Really, though, it isn’t even a question – there is never a bad time for Cannoli if you ask me. Heck, that dude in Godfather Part III was munchin on them during an opera performance in Italy – he croaked cuz they were poisoned, but nonetheless, the man understood the basic axiom: there is never a time when Cannoli isn’t good. And, one should not forget it’s positive corollary: Cannoli is always a good gift (except perhaps for savages) .

Now, as reported by reported by Elbowgrease, this week in my office it is “Cake Week“. It is tradition that we buy some kind of cake/dessert for the staff members for each of their birthdays (from the “staff appreciation” line of the budget, which should just be called the “delicious” budget line).

Cake Week began with pizelles that Kristin brought from her grandmother’s lovingly made hands; of which I did not partake. I love those pizelles, don’t get me wrong, but Janelle inquired the other day if I gained a few pounds and it set off a Kate Moss complex of epic proportions. “I do not need the pizelles, I’m just going to eat my fiber cereal mixed with peach kefir“.

I want to note something at this point: Janelle asking me if I gained a few pounds was totally reasonable, because I have gained a few pounds. And she thought that I’m a guy, so it’s not like saying that to a woman. Well, I guess I’m a bit sensitive about it.  But it should be noted that we were hot off the tails of a trip to Northern New York to go up to her grandpa’s old hunting cabin – our meals consisted mostly of sausage, a regional Bologna (which was delicious), Chicken Casserole; Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Casserole; Ground Beef mixed with mushrooms, peppers, and onions (the beef was locally grown, free-range, not from some hippy joint but straight from her uncle’s farm); and Lancaster Caviar ( an Amish-style appetizer of Cream Cheese with Sweet Pepper Jelly on it). So, gaining a few pounds and destroying my blood pressure was in order.

Anyway, the next day was Elbowgrease’s birthday (the impetus for Cake Week) and we had cupcakes. Now, at this point, I had been good about resisting the pizelles. There are even chocolate covered cherries (cherry sauce in the middle really) that are on the shelf next to my desk which beckon me each hour. But cupcakes put it over the limit. It wasn’t even that I like cupcakes that much, it’s just the frosting which calls to me, even in my sleep.

So then Wednesday came around, there were leftover cupcakes, it was thought that it would be, for the most part, then end of cake week. Not so. I decided, for some reason, that Cake Week needed to be fought for. Hence: a trip to Romeo and Juliet’s Bakery and Cafe on Hertel Ave in North Buffalo.

I wasn’t really sure what to get. Should I get Tiramisu?  It’s kind of cake-y, but expensive and could be difficult to portion out. R&J’s has good cookies – maybe some cookies? No, the pizelles were already covering the cookie-like part of cake week. And then, it hit me like a diabetic coma:

 Sweet Cannoli...

(NOTE: This is NOT from Romeo and Juliet’s)

 

Cannoli. Sweet, heavenly Cannoli. Not exactly cookie. Not exactly cake. Just sweet, sweet deliciousness. All bets were off. If I had hoped that this week would lead to better health, I was dead wrong. I quickly wrapped up 4 Cannolis and headed back to the office for the sweetness.

I must say, the Romeo and Juliet’s Cannoli’s were exceptional. They were just a little lemon-y, which made them even better. Sometimes the cheese filling (if poorly done) can leave a sort of chalky aftertaste, like you just put a tablespoon of powdered sugar in your mouth. These – not so. The filling was fresh and soft  and left a satisfying tart aftertaste. The crust was also very fresh and cracked apart easily; I’ve had some store-bought Cannolis with crusts that were a little soft from the filling sitting in them too long, and it was disgusting.

The moral of the story is: Cannoli always delivers. And Romeo and Juliet’s Cannoli delivers well.

 

Note: I capitlized Cannoli for the most part throughout this post, as I think it deserves that distinction.

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