La Cornetteria

Bakery: La Cornetteria
Address: 6528 St. Laurent, Montreal QC
Website: http://www.lacornetteria.com/
Style: Italian 
Price: $$ 

Little Italy just wouldn't be Little Italy without an Italian bakery. And that bakery -- or at least one of them -- is La Cornetteria, where the eponymous specialty is the humble, not very well-known cornetto. The cornetto being, of course, a sort of Italian equivalent of the croissant, except in most cases it comes stuffed with a variety of fillings such as custard, Nutella, whipped cream, etc. One could call it a cross between a French croissant and a cannolo. However, this petite patisserie with a decidedly retro vibe doesn't just carry several types of cornetti; they also have a selected number of classic Italian pastries. There are cannoli, zeppole, and the bakery's signature creation: cronetti (an "Italianized" cronut), along with a few other treats.

Now, whenever I go to an Italian bakery and see zeppole, it's always my first pick. I love zeppole. While they did have them here, I found them a little expensive. The same could be said of their cannoli. In the end, I opted for that cornetto ($2.95 with filling; slightly cheaper for a plain). After all, I'd never had one before and it seemed a worthwhile choice given it's well, the cornetto destination. Going with the one with ricotta cream, I was a little surprised that technically cornetti aren't exactly stuffed; the "filling" is more or less piped on top of the pastry. To tell the truth, I didn't have such high hopes for it after that, but taking a bite, I really liked it. Likened to a croissant, the dough is not the crunchy, airy, multi-layered dough of a French croissant. It's softer, almost... heartier with a hint of a lemon in the dough. Top that with the ricotta cream, also with a hint of lemon, and the two were a great match: good texture, great taste -- yummy!

Rating: ***