Europe to Dallas

Juliana Blazek, JADE Editor

From gelato to French desserts, Le Reve, Gelatoand Patisserie, gives customers a range of unique flavors in its different creations. Establishing the motto “the place where you experience the sweetest dream,” the dessert shop’s signature sweets include macarons, an assortment of small cakes, and tarts.

Andy Pham opened Le Reve in January 2022 with its first location in North Dallas between Preston Road and Highway 635. Having grown up with French influences in his life, Pham says on the patisserie’s website that he desires to “take quality ingredients and turn them into innovative desserts.”

Le Reve has a rotating, seasonal menu with new flavors and designs continually making an appearance on the menu. Some of the current items include lavender, Earl Grey, and peach caramel macarons, chocolate and lemon eclairs, and coffee caramel cake.

During my first visit to Le Reve, I had a bit of trouble finding the bake shop as it was tucked away in a shopping center. However, the big black and white sign with French words led me to where all of my European dessert dreams
would come true.

When I walked into the bake shop, I immediately noticed the clean, organized environment. At the front of the shop, there were two glass cases: one showcasing the macarons and the other a variety of available desserts.

Since I went to Le Reve on a late Saturday afternoon, there was definitely a limited number New patisserie serves variety of desserts of options I had to chose from. After much consideration about which desserts to sample, I bought three macaroons in flavors chocolate, strawberry rose, and vanilla and a “tarte au chocolat,” or chocolate tart.

Trying the macarons first, I was amazed at the balance between the crunch of the macaron shell and fluffy filling. In addition, the macaron filling was not too sweet and it just made me want to eat more. My favorite flavor of macaron would have to be the vanilla, which included real vanilla bean in the filling, giving it a rich flavor. The rosette piping and gold flakes on the shell gave the macaron a decadent and sophisticated look.

When sampling the tarte au chocolat, I loved the contrast of the hard chocolate ganache topping that lay over a rich and creamy chocolate mousse, all within chocolate crust. The dark chocolate flavor was not overwhelming and did not give the dessert an overly rich flavor.

After I finished both of these desserts, I immediately wanted to get more, as they leave you with a delicious taste and not-too-full feeling. While the desserts can be a little pricey, especially the macarons, I think that the taste and intricate designs make up for it. I do recommend ordering in advance for a specific dessert as they sell out quickly each day. Be sure to follow Le Reve on social media, as that is where they post updates on menu switches and exciting new tasty treats.