What You Must Ask Before Diving Into A Cannoli At An Italian Restaurant

Folks used to getting their fix at overpriced Italian chain restaurants may be unaware of how much better their dining experience could be at an authentic establishment. Chains tend to tailor their menus to a standard American palate, as evidenced by Olive Garden's cheese-smothered entrées, which you wouldn't see at a traditional Italian restaurant. Instead, look for espresso on an Italian menu, fresh bread baked in wood-fired ovens, and, according to Melissa Mastrianni-Oleary, the Italian American food and recipe writer behind Keeping It Simple Italian, exquisite cannoli made on site.

To avoid encountering a soggy letdown, it behooves folks to ask if the cannoli are made in house. "Cannoli shells should be nice and crisp and filled right before serving," Mastrianni-Oleary said. "If it is soft in any way, then you know it is not fresh." Homemade cannoli isn't an extra special thing some establishments do to woo customers –- it's the standard for any Italian restaurant worth its salt. Mastrianni-Oleary pointed out, "There is an expectation to have these made by the restaurant ... Each restaurant takes pride in its own version of making the cannoli shells and the cannoli cream."

Of course, you should be able to get a clue about the freshness of an Italian restaurant's cannoli upon entering the establishment. "Often in Italy, the desserts that they have that day will be displayed on a platter by the front door so that when you walk in, you know what they look like," Mastrianni-Oleary said. "This is telling you that those are the items that are made fresh there for the day. If it is not on a platter for display, the waiter will tell you what they have."

Although most quality Italian restaurants make cannoli in-house to ensure customers experience the best, there is one workaround that Melissa Mastrianni-Oleary mentioned that allows the shell to exhibit that sought-after crunch. "If it is brought in from a local bakery (a pasticceria, or sometimes found in fornos), then the shells would be brought in, and the cannoli would need to be filled at the restaurant in order to keep the cannoli fresh," she said, noting a dessert worth enjoying. However, going back to the pride any self-respecting Italian restaurant has for its cuisine, folks are unlikely to encounter a cannoli made this way in an authentic establishment.

"There are so many Italian bakeries and restaurants that make these so well that you would not do this," Mastrianni-Oleary explained. "If Italians wanted a commercial version of a cannoli, they could just buy that themselves at their local grocery stores." It's not necessarily one of the signs you're at a bad Italian restaurant if you don't see homemade cannoli. Still, it's best to ask if the cannoli are prepared fresh to avoid capping off an exquisite meal with a disappointing dessert.