haven't had the food at Essence in awhile because it is just too slow, too crowded and too hot. But, I do LOVE the macarons. However, it's such a pain to get them, I may need to find my fix elsewhere. \n\nLast Friday, my gluten intolerant buddy flew into town for a visit. i stopped by Essence at 12 p.m. to pick up three caramel macarons for a treat. parking lot was overcrowded, complete with double-parked cars, I illegally parked with friend in car to \"run\" inside to pick up two.\n\nline to order food was 4 deed and the two gals at the registers didn't seem too in a hurry to get us all processed. by the time I got to the counter, they only had 2 left, and i was told they had no more. i took my two, paid for them and left.\n\nbuddy loved them. so much that she wanted to take 4 home to share with her family. i called essence this a.m. to order (and pay for) over the phone, so we could swing by at 1230 on the way to the airport and pick them up. well, essence will only take phone orders of macarons for a dozen or more...well, at $3 a pop, that was out of the question. \n\nthe gal on the phone said, oh, at 1230 we'll have plenty. really? i said. i was there on friday at noon and you only had 2 left.\n\nso, we took our chances today...i dropped her at the front door and i circled the parking lot over and over (of course there is no parking). friend waited in line for 10 minutes just to be told they only had two left and that the ones in back wouldn't be cool and available for at least 1/2 hour. friend, frustrated, bought the two and left. \n\nessence has great food and great baked goods. but the space, parking, and service cannot keep up with their recent success.