1 3 2 1) Inside the new Ladurée at 398 West Broadway. 2) Foodies and fashionistas alike eagerly anticipated the opening. 3) A colorful stack of sweet, airy macarons.
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LET THEM EAT MACARONS
Ladurée’s recent opening is sweet news for Soho
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n surroundings reminiscent of pre-revolutionary buying them, right down to the tiny, ornate packaging, Versailles, legendary Parisian macaron proprietor that drew the Holder family’s business interest. It was Ladurée opened its second New York City location arguably the world’s first luxury pastry. on Feb. 4 at 398 West Broadway in Soho. Not acciAfter their early 1990s acquisition, the family set dentally, the opening fell toward the start of Fashabout expanding the brand through a thoroughly ion Week, and drew a decked-out crowd intent on not French concept: the café. They opened the first Laonly sampling the delicious French desserts — and durée café, on Paris’ Champs-Elysees, in 1997, quickwashing them down with Champagne — but on checkly drawing tourists and locals. They then took their ing out the bright décor of the full-service restaurant. pastries global: There are now 40 Ladurée outposts The front room is filled with the colorful pastries worldwide, including in Europe; in Japan and Singathemselves; the ceilings are painted, in the words of pore; in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and Racked New York, “with a seKuwait; and now in the Amerirene cloudscape” and the entire cas, with one in Brazil’s Sao place — it’s three parts — unfolds Paulo and two in Manhattan. The entire place — it’s like a French-style salon from The local outposts include the three parts — unfolds like the eighteenth century. The new Soho spot and one at 864 tables can accommodate a pair Madison Avenue, which opened a French-style salon from of gourmands as well as large in 2012. Another location is exthe eighteenth century. groups. There are gilded chanpected in Miami in the spring. deliers, romantic statuary and The Soho opening, however, a bank of floor-to-ceiling wingrabbed a sizable amount of dows looking out onto West Broadway. buzz. Perhaps it was the proximity to Fashion Week, Ladurée’s American operation is run by husbandor that the Raberins attended, or that it’s a flagship and-wife co-presidents Elisabeth Holder Raberin more spacious than the typical, retail-counter Laduand Pierre-Antoine Raberin — Ms. Raberin’s family rée. Maybe it was that it’s simply within the trendy took over the original Paris bakery from the original confines of one of Manhattan’s most coveted neighproprietors in 1993. The Holders had been Saturday borhoods. Whatever the reason, the arrival of the au morning regulars at the tiny Parisian bakery, accordcourant bakery was widely covered, above and being to Reuters, where macarons were legendarily yond the dailies and food blogs — the opening was born in the 19th century. It wasn’t so much the taste also featured in the likes of Vanity Fair, Harper’s Baor texture — sweet and light as air — but the ritual of zaar and Bon Appetit. — Tom Acitelli
Luxury Listings NYC | March/April 2014