Tout de Sweet

I love that B reads the Express on the Metro every day and brings home all the fun food articles for me. When he brought an article about Tout de Sweet, a new pastry shop in Bethesda that makes French macarons, I was pumped to check it out. The stars finally aligned recently when we were dropping off shoes to be repaired next door. We just had to stop in and take some treats home.

I was excited by all of the fun macaron and cupcake flavors, and B was excited by the prices. At $1.50 (cheaper if you buy a dozen), the macarons were less than half the price of those at the famed Laduree in Paris. We ordered a sleeve of a dozen macarons. The Hawaiian Colada cupcake looked lonely so I invited it to come home with us too.

While the macarons were not as cloud-like as those in Paris, they were very, very good. The cupcake was moist and packed with chunks of pineapple. The frosting was tangy and it was topped off with a fun artistic chocolate piece.

If you can't get away to France and want a taste of the City of Light, Tout de Sweet is just the ticket.

Second Thoughts From B

Even at a dollar a piece (when buying a dozen), these are expensive cookies. But when our first exposure at Laduree cost a whopping 3 euros a pop, these were a bargain. It is all relative, isn't it?

So are they worth it? That depends on if you prefer quality or quantity. Since I don't have much of a sweet tooth, I'd rather savor the delicate texture and punchy flavors of a gourmet macaron or two over a bag of Chips Ahoy any day.

Most would agree that the famed Laduree in Paris sets the standard for macarons. In my opinion, Tout de Sweet's versions were just as beautiful, flavorful, and fun to eat as any that I've had in France. The significant difference was in the texture of the cookies. While Laduree's were light and brittle (though still moist), Tout de Sweet's were a bit chewy. If forced to choose, I might lean towards Laduree, but you simply can't beat having Tout de Sweet in your neighborhood at non-Parisian prices!