Food Review – French Macarons by Sugar Philly

Food Review

By G-LO on August 11, 2011 • ( 8 Comments )

And now for something completely different…

Perhaps it’s my Sicilian heritage, but whenever someone says, “I have a surprise for you”, two thoughts immediately cross my mind: (1) “Uh oh! What did I do now?, and (2) “What’s this gonna cost me?”. Thankfully, when Mrs. G-LO uttered this phrase as I walked into the house last night, she really did have a surprise for me, and it turned out to be a mighty fine one with no strings attached!

Much like every other major city in America (i.e. San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago), Philly has been having a Food Truck Renaissence. Food trucks used to mean hot dogs, pretzels, and a soda for $3. Thanks to a bad economy and lower overhead costs, the food truck has evolved into a gourmet feast on wheels. Name any cuisine from around the world, and I’m sure there’s someone out there with a food truck making it for you. And they don’t just make savory dishes. You can even get dessert!

Thanks to a meeting that ran too long and a botched lunch order, Mrs. G-LO and one of her colleagues were subjected to a freezer burned Lean Cuisine lunch from 7-11. On their way back to the office, they noticed that the Sugar Philly Truck wasn’t very busy (read more about them here), so they stopped to pick up some desserts. I wish I could tell you about what desserts they ate to make up for their subpar lunch, but to be completely honest, that’s all I know of the story. What I do know is that I was pleasantly surprised to receive two homemade French Macarons when I got home from work last night. Here’s what I had the pleasure of eating after dinner:

• Salty Caramel French Macaron: Luscious, creamy caramel sandwiched between two French Macarons (think bite sized and crispy meringues).
• Chocolate Ganache French Macaron: Thick, rich, creamy ganache sandwiched between two French Macarons.

All I can say is WOW! Both versions of Sugar Philly’s French Macarons were absolutely delicious. Mrs. G-LO says that the two of them cost $3. If that’s true, then she stumbled upon one hell of a bargain because there is a whole lot of love and high quality ingredients baked into these desserts. The actual French Macarons were incredibly fresh and flavorful. Crisp, light, delicate, and not overly sweet, they practically melted in my mouth. The fillings were equally delicious. The Salted Caramel was soft and gooey, with just a hint of salt to balance out the sweetness, while the Chocolate Ganache was rich and flavorful, with just a touch of cocoa bitterness to keep the richness from becoming overwhelming.

As I was polishing off the last of the Chocolate Ganache French Macaron, I had an idea. Since chocolate and whisky (did you really think that I would write an alcohol free post???) go really well together, why not wash down the rest of this dessert with a splash of the “Water of Life“? I decided to pair the rest of this dessert with a bit of Ardbeg Corryvreckan, an intense and flavorful Single Malt Scotch (read more about this whisky here and here). This combination went really well together. The whisky cut through the richness of the dessert, while the dessert mellowed the spice and smoke of the whisky.

If you happen to find yourself wandering around University City in search of a sugar fix, be sure to walk by 38th and Walnut Street for some of Sugar Philly’s delicious desserts. And don’t forget to bring a flask of your favorite whisky to wash it all down!

Categories: Food Review

Tagged as: Ardbeg Corryvreckan, Blog Menu, Chocolate Ganache, Dessert, Food, Food Truck, French Macarons, Philadelphia, Philly, Review, Salty Caramel, Sugar Philly, University City, Whiskey, Whisky