The sun hung low in the sky and illuminated the glass panes across the bay. Seaport Village was sleepy, small groups of tourists shuffling around taking selfies and purchasing matching Coronado gear.
Somnolently, I ambled along the waterfront ending up at Parfait Paris, a French bakery and cafe. The glass display boxes full of rich baked goods and vibrant macaroons caught my attention. I ordered six macaroons, aiming to get a few unorthodox flavors. My selections: popcorn, avocado, rose, birthday cake, lemon and vanilla. At a little over $18, I needed to be wowed.
I took my loot beachside, admiring the skyscrapers sparkling in the sun as it sank languidly behind me.
As lovely as it was, I quickly realized an unsavory truth: nearly every macaroon tasted the exact same. If you had blindfolded me I would not have been able to tell the difference between popcorn, avocado, birthday cake and vanilla. They all tasted like a box cake mix, which made sense for birthday cake and vanilla, but was a disappointment for popcorn and avocado. I was excited to wrestle with a buttery salty macaroon or a nutty earthy one, but ultimately was left empty handed.
The rose and lemon were alright. I thought the distinct flavor profile of rose could be offensive or overpowering, but the flavor was so subtle it was almost undetectable. Which I suppose is a good thing. The lemon was also tragically bland, no euphoric bite of sour followed by a wave of sweet.
The cookies themselves were fragile to say the least; the walk from the store to the water nearly did the popcorn macaroon in, the top collapsing into itself with the smallest amount of pressure. The fillings were syrupy and uninspiring.
I sat on a concrete retaining wall sampling the different flavors, trying to extract any perceptible notes. Birds flocked to me, pecking at the crumbs I dropped. Entertained, I watched them. They didn’t seem to mind the blandness, in fact they loved it. Fighting over the few fragments, they looked at me for more. I chuckled to myself; they had expensive taste.
The Coronado location of Parfait Paris is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on the weekends.
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Dear reader as I close in on 10 weeks of Fork First I have a small favor to ask. Is there a restaurant you have been going to for years that you love? One you are interested in but hesitant to try? Are you a part of a food-based community group? Let me know by sending me an email at lilly@thecoronadonews.com! Food is a powerful way of bringing people together, and I want to use it to continue to strengthen our community. Thank you for your continued support and kind messages.
