Ladurée To Open Second New York Location

Macaron fanatics and Francophiles can get excited, because Maison Ladurée is definitely working on an expansion.

Last night the Parisian macaron chain debuted their summer and winter collections, all while casually announcing their second development in New York City.

Vice president and CEO Pierre-Antoine Raberin told us that Ladurée is constructing a two-room SoHo restaurant, on West Broadway and Spring Street, based off the historic 1862 tea room in Paris. "It's going to be the biggest Ladurée in the world," Raberin said, saying the space is 5,000 square feet, not including the garden the team somehow magically found in Manhattan.

This means that Ladurée can now be based in New York, with the brand flying out two lab chefs from France to take over the pastries and menu. Raberin tells us they hope to have a storefront (macarons only) open by December 2012, with the tea salon launching sometime in February or March, if all goes according to plan.

"This [first store] was a test, this was a teaser," representative Celine Kaplan said. "But a lot of people, they know the tea salon in Paris, and that's the experience."

As for other possible Ladurée locations? Raberin was just in Miami last week looking at spots, and Los Angeles a few months ago. Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Chicago all have appeal, with Raberin spilling that San Francisco and Chicago are exactly what he's looking for.

Jessica Chou is an associate editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @jesschou.