Salvation in Brentwood: A Perfect Lemon Macaron

LA is so huge that, even if you grow up here, you might never venture into some of its many nooks and niches. Case in point for me: Brentwood. Aside from the repeated news footage of the Mezzaluna restaurant during the OJ Simpson trial, I never set eyes on the neighborhood until this very weekend.

My maiden voyage landed me in the Brentwood Country Mart. I’m not judging the whole neighborhood by one little shopping district, but this probably wasn’t the best entrée. While it’s a perfectly beautiful place—very peaceful, with lots of greenery and pony rides to boot—it just wasn’t my scene, and I quickly felt like a stranger in a strange land. The stores were frightfully out of my price range, and the closest thing I could relate to was the taqueria in the middle of the shopping center.

Still, I knew I couldn’t let a cross-town drive be a complete bust, and I wasn’t hungry enough for a taco, so I began searching for the one thing fancy shopping districts are always sure to provide: fancy sweets. And then, as if on cue, Café Luxxe came into view. I knew from reading Food GPS that this teeny café serves up some serious coffee, so I figured some worthy pastry couldn’t be too far away.

I found something even better: picture-perfect French macarons. Score! I chose lemon to go with my iced green tea (very nice). It was so perfectly delicate with a meringue crust that crackled with every bite and bravely-tart jam center. I savored it until the end, and when it was finished, I was ready to deal with the 10 again.

It just goes to show, a trip is never a waste if it ends with a good food experience.

-Valentina

P.S. I’m sure Brentwood has more to offer than one delicious macaron, so let me know what I’m missing.