North End in Boston is full of rich history and keeps the heritage alive with traditional shops and people speaking Italian. Maria’s Pastry Shop has won awards for best cannoli and I really like Mike’s cannoli’s but, I gotta say, the shells were crispy and the creamy ricotta filling is added while you wait. Maria is from Campania, Italy and when I asked if I could take a picture, she yelled at me in a Boston-Italian way and then smiled and said ok!
Further down the narrow streets is jammed packed Polcari’s Coffee which has coffee beans, spices, tubs of cooking beans and lots of little kitchen items. The store has a real old time feeling with classic items. Around the corner, in Alba Produce, I learned that eggplants can be male or female with the males having less seeds and less bitter. I’ll leave that one alone! Looking over the breads, olives, salami and cheeses, at Bricco Salumeria, we tasted very good olive oils, balsamic and cheese. I couldn’t leave without ordering an eggplant Parmigiano sandwich which looked like it could feed two for $7.95. East coast bread is so darn good, the complex texture means you have to rip it apart and enjoy each bite.
@JacquelineChurch of Boston Food Tours is so informative with her fun tour and there’s always room for one more cannoli.
