Mark and I just returned home from a little weekend getaway in Boston. OK, sure...it wasn't a sunny, warm springtime beach weekend, but it was actually perfect.
I hadn't planned to post about our trip, but you need to know about these two Boston bakeries.
More of our travel posts:
- 4 favorite bakeries in Frankfurt, Germany
- favorite places in Fredericksburg, Texas
- copycat London acai + almond butter bowls
- 9 of our favorite places to eat in Savannah
First. On the suggestion of my cousin, Meg, we started our trip with lunch at flour bakery + cafe.
There are a few locations in town. The bakeries are led by James Beard Award-winning pastry chef + co-owner Joanne Chang. Little did I know that I actually have one of her cookbooks in my kitchen! So cool.
I'll start with the cookie, even though I did eat my sandwich first. THIS cookie is called the Chunky Lola Cookie. Made with oats, chocolate, coconut, and toasted pecans - it is incredible. I want another one. Like now.
Mark had the oatmeal raisin and raved about it as well.
OK y'all, this flour bakery + cafe egg sandwich was divine!!! I love an egg sandwich, and this goes down as one of my faves ever. The best? Possibly.
Mark ordered and devoured the avocado toast. It features poached egg, pickled fresno chili, cotija cheese, salsa verde, and cilantro on multigrain toast. He said it was THE best he's ever had. That's saying something. We make, eat, and order a lot of avo toast!
Second. Before we left town, we headed to the North End. Filled with character and lots and lots of Italian charm, it is Boston's oldest residential community. This is where I'm spending an entire weekend next time we visit.
I loved that you could tell the area was filled with locals and tourists like us. The local patrons seemed to know each other - we heard lots of conversations asking about family and travel plans. Very sweet.
There is an uber-famous bakery in the North End, and we'd planned to go there, but someone on Instagram steered us to Modern Pastry. (Thank you, Regan!)
Modern Pastry has been around since 1930 and is famous in its own right. What makes this Italian bakery special? Modern Pastry fills cannoli TO ORDER.
That's right. You get your choice of shell:
- Plain (traditional)
- Chocolate Dipped (just the ends)
- Chocolate (the WHOLE shell)
And your choice of filling:
- Ricotta (traditional mix)
- Vanilla Custard (aka yellow cream)
- Chocolate Custard
- Whipped Cream
- Chantilly Cream (vanilla custard & whipped cream)
And your choice of topping:
- Chocolate Chips
- Pistachios
- Almond Slices
I chose the chocolate shell (duh.) with traditional ricotta filling and almonds.
ANGELS. SANG.
Not to be dramatic, but I will never again visit Boston without stopping in Modern Pastry for cannoli. As a matter of fact, I might plan a trip for the sole purpose of visiting Modern Pastry.
If you make it to Boston, please eat a Flour Bakery cookie and Modern Pastry cannolo for me! Actually, make it two each.
