393799 Fri Apr 20 12:31:38 -0700 2007 12 22 Quebec (including Montreal) 0 2500073 The replies to RhondaB's post www.chowhound.com/topics/98712#2496451 about the cannoli and coffee at Alati in St-Léonard has started drifting seriously off topic (Best Coffee), so here's a thread devoted to the subject of local Italian pastry shops. To get the ball rolling, here's a report on a mini cannolithon I conducted a couple of years ago. Here's hoping we'll get some reports on Alati's stuffed pastry tubes soon. The recent discussion on cannoli made me anxious to compare Alati-Caserta's with San Marco's and Alati's, and last weekend’s departure on sabbatical of a favourite disquaire at my neighbourhood Renaud-Bray provided the opportunity. Though I set out on Sunday intending to hit all three pastry shops, reason prevailed: not only was the schlepp to St-Léonard unappealing, the thought of eating three cannoli, however delicious, was vaguely nauseating. So I limited my purchases to two: Alati-Caserta (AC) and San Marco (SM). As MaeveH foretold, SM filled the tubes to order; at AC, they were prefilled. Prices were similar: a half-dozen sets you back $13 at SM, $13.50 at AC. The participants in this impromptu tasting included two disquaires, a cashier and yours truly. One of the disquaires also took the remaining four cannoli home, where he and his girlfriend investigated further. All except me were cannoli virgins, though both disquaires consider themselves connoisseurs of French pastry. All involved knew that the cannolis had been the subject of debate on this board, but no one except me knew which was championed by whom. When opened, the boxes were greeted with cries of "wow" and "écoeurant." SM's pastry tubes were golden and flaky, AC's brown and solid. Both were liberally sprinkled with confectioner's sugar. In both cases, the filling was ricotta based. SM's filling appeared to incorporate chocolate shavings, AC's orange or lemon zest. We began with the AC cannoli, which met with favourable comments all around. After a pause and an infusion of coffee from Brûlerie St-Denis, we attacked the SM cannolis. Everyone agreed on the basics. The AC cannoli were sweeter, the filling slightly denser on the palate, the flavour more complex, including, maybe, a bit of cinnamon or almond. The tube had a toasty taste. For their part, the SM cannoli tasted more of ricotta and had a sourish tang. The chocolate shavings were not particularly discernible as a flavour. The tubes were crisp and flaky but had an faintly oily aftertaste. After the first bite or two of their SM cannoli, both J. and P. declared it superior, praising the texture of the tube, the tang of the filling and the low level of sweetness. About halfway through, I wandered over to the cash to ask M. for her verdict. Both were good, she said, but she preferred the dark one (AC). When I arrived back at the service desk, J, and P. independently announced that they’d changed their minds and found the SM slightly bland and cloying. I concurred. Everyone agreed that both were fine products and that the ranking had less to do with absolute quality than personal preference. So, there you have it: a snapshot more than a scientific survey, but five out of five vote in favour of Alati-Caserta. Or so I thought… As mentioned above, J. took the four remaining cannoli home on his dinner break. This morning he sent me the following message (edited to protect the innocent): QUOTE Voici le résultat de ma seconde dégustation: Le clair est meilleur que le foncé. C'est aussi le constat de ma blonde. Le foncé est plus corsé (roti à exces), plus chargé (zestes d'agrume, fort possiblement d'orange, présence d'une épice dans la pâte, possiblement canelle), plus lourd (la crème, même si extrêmement délicieuse, est grasse et plus sucrée). Le clair est précisément l'inverse. Sa pâte est plus douce, moins cassante. Au moment où j'ai gouté la seconde fois le goût d'huile était complètement disparu. L'absence d'épice et du «toast» dévêt une pâte simple, mais délicieuse à mon goût. La crème plus fine et moins sucrée est plus légère et laisse la possibilité au gourmand d'en reprendre un second... Plus léger, plus discret, un peu comme si on avait appris les bonnes manières autrichiennes à un criard italien... Le caractère reste même si modéré. Somme toute, un vrai délice. [Here's the result of my second tasting: the light one is better than the dark one. That's also what my S.O. thinks. [The dark one is stronger tasting (overcooked), more laden (citrus zest, maybe orange; some spice in the pastry tube, maybe cinnamon), heavier (the cream is really delicious but also richer and sweeter). [The light one is exactly the opposite. The pastry tube is softer, less brittle. When I tasted it the second time, the oily taste had completely disappeared. Unmasked by spices and "toast," the pastry is straightforward but, to my taste, delicious. The finer, less sweet filling is lighter and leaves the door open to seconds for the gourmand… Lighter, subtler, a bit like a gaudy Italian being taught Viennese manners… The character is still there if somewhat subdued. All in all, a pure delight.] UNQUOTE Final score: AC 3, SM 2. Make of it what you will. Fri Apr 20 12:31:38 -0700 2007 10520 carswell 1 2501472 In addition to cannolis, I'm interested which is the best Italian pastry shop for lobster tails. I was at Alati-Caserta tonight, & got their lobster tail & cannoli. Honestly, I wasn't really impressed with both of these products from them tonight(been to Alati-Caserta quite a few times before). Although when I asked for their cannoli, they filled the tube to order instead of being prefilled(that's the impression I got). Fri Apr 20 21:09:56 -0700 2007 2500073 11610 BLM 2 2501757 How about Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Roma, Roma", 6776 St-Laurent, also in La Piccola Italia? I remember they had excellent cannoli and sfogliatelle napoletane. (I'm on a low GI-diet so none of that these days, but I do remember them as good). Hmm, bicycle out - lots of exploring to do, towards St-Léonard for one thing. A lot of the former Italian places along Jean-Talon between here and there have gone Maghrebi in recent years. Sat Apr 21 05:02:59 -0700 2007 2501472 84119 lagatta 1 2501893 Too bad Pâtisserie Alati was not included, would have loved to hear your opinion ...IMHO it is worth schlepping out there (for comparison purposes of course). Nice leisurely bike ride along Jean Talon (dodging potholes & crazed Mtl motorists) & recharge your batteries at Pâtisserie Alati? ;-) Sat Apr 21 07:28:29 -0700 2007 2500073 43126 RhondaB 2 2502002 This is not immediately food-related, but there is a bicycle path along Saint-Zotique for a good part of the way between Petite-Italie and Saint-Léonard. You could also take Villeray street, just north of Jean-Talon, which is much less hectic than Jean-Talon or Jarry. Sat Apr 21 08:36:12 -0700 2007 2501893 84119 lagatta 1 2502324 To try and shed some light on the question of who makes the best cannoli, I ventured out to St-Leonard and visited Patisserie Alati. I bought two ricotta cannolis. Then on my way home, I bought two ricotta cannolis at Alati-Caserta for comparison. After a delicious late meal at Lemeac, the Missus and I headed home for the great canolli taste-off of april 2007. We started wtih the Alati-Caserta. The first thing we noticed was the spice in the shell. It smelled like cinnamon so we'll say its cinnamon. We enjoyed the texture of the shell. It had a nice crunch, but was a little too dense. It was light brown with no bigger than a couple of millimeters. On the other hand, the shell on the Alati cannolis was darker with large bubbles and did not smell of spice. It was much lighter and had a fluffier texture. We preffered it to Alati-Caserta. Just looking at both cannolis, you can tell that the filling in the Alati cannolis is smoother. It has the texture of mascarpone only a little stiffer. The filling in the Alati-Caserta looks more like what I would expect from a cannoli. Smooth enough, but you know that you're eating ricotta. The Alati filling was sweeter than the AC. Although we preferred the less sweet taste of the AC, the Alati won for texture. So our overall winner is Alati on Jean-Talon East. With a lighter shell and smoother filling, we found it to be a superior cannoli. We didn't really like the cinnamon in the AC, either. Is the Alati cannoli worth going out of your way? I think so. Sidenote: I wanted to try the espresso at Alati since another hound had raved about it in another thread, but when I showed up, the machine had been shut down for the day. It's a manual Rancilio and they get their coffee at Union, so the possibility for a great shot is certainly there. Sat Apr 21 11:45:19 -0700 2007 2500073 18488 SnackHappy 2 2506527 Your assessment is bang on! You're referring to my comments on Alati's espresso & I hope you have an opportunity to gage & comment next time you're in St-Leonard. It was intoxicating ... combination of awesome canolli & amazing espresso. Worth every calorie. Mon Apr 23 10:31:22 -0700 2007 2502324 43126 RhondaB 1 2792902 For those who live a little bit down, and too lazy to make a trek, you can get Alati-Caserta's cannoli's at Euro-Deli at St Laurent. At least this site (http://www.ottawaxpress.ca/food/food.aspx?iIDArticle=6323) says so. I am going to test it out in a few days and perhaps then make a trek to the original patisserie and compare. Sat Jul 28 21:31:22 -0700 2007 2500073 53259 emerilcantcook 2 2793082 This guide to The Main, originally appeared in the Hour paper, written by their restaurant critic Maeve Haldane(currently on maternity leave). Sun Jul 29 00:15:35 -0700 2007 2792902 11610 BLM 2 2796087 Don't bother. The last time I had a cannoli at Euro-Deli is was stale and the filling wasn't fresh. Mon Jul 30 09:25:16 -0700 2007 2792902 48563 mainsqueeze 2 2796117 You can also get Alati's Buoni Brutti cookies at Euro-Deli but they are not that fresh (sometimes have a faint lasagna flavour...) and are about double the price per cookie than at the original store - not worth it for sure. Mon Jul 30 09:32:02 -0700 2007 2792902 59561 swissfoodie 3 2853726 Alati-Caserta's cannoli's have to be one of the best ones I've ever eaten! Thu Aug 16 21:00:23 -0700 2007 2796117 119886 ForzaNapoli 4 3932473 I just had a side by side cannoli taste test between Alati-Caserta (on Dante) and Roma (on St-Laurent), and I find Roma's to be creamier, tastier, crispier. I just love them! Tue Aug 05 14:20:52 -0700 2008 2853726 207118 plumeria