I literally think I am in love with this business! Is that weird? Whatever, carbs are my fav and these are delectable. Thanks to Yelp reviewers for suggesting this spot.
Located in a brick strip mall, on a corner, with a few spots in front and more to the side, the business is clearly marked! We were greeted as soon as we entered. There was a constant stream of customers throughout our visit with never more than 4 or 5 inside. I believe there was a sign outside asking to limit the number of guests inside. Please do check for that.
The interior is large with cases forming an 'L' shape. Plexiglass dividers have been installed atop these cases. Hand sanitizer is located by the door, masks are required for customers and staff.
Our visit was late morning and there was still plenty of bread and sweets to choose from. The bread, and some of the sweets, looked 'over done', but for the bread at least, it didn't affect my enjoyment of the product one bit. We selected calzones, bread, rolls, cannoli, sfogliatelle, and tiramisu. A lot. Our helper placed it all on a tray, then boxed it up once we were finished choosing. There is a register at each end of the room so there isn't a need to congregate in line to check out. A few pre-packaged items are on shelves around the room.
First, the bread. We selected the 'small' regular Italian loaf. I say 'small' in quotes because this is a large sized loaf. They offered to sliced it, which we declined. We made Italian bread to accompany our home made sauce when we arrived home. The crust on this bread is crumbly, crusty, crunchy, chewy. The interior is a feather soft loft of bread deliciousness. The contrast is delightful and I can't decide which I enjoyed more, the chewy outside or lofty, fluffy inside. They both have their merits.
French toast was made next day, which was wonderful as that sturdy crust held all the egg inside making for a lovely end result. Lofty dough leaves lots of room and sturdy crust to hold it all inside resulting in 3 eggs for two slices of bread. Perfect. Since then we have cut slices for toast and sandwiches and still a bit is left. I'd buy this loaf every week.
I stored the sweets in the fridge as they contain cream and found the cannoli pastry too 'soft', but that could have been because of being stored in the fridge. The cream is tasty with a good texture and gentle citrusy profile which I very much enjoyed. The chocolate drizzle on the pastry is a nice addition.
The sfogliatelle is not like any I enjoyed while living in Italy, which does not diminish from it's delights. This was one of the items I though a bit over done. The shape and construction is as expected, however the 'spiky' bits that fan out from the center were too hard. The interior had a texture more like a cake style donut than a flaky pastry, but with more moisture and a citrusy pallet. I actually enjoyed this one even though it contained no cream. They do offer similar style pastry filled with two types of cream, that are possibly more like the one's I am remembering and I will have to try them to confirm.
We shared the tiramisu slice with a cup of Italian moka and it was a delight. A wonderful surprise to find caramel flavor inside this very sweet treat. We both enjoyed this version fully and it was a perfect accompaniment to the strong Italian coffee.
I was very much looking forward to my spinach calzone and this one did not disappoint! So much spinach! I chose the spinach, cheese and olive version, and the olives were 'just the right amount', offering up a bit with each bite and the cheese did not overwhelm the calzone. I reheated in the oven and although the interior was warm enough, the exterior was dried out. I'll ask next visit the appropriate way to heat this up. I totally intend to get another. Also, there is a definite yet subtle taste that I think is fennel(?) or is it caraway? Either way, it added a very nice layer to the calzone flavor and I heartily approve! My SO got the steak and cheese calzone and my bite was very tasty and lean with a salt & pepper seasoning. Simple and tasty. I would absolutely get this for lunch or dinner.
My voice is not one that 'carries', and when there were a few of us trying to order through masks and plexiglass simultaneously, it got very loud in there! The poor woman assisting us could not hear me. I waited for the noise to calm down and tried again. I felt like I was shouting to be heard. Otherwise, all other aspects were very positive. We enjoyed every item and definitely plan to return for more! Now, I'm off to eat some Italian bread. read more