ALPINE BAKERY & PIZZERIA: Long Island native Bill Clementi and his partners, Stephen Bishop and Anthony DeTommaso, have the north side market cornered on Italian sweets. Their cannoli stand tall among the bakery’s offerings. The shells are freshly made and stuffed with a mixture of premium ricotta impastata, sugar, vanilla and a few secret ingredients. The filling is then studded with tiny chocolate chips. They’re offered in either small or regular sizes. 295 Rucker Road, Alpharetta. 770-410-9883. www.alpinebakeryandpizzeria.com.
ANTICO PIZZA NAPOLETANA: In addition to gorgeous pizzas, owner Giovanni Di Palma sells a jaw-dropping assortment of Italian sweets. The cannoli are especially tasty. Di Palma sources the shells — encrusted with everything from shredded coconut to crushed pistachios — and fills them with an incredibly smooth ricotta from Brooklyn. Each order comes with a complimentary espresso made the old-fashioned stovetop way. 1093 Hemphill Ave. 404-724-2333. www.anticopizza.it.
PAOLO'S GELATO AND ITALIANO ICE: This longtime quirky Virginia-Highland gelato spot isn’t only about frozen treats. The store also sells a handful of Italian sweets. The cannoli are offered in various forms such as the more traditional style filled with a spiced ricotta mixed with chocolate chips. The chocolate version, however, is the best choice. The ends of the crisp chocolate shell are dipped in melted chocolate before being filled with a mixture of ricotta and dark chocolate that’s as thick as cake frosting. 1025 Virginia Ave. 404-607-0055. www.paolosgelato.com.
COMMENTS
RE: Cannoli
Posted by sandrakolka on 11.18.09 @ 12:35 PM
Alpine Bakery's cannoli are the closest Atlanta has to New York's or Chicago's (can't include Sicily, of course). Ask them to fill to order and eat that day. Alpine's sfogliatelle ("sfoi-ya-del"--good luck with that) is excellent--they roll their own dough! I like the baked ricotta custard filling with citron and orange essence.
Although we loved Antico's true pizz, we were terribly, deeply disappointed by the cannoli (stale, yucky shells with way too much gunk on them, not Italian at all; you could hardly taste the ricotta in the filling). The sfogliatelle were dry, dry, dry, with way too much leaden filling. At $20+ for 3 of each, we felt so bad to throw them away.
Sandra