My cannoli complex

Cannolis are probably my favorite pastry in the entire world. My grandfather would make a special trip to a bakery in downtown Waterbury just to pick them up for me pretty much every time we got together (which was a lot). Living in Boston has really opened my eyes to the different kinds of cannolis the world has to offer. Mike's Pastry on Hanover Street has everything from yellow cream to the standard ricotta to chocolate dipped shells, and yes I have tried them all. Mike's is probably the most famous pastry shop in the North End - there's always a huge line outside - but it's not my favorite. I'm actually a big fan of Cafe Vittoria, a little hole in the wall cafe that's right next to Mike's. The cannoli filling is much thicker, and their coffee is much better. Plus, you can usually get a table, something the huge crowd at Mike's usually doesn't allow for.

These little beauties weren't whipped up in any famous pastry shop, but that doesn't make them any less wonderful. I love all of my cannolis just the same. Well, that's a lie, but if it's in front of me, I'm certainly not going to say no. These were made in the bakery of Stew Leonards, a grocery store five minutes down the road from my parent's house in Connecticut. However, I've found that grocery store cannolis can actually be very satisfying. My ex-girlfriend was an exceptionally picky eater who would go through phases with food (wonder why that didn't last). She was hooked on cannolis for a whole two weeks, so we used to go to the grocery store that she worked at and pick up a couple at a time. Then she stopped liking them, so we didn't go anymore. (lawl) Those cannolis were really good. The cream was much thicker than the cream in Mike's cannolis, and the ricotta taste was more prominent. Still, I'd prefer a fresh-made pastry over one that's been sitting in a cooler for hours.