Macaron Day PDX: March 20, 2015

If you know me at all, you know that macarons are like, my favorite thing ever. 

I first fell in love with macarons when I was studying abroad back in 2007 and have been obsessed ever since.

#TBT to little Katie in Paris:

It's been easier and easier to get a good macaron stateside since they've become so popular in the last few years- and I'm definitely not complaining! In Portland, we now have enough pastry shops making macarons that such a thing as Macaron Day PDX has reason to exist.

Here's the deal: On March 20th, participating bakeries and patisseries will give a free macaron to customers who donate to Meals on Wheels (there is a $2 suggested minimum donation). Twelve different shops are participating with some locations making special macarons for the event.

I'll include a full list of participants below, but here are my top three picks for can't-miss macarons in Portland:

Nuvrei (NW 10th Ave)

Kel and I wrote about Nuvrei recently when we checked out their new Mac Bar. Marius Pop, who owns Nuvrei, is actually the one who orchestrated Macaron Day PDX and Nuvrei will be giving out commemorative tote bags to the first 100 customers on March 20th (note: the Mac Bar opens at 9am).

Farina Bakery

I've shared my love for Farina Bakery and Laura's macarons before and I'd say that if you're only going to make one stop for Macaron Day PDX, Farina Bakery should be it. Laura's macarons are always the perfect texture (light crunch on the outside, moist and cakey inside) and she manages to pack loads of flavor into them too.

My current favorite Farina flavor is Honey Pecan (think Mexican wedding cakes but in macaron form), but you really can't go wrong.

Pix Patisserie (E Burnside St)

I will start off by saying that Pix's macarons can be hit or miss texture-wise. But, they have a lot of really fun, experimental flavors that you're not going to find at other patisseries (Meka Leka Hi Meka Hiney Ho macaron with absinthe and chocolate-covered Pop Rocks, anyone?).

Other Macaron Day PDX Participants:

The Cakery (SW Capital Hwy)

Frice Pastry (4082 N Williams)

Hungry Heart Bakery (SE 80th Ave)

Ken's Artisan Baking (NW 21st Ave)

Maurice (921 SW Oak St)

Papa Haydn (NW 23rd Ave & SE Milwaukie)

Pearl Bakery (NW 9th Ave)

Petunia's Pies & Pastries (SW 12th Ave)

St. Honoré (SE Division, NW Thurman & Lake Oswego)

Also, fun fact: Did you know I have almost as many pics of macarons on my phone as I do of my cat? Oh, did you want to see some more of them? Ok!

Doug likes canelés, so that's why there's a bunch of them in there too. Canelé Day PDX next?

5 in 5: Pix/Bar Vivant, Luce, Horse Brass, Casa Naranja, Clarklewis

Hey guys, remember when I lived in Boston for a while and was like "wah I miss dance so much." Then remember when I moved back to Portland and I got back into dance in like a pretty major way and now I don't have time for anything else? Including blogging?

But it's okay because I have a solution. It's a new blog thing called 5 in 5 (so good at naming!). The idea is that I'll post about 5 restaurants/bars/happy hours in one post and describe each of them in only 5 words (or less!). Maybe. We'll see what happens.

Wait guys, I also decided to tell you why I was at each of these places because you're really interested in my personal life (obvs.) K, bye! 

Pix Patisserie & Bar Vivant
Occasion: Super pumped that Pix was adding a tapas bar to its new location.
The Five: Give it a few months.

Luce
Occasion: Bon Appetit told me to.
The Five: Bon Appetit is for rich skinnies.

Horse Brass
Occasion: Doug has been drooling over their draft list for a while now.
The Five: 'Ello, governor!

Casa Naranja
Occasion: Erica and Anna came to visit!!
The Five: Not good for hangovers (swings!).

ClarkLewis
Occasion: Birthday!
The Five: Order the tagliatelle. Seriously.