Rainy Date Night in the LES: Clinton St. Bakery & Stuffed Artisan Cannolis

Times have been tight, and it occurred to me that it had been awhile since The Man and I had broken bread that wasn't a leftover reboot or suped-up pantry amalgam.  We popped out of the F train at Delancey St, wellies-grommeted and umbrella-armed, in search of good eats and bearable background noise.

Methinky the rain had scared off the suckers--this is the only time I'd seen Clinton St. Bakery without a cramped line snaking out.  The smiley hostess sat us in a booth by the window, and damp pedestrians looked in longingly as we sipped a giant Bloody Mary and split the soup of the day, beef barley ($6):

"Soup" is a bit of a misnomer--'twas much closer to porridge or risotto, but no complaints here.   Maybe because it was so nasty out, but the soft pearls of barley and tender cubes of beef, carrots and potatoes hit the spot, and the creamy chunks of avocado were a welcome hit of richness and freshness.

Not that starters are necessary at Clinton St.; The Man sprang for the Buttermilk Fried Chicken ($16), which turned out to be half an FN chicken with a mini loaf of jalapeno cornbread, honey, and coleslaw:

We've had crisper, more contiguous skin elsewhere, but the chicken itself couldn't be juicier, and the Tobasco and honey helped to speed The Man's poultry carnage. 

The Man succumbed to siren song of Vidalia Onion Rings (side order, $6):

Lightly sweet and crumbly-crunchy looplets--bits of their crust commingled with fried chicken crumbs in The Man's beard. 

Not that I was a shrinking violet, with my two-handed cheeseburger ($14, with cheddar):

But The Man loves me the way that I am (Read: Dripping beef and caramelized onion juices, BLAUGH).  'Twas more medium than the medium-rare I'd ordered, but with a sprinkle of salt and dabs of ketchup, the burger stars aligned well enough.

And you can't have a Date Night in a bakery without pie...

...warm Apple Lattice a la Mode ($7 sans ice cream, $10 with).  The pie is almost--almost--as good as their pancakes (which are available for dinner, GENIUS!).

We were in desperate need to walk off dinner...where better than in pursuit of breakfast?  Soft-Spoken Feisty Lady and I had tried to stop into Stuffed Artisan Cannolis the week before, only to find them shuttered before their posted closing time.

This time around they were still open, but there was only one lady to attend to a growing multitude of tubular-pastry-seeking-fiends, and a wonky credit card machine.  We managed to snag a box of a dozen mixed minis ($18) and get out of there before the sugar-craving hipsters went feral:

(L to R, top row: Pistachio, Dulce du Leche, 2 Mint Chocolate Chip, 2 Original; Bottom row: 2 Chocolate-Shelled Original, Peanut Butter Cup, Pumpkin Pie, Coco Loco, Cappucino)

'Twill come as no surprise that those with chocolate-covered shells fared best when we'd gotten to them the next day.  The mint-chocolate chip was a hair too minty in a disconcertingly toothpaste-ish way, and the Coco Loco tasted like shag rug suntan lotion, but The Man was really feeling the Peanut Butter Cup, and I favored the plain-with-chocolate-shell sort.

As overwhelmed as she was, the Cannoli Lady offered to fill any of their wares to order, so if you're a real stickler, have them do just that, and eat them on the spot (or call in any combination for an easy pickup).

And for sh*ts-n-giggles, there's also a ginourmous foot-long cannoli available for parties, to be crammed with the ricotta filling of your choosing.  Nothing begins or ends a conversation like 5 pounds of tubed cream.

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Clinton St. Bakery
4 Clinton St
Btwn E. Houston & Stanton
NYC, NY 10002
LES (Lower East Side)
Ph: 646-602-6263
Fx: 646-602-6264

Hours:
Mon-Fri: 8am-4pm & 6pm-11pm
Sat: 10am-4pm, 6pm-11pm
Sun: 10am-4pm

Stuffed Artisan Cannolis
176 Stanton St.
Btwn Clinton & Attorney
NYC, NY 10002
LES (Lower East Side)
P: 212.995.2266
Fx: 212.995.0600

Monday: Closed
Tues-Thursday: 1 PM - 10 PM
Friday & Saturday: 11 AM - 11 PM
Sunday: 11 AM - 6 PM

Comments

[from b e h i n d]

f i r s t

[Jack Nasty]

5lbs of tubed cream will certainly DO it.

[from b e h i n d]

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