Review: ‘lette macarons (Pasadena)

I’ll be honest and confess that I always thought macarons were too expensive to get very excited about, but after tasting a really superb macaron I came around and decided that you know, if it’s that good, it’s worth a little extra change.
So, while on the bus heading to Kings Row, I spotted ‘lette (named after owner Paulette Koumetz) where once a Mrs. Beasley cookie shop occupied. The hell-? A whole shop dedicated to macarons? Must try!
The store is small, but clean and bright with only a rainbow of macarons to reel in your attention.

Twelve standard flavors: caramel, Caribbean chocolate, coconut, Columbian coffee, earl grey tea, lemon, Madagascar vanilla, raspberry, rose, Sicilian pistachio, sweet wedding almond and violet cassis.
Current seasonal flavors: lychee and passion fruit.

Though they were all tempting, I did not want a repeat of my harsh lesson with Frances Bakery, and erred on the side of caution with a modest purchase of three macarons:

Lychee, Rose, Earl Grey Tea

I couldn’t even tell you which one my favorite was because all three were baked to refined, delicate French perfection. They all tasted as they should have without a remote trace of artificiality. Lychee stood out the most, with that lovely refreshing zing! lychee has, while the rose was delicate but firmly present, and the Earl Grey soft at first but deeper as I continued to eat it. Crisp exterior with flavored ganache on the inside.

Price Range:
individual macarons $1.70
giftbox of 12 macarons $19.50 | 24 macarons $38
minibox of 6 macarons $10.50 | 2 macarons $4

Would I return to ‘lette? Absolutely. I want to snatch up another (few!) lychee macarons before they go out of season and try out the violet and salted caramel.

‘lette
14 S. Fair Oaks Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91105
website
Hours of Operation
Sunday – Thursday | 11am – 8pm
Friday – Saturday | 11am – 10pm