The Sweet Lobby

Just a few blocks from Capitol Hill in the District (that's Washington, DC for those of you non-locals), there is a neat little neighborhood called Eastern Market. Located on its own metro stop, Eastern Market is home to lots of cute shops and restaurants.

My reason for going to Eastern Market is always the same, though: The Sweet Lobby! The Sweet Lobby is a bakery with a teensy little storefront (read: three really is a crowd) selling specialty baked goods. They have gourmet flavored eclairs, madelines, and cupcakes (they actually won an episode of "Cupcake Wars" on Food Network). However, the best thing they sell is their macarons. If you have never tried a macaron (notice the absence of another 'o'... This is not the coconut confection 'macaroon'), your life is not yet complete.

Basically, a macaron is the Parisian version of a sandwich cookie. The huge difference between a macaron and an oreo (besides everything) is that the actual cookie parts are made with an almond flour batter. This makes them light and chewy and crispy and gluten free! The beautiful thing about macarons is that they can be flavored in so many different ways, with colors to match. The Sweet Lobby sells on average, ten different flavors of macarons daily. Sometimes more, sometimes less, always delicious!

I can tell you from experience, the macaron is a finicky and labor intensive cookie to produce. Therefore, they are quite pricey. This makes them inaccessible for daily consumption (and all the more special) and even lovelier for gifting.

We gave my father-in-law a big box of macarons as a thank-you gift at our rehearsal dinner.

My sweet in-laws had The Sweet Lobby send us a gift box full of different flavors (in pairs of two!) for our anniversary. They were such a wonderful surprise :)