LITTLE ITALY: Vaccaro's Italian Pastry Shop

Haha... oops! Once again, I've been MIA for a bit. However, this time, since the distance in time is shorter than normal, I will just continue where I left off :)

So... as you may have read in my previous post, my lovely ladies friends and I went to Cafe Gia's for a lovely dinner and enjoyed ourselves very much! So, obviously, we did not want to end the evening early! Therefore, we skipped down the street (literally, skipped....) to the corner Pastry Shop in Little Italy, Vaccaro's!

This place never lets you down, whether it be the smell when you walk in, the festive and exciting decor, HUGE portion sizes, amazing gelato, extraordinarily big eclairs (trust me... share this one!), coffees, panini, anything and everything is great!

There is one in Hunt Valley, one in Canton, and one in Little Italy. All offer an amazing selection of great Italian dessert. Being an ice cream fanatic, I always go for the gelato! This time I opted for the Nocciola (hazelnut) and Baci gelato hot fudge sundae!! It was delicious (as I expected)! My sister always goes for the Baci Balls (::immature laughter::) which are three large profiteroles filled with Baci gelato. My friend Georgia got Baci gelato on a Belgian waffle with a cannoli sampler for us to try, and Lemonia a HUGE bowl of chocolate chip gelato.

We were all very happy and stuffed to the rim when we left! That's what I love most about this place and any other dessert place... You rarely ever see anyone upset in them! Great places to be! One day, I hope to own one! Anywho... I will continue returning to Vaccaro's as long as I live in Baltimore :)

PRELUDE: ITALY

So other than growing up in a Greek Family, where there is always food available, I have had many amazing meals elsewhere.

My First Meal in Rome!

Nutella Gelato

Obviously, my top meals have been in Italy, where I traveled to two years ago (Rome and Florence) and had amazing pizza, pasta, meats, wine, and gelato! My favorite in Italy had to be this amazing french onion soup (insane, right?) served in a little crock in corner restaurant in the Piazza del Palio in Siena. It was a cold rainy day, and nothing was more soothing than this soup! Not only were the onions perfectly cooked, but the cheese was phenomenal and the crostini perfectly crisp yet soft!

In addition, we traveled to Montalcino one day were we visited a restaurant that was able to seat us in their wine cellar (amazing experience). Here, we drank a delicious bottle of red wine, and had phenomenal panini. My choice was tuna, and it was perfectly crisp and fresh!

Of course, the gelato every night was always a treat as well! It was simply fascinating to me how different you feel after eating a meal that's made with wholesome fresh ingredients, as opposed to processed foods we are used to in America. Not only are you less bloated, but you feel fuller quicker. Not to forget, the taste difference between the two is enormous!

Small Cafe in Todi

DRINK: When you think Italy, you think wine...and I had plenty of amazing wine everywhere we went. If your traveling to Tuscany, remember that each town has its own wine that it is famous more. I just recommend that wherever you go, 1) visit a winery 2) as for their house special. Especially at restaurants, asking for the house special not only saves you money (normally the cheapest option), but also ensures that you get great wine!

First Round of Tiramisu Shots

Besides the wine, I will never forget my Tiramisu shots. One night we decided to go out to a bar called "Barrone Rosso". Unfortunately, our find ended up being one of the All-American pubs in Rome. I was soo upset that Americans visiting Italy actually want to go to American places. Anyways... we shortly discovered that the bartender's specialty was a "Tiramisu" shot (pictured right). They were sweet, and complete with foam and cinnamon! You must try them!! ADDICTING!

One of the Many Pizzas I Ate

NOTE: I did not mention Pizza from Italy because I could not choose my favorite...ANYWHERE you go it is PHENOMENAL! :)

Il Corallo, Rome

Pictured to the left is a "Shrimp Salad" pizza I tried at a place in Rome called Pizza Design! They do various specialty pizzas! This was our go to place, close to the hotel, and great service! The owners were Middle Eastern, and spoke both English and Italian! All food was amazing! and they would always put on some AMAZING music for us while we were there!

Arrivederci,
Your Tasty Bud