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| - Gaby et Jules, why have I put off coming here for so long? The day I moved to Squirrel Hill, about a year and a half ago, I met the owners. They were out on the corner of Shady and Forbes giving away free macarons. This was my first experience with a macaron I actually enjoyed. Most people seem to like them sickly sweet, and I prefer a light flavor. It may have taken me some time to come back, but I will make up for it now.
My dad and I had lunch at Pizza Bellino, and we wanted dessert. Usually, we just go to Commonplace for a coffee, but we decided to test Gaby et Jules out. I started with a sample of the Le Sensation, which was lemon cream and white chocolate mousse on top of lemon-almond dacquoise. I really enjoyed it and would consider ordering it in the future. However, we ordered the Royal Chocolat ($5.90) and the Tartelette aux framboises ($5.50). The Royal Chocolat contained chocolate genoise, chocolate mousse, chocolate miroir glaze, and a gold leaf. It is basically like eating whipped dark chocolate covered in liquid dark chocolate. There was a dark chocolate square with gold decorations on the end as well. It was awesome. The Tartelette was a huge number of raspberries on top of a pastry cream. There was a Gaby et Jules logo on top made out of white chocolate, which was amazing.
While I was waiting for my order, I watched the pastry chefs in the back work on the desserts, which was super cool. While there is no seating inside, they do have two outdoor tables and were happy to supply me with napkins and utensils.
As to the people who prefer La Gourmandine, I am in the opposite camp. I have always found Gourmandine's goods to be dry and stale. I also think the price point for the goods here is better than Gourmandine, despite being about double. The desserts here are so much more beautiful, larger, and fresh in my experience. I would rather get dessert half the time and come here than go to the competitors and not enjoy my dessert as much.
While the price tag is steep, Gaby et Jules is a great treat to honor a special event or occasion.
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