Paris native Paulette Koumetz was inspired to open a macaron shop after seeing Christophe Michalak on TV5 – French TV. Michalak is the pastry chef at Plaza Athénée in Paris, one of the most prestigious hotels in the world. She and husband Gerard contacted Michalak, and he agreed to partner on a Beverly Hills shop, which debuted on September 5, 2007 [and changed to ‘lette Macarons in 2010].

Paulette appreciated Andrea Lenardin Madden’s design for the original Sprinkles, so she hired the architect. The bakery features a fashionable macaron roster on the wall.

Seasonal flavors change every 3-4 months. For current ‘lette Macarons selections, refer to the molded white counter, which displays the day’s offerings.

Paulette’s macarons ($1.50 each) were uniformly crisp outside and pillowy inside. Grapefruit (pink) – pamplemousse – featured a layer of grapefruit ganache. Raspberry Rose (red) – rose framboise – included rose ganache and raspberry jam. Sweet Wedding Almond (pink) – dragée – contained almond ganache (marzipan) and came topped with crushed almonds. The classically French combination of Violet Cassis (purple) – cassis violette – featured violet ganache and cassis jam.

Paulette has branched out to other baked goods, including cacao meringues, oatmeal cookies, orange blossom marshmallows French gingerbread, vanilla Madeleines and caramel coffee spread. No matter what you purchase, packaging is bound to be chic.

Paulette envisions expansion for ‘lette Macarons, as long as she and Gerard can ensure equal quality. By the end of the year, they’ll open a second location in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley. For now, it’s well worth a trip to Beverly Hills.