Holy Cannoli, I'm Stuffed...or Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli

First off, a quick apology (to anyone who might care) about Tasty Travails being a little lax on the posting lately...lots of back and forth between the lower east side and Washington, DC, as Significant Eater settles into her new job in public service. Along with being in the process of trying to find a more permanent residence in DC, I have been seeing lots of I-95 lately - btw, not a lot of good food to eat along the way, though I have found a few places of interest, which I'll report about in the future...think cheap booze.

But back to the lower east side, which is where I am today, before heading south tomorrow. Certainly this place has been Urban Daddied, Eatered, Thrill Listed, Daily Candied, Grub Streeted and Seriously BEaten to death, but it's in my neighborhood, so I'll report anyway. A bit off the beaten path, on Stanton between Clinton and Attorney, sits this nice storefront:

And looking up at the sign, you'll see this:

Yes, folks, it's Stuffed Artisan Cannolis, and really, it's just what the neighborhood needs. I'd been wanting to stop in for a week or two now, so I headed over after receiving a less than happy welcome at nearby Noodle Bar (no, not THAT Noodle Bar) on the corner of Orchard and Stanton. Oh, at noodle bar I walked in and after sitting at down at a 4-top was told I'd have to sit at a smaller table - really - when there was nobody else in the place, so I walked out...(oh, nice to see you too, douchebags) and proceeded east on Stanton, and there it was at #176.

The store is minimalist...no, make that practically empty, and I stood there for a good minute or two before the owner realized I was watching him intently stuffing filling into a myriad of cannoli. He turned around, smiled and apologized for not noticing me sooner (maybe he should teach noodle bar some manners?). The owner is Anthony, and he's a New Yorker through and through. Grew up and went to school in Greenwich Village. If you want to hear a classic New York accent, Anthony's your guy. Check out how happy he is just making his cannoli...

We exchanged some pleasantries, and I found out that he started by selling his cannoli from a cart on the corner of Mulberry & Hester Sts. on the weekends, and would set up a booth at the Feast of San Gennaro during its 10-day run in September. Pretty cool. And when the opportunity to open a little storefront presented itself, he just couldn't say no. The neighborhood wins. After a bit more bantering, Anthony offered me one of his classic cannoli for a taste. I say classic, because it was the classic Sicilin cannolo, with a hint of almond and cinnamon gracing the perfect filling. It was everything a cannolo should be - filled on the spot, the shell was crisp and the filling not too sweet. You can see above that there aren't a lot of prefilled shells, lest they become soggy, which is the bane of a good cannolo. As a matter of fact, they only hold up for 6 hours or so, and that refrigerated case they're in is icy cold to keep 'em fresh.

Other than the classic, Anthony offers all sorts of different flavored fillings for his cannoli. Using high quality ingredients like Valrhona chocolate, I can only imagine they would be a great hit for your next party. As a matter of fact, who could resist, so I brought home a few for dessert tonight. Don't they look good?

That's cappucino on the left, chocolate in the middle and peanut butter and jelly on the right. I've already eaten the chocolate one (damn good) and I'm bringing the other two with me to share with some dinner companions - I'm sure they'll be just right after pizza!