan and Singapore. The husband and wife team Elisabeth Holder-Raberin and Pierre-Antoine Raberin are co-presidents of Laduree USA, where the French luxury sweets house now has two shops in New York, having opened in Soho last year.

Laduree established its second New York branch downtown where the walled garden is one of the prettiest outdoor dining spots in the city. There are two ornate dining rooms that seem like period galleries in the Met. The 18th and 19th century decorated three-part salon feels scrumptious to be in, from all-rainbow colored macarons to haute couture desserts…and even breakfast, lunch and dinner. Grabbing a tea and a macaron has never felt so Marie-Antoinette. www.laduree.com