Roberta’s, Robicelli’s & Macaron Parlour

Post-Vinitaly, Beer Boor and I decided to walk over to Madison Square Eats as he’d not yet been this go-round (and I’d been too many times to count).  Yes, it’s long over now (I’m writing this just as it’s ended, and we went two days before it ended, but all of these items are available elsewhere, so you should heed my advice and seek out the ones I liked!) – but I write about everything I eat so it would be a failing on my part not to mention this 🙂

I’ve heard so much about Roberta’s that I finally got to try it!  They were out of the Bee Sting and Beer Boor seemed intent on getting the brussels sprouts pie.  I love brussels sprouts (hmmm, I think I might even be the one that got him to start eating them? – last year, though) so I wasn’t going to say no.  This seasonal pie was the most expensive, at $11. 

There is nothing in this photo to demonstrate scale, but it is a small pizza.  Barely larger than a paper plate that you get your cheapy pizza on.  Some cheese blops, a small scattering of onion.  I was really annoyed by how small it was – even though I didn’t pay, I thought it was a total rip off just looking at it.  (And yes, the table is wet because it was raining on and off all day.)

Obligatory upskirt.  The char is good at least.  But the pizza itself fell flat for me.  There wasn’t enough salt or flavor – the toppings didn’t make their presence known and I was disappointed to taste nothing much beyond pita (the soft pizza crust).  I just wanted more oomph to it, and there was none.  I’m pretty sure Beer Boor liked it a lot more than I did, in any case, as he didn’t complain when, after one slice, I told him I was done. 

Of course, after a brief visit to the Robicelli’s stand, they were having a rainy day sale – 2 cupcakes for $5.  Surprisingly, I’ve visited the stand multiple times but this was the first time I got a cupcake – well, Beer Boor got the cupcakes.  I just haven’t been in a cupcake eating mood (I know, I know; what’s wrong with me?) – Bea Arthur on the left and the Banana Nutella on the right.  I really enjoy the Bea Arthur for all its dark coffee undertones, and suggested it for Beer Boor.  The way he dispatched that cupcake and the ensuing noises tell me that I did a good job picking one he’d like – I’m pretty sure he really enjoyed it, anyway. 

Banana Nutella is a flavor I hadn’t yet tried (I’ve tried a lot but nowhere near all of the flavors they have!).  After Beer Boor swiped some of my frosting and declared it good, I was eager to dig in.  I love how soft and smooth their frosting is… swoon.  The banana cake base was lovely – very clearly banana without being cloying or weird about it, while the top wasn’t in-your-face-I’m-hazelnut-chocolate, either.  I loved the addition of crushed nuts on top for texture, but it was unnecessary as everything just came together perfectly.  Love.  I think I still like the Bea Arthur more, but this one was pretty damn good – as are all of their cupcakes…

Across from the Robicelli’s stand was Macaron Parlour, and I couldn’t wander by without saying hi to the super friendly Simon – and buying macarons, of course.  I’d tried the caramel fleur de sel last time, so this time I wanted to try something different.  On top, his favorite flavor, the lemon, which was brilliant in its lemony-ness; it wasn’t overly sweet OR acidic, and just walked that fine balance of the two.  I enjoyed it, though I wouldn’t say it was my favorite.  The one on the bottom was even more brilliant: candied maple bacon.  Sure, that might sound weird, but the smokiness of maple syrup really works with bacon – and I love savory-sweet combos.  Even aside from that, the fluffy cream in the center was just scented maple, not overly sweet, and then… the most genius part… I bit into a piece of bacon.  What the h-e-double-hockey-sticks!  AWESOME.  Chewy bacon in the middle of this smoky, sweet delicate macaron… just love, love, love.  I HIGHLY recommend these – and they sell out quite quickly from my understanding, so if you hunt out Macaron Parlour (which I recommend you do), go early. 

That’s not all we ate though… stay tuned for what else landed on our plate!

PS Seriously dreaming about those candied maple bacon macarons…  swoon.