11.21.06
My 28th Year Of Life And My 14th Year Of Cannoli
Yesterday was my 28th birthday. It was sometime around my 14th birthday that I went to visit my brother at Amherst College and went out to eat at an Italian restaurant called Carmelina’s. There, for the first time in my young life, I discovered what cannoli was. Josh and his roommates ordered them, and I watched as the waiter squeezed fresh ricotta from the tube into the waiting shell. I had one bite and I LOVED it. But I didn’t really start eating cannoli seriously until a couple years later at the Giaquinta household of Potomac, Maryland.
Number 28 isn’t really a big deal aside from the fact that it means I survived 27 which Jimi, Janis, Curt, Tupac, Valentino, and a few others didn’t. Still, this birthday is momentous in a way. It marks the 14th year since I first laid eyes on cannoli, meaning that cannoli have been a part of my life for half of its duration. For the rest of my life, I will have known of cannoli for the better part of it.
Little did I know 14 years ago how big a role cannoli would play not only in my life, but in my personality. I’ve been dubbed “The Cannoli Kid” by a real-life Sicilian. I made three separate pilgrimages to Sicily in search of cannoli. And I’ve scoured the five boroughs for true cannoli in my yellow cab. I even found a reason to speak of cannoli in the Village Voice article about me in which I am pictured with a giant pickle in my mouth.
And recently I recieved an incredibly heart-warming email from a reader whose love of cannoli seems to have sprung from my own:
Hi Dave, I've been a long-time reader of your blog, and have to say I've become secretly addicted to your reviews. Though I seriously loved your "three burgers in a day" entry, my favorite has been your cannoli saga, and it has stuck out as the pinnacle of NYC eating to this California girl. Alas, I didn't have the time nor funds to go on your full tour when I was visiting Manhattan last month, but I did have Rocco's on the top of my foodie list...though of course...I forgot the address at home. Dejected, I was convinced I would have to leave the city without having tasted my first cannoli ever...until lo and behold I stumbled upon it when I was on a mission to Bleeker St. Records. It was seriously one of those serendipitous moments where you know you're at the right place at the right time! Needless to say, the cannoli was amazing, better than I ever could have imagined it to be: crispy shell, thick, sweet cream, little pistachios for nuttiness...well, I don't need to tell you, do I?I just wanted to thank you for introducing me to Rocco's, and consequently, one of the most heavenly foodie experiences of my life to date. Keep up the great work with blog and your reviews in NFT and Gothamist, and I hope one day to partake in a Wheels of Steel Tour myself! All the best, Zhaddi
(Zhaddi’s cannoli: she is clearly a better photographer than I am)
That letter warms my heart to no end. It makes me as proud a Sicilian. And it is exactly why I do what I do. If I were a chef, I’d watch with pride as people eat the food I cook them. But I’m just an eater. Thus my satisfaction comes from watching people’s eyes light up when I introduce them to the foods I love.
So yesterday, on an otherwise unimportant 28th birthday, Melissa knew exactly what I would love the most. She sneaked out to Rocco’s on the pretense that she was going to the deli. I had no clue what she was up to. But she came back to surprise me with a black and white, a strawberry shortcake, and TWO beautiful, fresh-made, hand-piped cannoli.
Vaos said,
November 22, 2006 at 1:11 pm
Happy birthday from another fan!
Love your blog…
Greetings,
Väös
The Netherlands
Rob said,
November 22, 2006 at 3:10 pm
Dave,
While reading this post I discovered two things:
I’d really love to find a place to get a Cannoli.
And… I was born 6 days after the Famous Fat Dave!
Happy birthday, even if it’s a bit late.
-r2
laura @ cucina testa rossa said,
November 23, 2006 at 6:40 pm
hey dave – a belated happy birthday! and i would *kill* for a real cannoli! my next trip to ny, that’s our first stop! ciao for now, laura
Polecat said,
November 24, 2006 at 11:09 pm
Happy Bday, Dave.
Your blogs have made it that much more enjoyable a ride for me.
Many more to you.
P.
ps: 28, huh…just how much is that in “eating years”?
Marco said,
November 26, 2006 at 3:33 pm
I’m with you on cannoli. We live outside of Albany and rarely go to Schenectady, the home of Villa Italia bakery. http://www.villaitaliabakery.com/ Some of the best cannoli outside of Sicily itself! DeRobertis on 1st and 11th is pretty good. Try them. http://derobertiscaffe.com/
When in Sicily some years ago, I searched out a cafe in Datillo mentioned in a NYT’s article. We arrived in he small town and found the cafe (Europeo?). The woman went into the back, stuffed two montrous cannoli and brought them out. These were probably the best cannoli that we’ve ever had period.
Peter Horowitz said,
November 26, 2006 at 9:24 pm
Great blog.
Almost makes me wanna be a cabbie in Montreal.
Keep it up, and check out one of my sites – http://www.breakfastblogger,com – There are a few NYC entries in there.
Note: TYPO – “It makes me as proud a Sicilian”.
Take it easy,
Peter (aka spanky)
Shannon said,
November 27, 2006 at 11:53 pm
Happy Birthday and Keep on Eating
Eileen said,
December 21, 2006 at 10:01 pm
I recently walked past Bruno’s and Rocco’s and having not known which one would be better, chose Rocco’s for the sheer coziness of it, and got a chocolate-covered cannoli. It was delicious, and then I re-stumbled upon this post of yours and am thrilled that I made the right choice of the two! It truly is worth going out of one’s way for.
Rozana said,
February 6, 2007 at 12:25 am
Dear Dave,
I am a Malaysian woman. I’ve known about cannoli since I watched The Godfather some 20+ odd years ago and have been dreaming to know what a cannoli tastes like for that 20+ years. 2 years ago, I had my chance. I was in New York for work and took a walk near the piers on the 4th of July and bought my first cannoli from one of the street vendors. I don’t know whether it was the best cannoli or not but it tasted like heaven to me. On another evening, I had a late dinner in Little Italy and had my 2nd cannoli from one of the shops there. Since then, life hasn’t been the same.
There are tons of Italian restaurants here in the capital of Malaysia but you as a Sicilian would probably find it a disgrace. Anyway, they don’t have cannoli.
I’ve been surfing the net for an easy to make recipe but just don’t have the courage to do it, lest I’d be disappointed. Anyway, it’s a form of art and to learn how to make a cannoli from a webpage instead of a master baker is almost sacrilege.
I will soldier on, in this cannoli-less life of mine. But yes, a cannoli is a story of love, of longing, of quenching the soul. And I totally miss it so.
To all the New Yorkers out there, enjoy it, OK?
Cristina Trapani-Scott said,
December 17, 2007 at 3:53 pm
Hi Dave,
I was looking up cannoli for no other reason than to see what the World Wide Web had on cannoli. Well, there you were in all your cannoli glory.
I wanted to tell you that I have never known a time in my life without cannoli. I know that makes you quite envious. The reason I tell you this is that on your quest you will never find the best cannoli ever made. I’m not sure that’s your goal. Anyway, the reason is that my mother’s cannoli are the best ever made. They are legendary in these parts. She’s made them every year at Christmas time since before I was born. People look foward to them, our friends, coworkers, family and the like. She’s also made them for special events such as weddings, possibly even funerals.
She was born in Sicily, so of course they’ve become a tradition. Anyway, she spends a whole weekend each year making many, many, many shells and then my dad takes a bunch to work and she mails me some. I should be receiving my shells any day now. I’ll be in cannoli heaven.
Good luck with everything.