2nd Street Creamery: Cannoli di Nonni

Dearest Reader, you may be thinking to yourself, another 2nd Street Creamery review so soon after the last one? Well since you ask, I am reviewing another 2nd Street Creamery flavor because it is probably the best packaged ice cream you can buy within the city limits of Eldon.

And now you're thinking, what?!! Didn't you drive all the way to the HyVee at the Lake to get your last pint of 2nd Street Creamery? I did, Dearest Reader, I did. However, as I was preparing for both members of Big Muddy to be reunited in STL for winter break, I was researching where in STL you could buy 2nd Street Creamery, as it is now definitively a favorite brand of both members of Big Muddy. I was disappointed to find that the closest place to STL you can buy 2nd St. is a Casey's General Store (aka a gas station for those of you not familiar) in Crystal City, MO, 20 miles away from Fenton. Bummer. (However, I do love ice cream brands that have store locators/flavor locators on their websites :) )

Wait. Did that say CASEY'S?! There's a Casey's in Eldon!! Does the Casey's in Eldon carry 2nd Street Creamery?! Alas! It does!! Woohoo.

As soon as I got back to Eldon from break I made sure to pick up some 2nd Street Creamery from the Eldon Casey's at $4.99 a pint. I bought the Cannoli di Nonni, which I saw at HyVee and was really excited about and the Copper Kettle Caramel, which I have read really good things about on other ice cream blogs.

The description of this ice cream is Mascarpone Flavored Ice Cream with Pistachios, Fudge and Caramel Swirls, and Cannoli Pieces.

As I'm sure you now know, each 2nd Street flavor is inspired by a story. The shorter version of the story on the pint reads, "Nonni's Sunday family dinners were a constant wave of delicious Italian dishes, and she had a way of making sure your plate was always full. No matter how much you ate, there was always a little extra room left for Cannoli."

Of course there is room for Cannoli. There is always room for dessert, because there is a separate stomach for it. The Dessert Stomach, duhhhh.

The longer version of the story on the website reads: "Scott at the creamery tells a story about his daughter's daycare providers - a sweet little Italian couple with huge hearts. Over time, Nonni and Pop Pops, began to feel less like babysitters and more like family. Sunday dinners at Nonni and Pop Pops were all about families, bocce ball and...dinner. In true Italian style, Nonni's dinner was a never ending eating experience. Presenting course after delicious course, Nonni would smile, fold her arms, and head back to the kitchen for more just before each guest had cleaned their plates. A sigh of relief would fill the room when Nonni finally appeared with the Cannolis, a signal to all that they had consumed to her satisfaction and that the tiny space they had left in their stomachs was reserved for the sweet finale of mascarpone cream and pistachios. Today, every time Scott savors a Cannoli, he is reminded of Nonni and Pop Pops and how they sweetened his life with dessert...and so much more."

Now, as a true Italian girl, I love me some Cannolis. In fact just thinking about it, I'm craving some of the unique Cannoli flavors you can buy at Piccione Pastry on the Delmar Loop in STL. Yum. However, the only Cannoli flavored ice cream I have ever had was pretty disappointing. It was a limited batch Ben & Jerry's flavor, and the mascarpone base was too strong and artificial tasting. (In general I find most mascarpone, cheesecake, and cake batter bases too artificial and strong tasting all in a similar way). However, I absolutely loved the one other flavor of 2nd Street I have had. If anyone could pull off a great Cannoli ice cream flavor, I bet they can.

Did 2nd Street Creamery pull it off? I'll start with the base. Definitely mascarpone flavored, and definitely strongly mascarpone flavored. At first I thought I tasted that gross artificialness you can get, but after a few more bites, I realize it is just my imagination. The flavor is strong, but authentic. Yum. The texture, like the other 2nd Street flavor I've had was fluffy and airy while also being totally creamy. No skimping on the fat content from 2nd Street. Mmmm calories, my favorite.

Now the swirls. Madeline and I have both expressed frustration when ice cream brands claim to have a fudge swirl, but in reality, have a chocolate swirl. Surprisingly it seems that 2nd Street may have committed this blunder. However, the caramel swirl and fudge swirl were not at all separate, so the caramel swirl could have made the fudge swirl a little more liquidy than it would have been on its own. I definitely enjoy the combo of the swirls. The caramel is a dark one and it mellows out the base flavor.

The swirls are definitely pretty!

The pistachios aren't abundant throughout the ice cream, but they don't need to be. I like that they add a nice surprise crunch and saltiness every couple of bites.

Look at that adorable pistachio sitting atop that wonderful pile of floooofy ice cream!

Lastly, the Cannoli pieces were kind of disappointing. They tasted just like Cannoli, but the texture was off. They got moist and kinda soggy in the ice cream. They didn't have any bite or crunch to them like real Cannoli shells do. Overall, I was a bit disappointed with this flavor, but I might have given it unreasonably high expectations based on other 2nd Street flavors. No brand is so good that every flavor they make is gonna melt your brains. Also, of the Cannoli ice creams I have tried, this is the best, even if I thought there was definite room for improvement.