A delicious assignment

So I am writing some food blurbs for my internship. And today, I decided to tackle the pumpkin cannoli assignment. So I went to Biscotti's Cafe and Pastry Shop on N. Salina St., in the Little Italy section of Syracuse.

This delightful shop is warm and inviting as soon as you enter. There is a salon type area immediately to the right, with a plush, but gently worn sofa and some Queen Anne style chairs where you can just hang out comfortably for hours. There is also an entire case of gelatto in that room, which is fetching for a whole different reason.

To the left, there are cafe style tables and chairs - 12 settings of two-tops and four-tops spread out around the dining area. The storefront window lets in a great deal of light, and it's nice to be able to see the activity on the street outside, especially if you are working or hanging out with friends inside.

If the ambience of the restaurant isn't enough, the noteworthy sweets greet patrons as soon as they walk in from either the front entrance or the rear one. Nestled in the middle of the shop, there are three enormous glass cases filled top to bottom with tasty sugarey treats. Decadent cakes on the right, fluffy pastries in the middle and colorful cookies on the left.

There is enough mouth-watering action to leave anyone feeling dumbfounded while they try to decide what to choose. I tried the pumpkin cannoli - mainly because that was the object of my assignment for the day. To my delight, the tasty treat was more delicious than I could've predicted.

First of all, the ricotta cheese filling had the perfect consistency. It was light and creamy, and not thick and heavy. It had just the right amount of sweetness to it (and to my delight, it wasn't overly sugary, pumpkin-ey or spicy), and the chocolate chips and powdered sugar dusted on top were the perfect garnish. The pumpkin and spices were nicely subtle, too. Even the crust was flaky and crispy. Nothing about this dessert was overpowering, and therefore each element came together amazingly well.

Speaking with the owners was a treat too - they are graduates of the Culinary Institute of America. They have worked at some of the finest restaurants and hotels in Boston and New York, and they have brought tidbits of culinary expertise from each place to Syracuse. This husband and wife team like to compete with each other by concocting new creations. (The pumpkin cannoli was actually the reaction to a mint-chocolate cannoli, which was created to celebrate St. Patrick's Day three years ago.) As a result, they have plenty of other interesting desserts to offer. There is a Bananas Foster cake and a vegan chocolate mousse. They also have biscotti, but that is to be expected, given the name of the shop.

If dessert is not your thing, Biscotti's also offers homemade soups, salads and sandwiches throughout the day. They also have decent coffee, although it was not quite strong enough to suit my taste. But that divine cannoli easily made up for that minor shortcoming.

If you live in Syracuse and want to check it out, go quickly, because the pumpkin cannolis are seasonal and will only be available till Thanksgiving. Otherwise, they have reasonable hours (open till 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. Fridays and Saturdays, open till 11 p.m., closed Mondays) offer a comfy place to work, study or hang out.